The realm of technology is constantly evolving, and the Netherlands has become a breeding ground for some of the most innovative and transformative companies in the tech industry. Known as ‘tech unicorns’ – these companies are not just a testament to successful entrepreneurship but also a beacon of innovation and technological advancement. As of 2025, the Netherlands hosts over 18 active privately‑held tech unicorns and around a dozen publicly listed successors (“former unicorns”). This ecosystem thrives under the Digital Economy Strategy 2025–2030 and NL Startups Internationalization Program, which together support scalable digital businesses via tax incentives, innovation credits, and cross‑border collaboration. A tech unicorn is a privately held company having a valuation of $1 billion (€920 million) or more, as tracked by Dealroom and CB Insights, reflecting private equity valuations.
Rotterdam, the architectural and cultural capital of the Netherlands, has emerged as a hub for several tech unicorns that are reshaping various industries. Companies like Coolblue, which reached unicorn status before its partial public listing on Euronext Amsterdam in 2021, an e-commerce giant specialising in consumer electronics, have their headquarters in this city. Rotterdam’s Smart Enterprise Lab 2025 and Upstream Rotterdam Tech Festival also attract fast‑growing scale‑ups, while Amsterdam and Eindhoven continue to dominate national unicorn valuations with combined equity valuations exceeding €160 billion (CBS Innovation Monitor 2025). Rotterdam’s Smart Enterprise Lab 2025 and Upstream Rotterdam Tech Festival also attract fast‑growing scale‑ups, while Amsterdam and Eindhoven continue to dominate national unicorn valuations with combined equity valuations exceeding €160 billion (CBS Innovation Monitor 2025). Rotterdam’s strategic location, skilled workforce, and business-friendly environment have contributed to the success of these tech giants.
In this comprehensive list, we delve into approximately 20 recognized tech unicorns and scale‑ups in the Netherlands, as of 2025, according to Dealroom data, showcasing their groundbreaking work and remarkable growth.
Among these trailblazers is Fastned, a post‑unicorn public scale‑up revolutionizing the electric vehicle charging sector with its expansive network, and Azerion, capturing global audiences in digital entertainment. In the biotechnology realm, Merus stands out for its pioneering cancer treatments, while bunq redefines banking with its mobile-first, sustainable approach.
These companies, along with others like Allego, Backbase, and Mambu, underscore the diverse and dynamic nature of the Dutch tech scene. Join us as we explore these tech unicorns, uncovering the stories of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that have propelled them to international acclaim.
How We Ranked Our Picks
Dealroom Signal is an innovative algorithm that highlights promising funding opportunities in the startup landscape. Unlike conventional metrics that gauge a startup’s general quality or performance, Dealroom Signal focuses on identifying companies demonstrating substantial traction and readiness for upcoming funding events.
This feature is particularly valuable for investors, corporates, government enablers, and founders, providing them with predictive intelligence to discover high-potential companies, stay updated on innovation trends, assess tech ecosystem growth, and facilitate talent acquisition and fundraising.
How Dealroom Signal Works:
- Predictive Algorithm: The algorithm filters through extensive data to pinpoint startups that are showing strong growth and are poised for a funding round. It’s calibrated to identify round-ready companies.
- Dashboard Integration: Dealroom Signal integrates into the user’s main dashboard, showcasing three key categories: top-ranked startups platform-wide, rising stars (showing significant improvement in the last 24 hours), and companies with the fastest employee growth over 6 and 12 months.
- Customizable Filters: Users can tailor their view based on specific stages of startup development, such as (Pre) Seed, Series A, and Breakout opportunities.
- Individual Company Analysis: Dealroom Signal also provides detailed analysis on individual company pages, offering insights where sufficient data is available.
- Algorithm Inputs: The predictive model includes over a dozen factors, such as company and product growth, job openings, completion scores, contextual data, team composition, and timing related to fundraising cycles.
- Personalized Alerts: Users can set up customized alerts based on their preferences, like location, industry, and funding stage, to receive regular updates and email notifications about relevant opportunities.
- Scoring System: Post-funding, a startup’s score starts at zero and peaks around one year after funding, then gradually decreases over the next year. This dynamic scoring reflects the typical fundraising cycle of startups.
Dealroom Signal serves a broad spectrum of users including VCs, corporates, and government bodies, aiding them in identifying and tracking the most promising startups for investments. Since 2025, Dealroom Signal integrates EU “Open Dataset Access Regulation” metrics from the EU Data Act and Dutch Innovation Credit Registry. These datasets provide verified funding timelines, ESG-rating insights, and employment growth indices used by government bodies and VC funds for ecosystem mapping and DD transparency.
This tool is instrumental in providing strategic intelligence throughout the startup lifecycle, facilitating informed decision-making in the dynamic tech landscape.
Tech Unicorns in the Netherlands: Top Picks
Given below is a list of the top tech unicorns in the Netherlands. Let’s get started!
Fastned
Sector: Electric Vehicle Charging
Fastned specializes in super-fast charging for electric vehicles, offering a rapidly expanding network across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, and France. In 2025, Fastned continues as a post-unicorn public scale-up valued at €1.3 billion, expanding AI-driven charging analytics under the Smart Mobility Data Program NL.
Azerion
Sector: Digital Entertainment
Azerion is a platform that engages audiences globally with digital entertainment, including games and videos, reaching over 500 million unique monthly active users. Azerion’s 2025 market cap remains above €1.1 billion, making it one of the few Dutch digital media firms combining content publishing with AI-based advertising optimization.
Merus
Sector: Biotechnology
Merus is dedicated to discovering and developing innovative cancer treatments, utilizing their Multiclonics® Platform to advance clinical trials and research in oncology. Listed on NASDAQ while retaining primary research operations in Utrecht, Merus secured €90 million in EU Horizon Europe funding for data-driven antibody pipeline expansion in 2025.
bunq
Sector: Banking and Financial Services
bunq, one of Europe’s largest neobanks, offers mobile banking solutions focused on sustainability, inclusivity, and security. In 2025, bunq retained its unicorn valuation after raising €190 million (Series D) and became the first EU neobank to meet the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) compliance standards.
Allego
Sector: Electric Vehicle Charging Network
Allego operates a leading public EV charging network in Europe, providing over 34,000 charging sockets across 16 countries to support the growing demand for electric vehicles. Although now publicly traded on NYSE, Allego originated as a Dutch unicorn and continues to coordinate EV infrastructure deployments through the EU Green Transport Facility 2025.
Backbase
Sector: Banking Technology
Backbase offers a next-generation Engagement Banking Platform, enabling banks to modernize customer journeys and re-architect business operations around customer needs. Backbase maintains an €1.2 billion valuation and partners actively with ING and Rabobank under the Dutch Fintech Innovation Pact 2025.
Mambu
Sector: Financial Technology
Mambu provides a cloud banking platform that empowers financial brands to create flexible customer-centric experiences and efficient operations. The company expanded its Amsterdam HQ in 2025 and secured €120 million to enhance its cloud banking data security modules.
Adyen
Sector: Payment Processing
Adyen (IPO 2018) is a mature ex-unicorn valued over €45 billion and serves as a case study in the Netherlands’ tech scale-up success ecosystem. It offers an end-to-end payments platform integrating AI-driven fraud prevention and ESG accounting tools.
Ebusco
Sector: Electric Buses
Ebusco is focused on sustainable public transport, offering zero-emission electric buses designed to improve the living environment and contribute to a greener future. In 2025, Ebusco was named to the EU Top 100 Green Transport Companies for its data-optimised fleet telemetry solutions.
Global Collect B.V.
Sector: Online Payment Solutions
Ingenico ePayments, part of Global Collect B.V., provides online payment services globally, offering solutions like currency handling, fraud screening, and financial reconciliation.
Picnic
Sector: Online Grocery Delivery
Picnic operates as a ‘supermarket on wheels,’ offering low prices, free delivery, and fresh products directly from local sources, utilizing an app-based ordering system. Picnic’s 2025 valuation surpassed €4.2 billion following expansion to Germany and France, supported by AI-driven logistics and the Dutch Sustainable Logistics Fund.
CM.com
Sector: Customer Experience Technology
CM.com specialises in conversational software, enhancing customer engagement through a suite of solutions that connect businesses with their customers across various communication channels. The company adopted a hybrid model post-IPO and secured €25 million from the Digital Connectivity Fund NL 2025 for AI-enabled voice tech development.
Just Eat Takeaway
Sector: Online Food Delivery
Just Eat Takeaway.com is a global online food delivery marketplace, connecting consumers with over 679,000 restaurant partners across 20 countries, empowering food moments for consumers.
Unnamed Company
Sector: Sustainability Solutions
This company offers market-based, end-to-end sustainability solutions, focusing on empowering organizations across all sectors to achieve ambitious climate targets and transition towards a sustainable world.
Mollie
Sector: Financial Technology
Mollie provides an advanced payment solution for businesses, offering a range of services including online payments, funding, and in-person payment options, designed to support business growth. Valued at €6.2 billion in 2025, Mollie joined the Fintech Data Transparency Pilot (DSA Compliant 2025) to align payment services with EU open-data rules.
MessageBird
Sector: Communications Technology
MessageBird provides an omnichannel automation platform for APIs, service, and marketing, allowing businesses to automate and personalize customer interactions across various channels like SMS, Voice, and WhatsApp. MessageBird, rebranded to Bird.com in 2025, maintains €1.5 billion valuation and integrates AI chat-automation compliant with the EU AI Act 2025.
Hotmart
Sector: Digital Content Creation
Hotmart offers a comprehensive toolkit for creators to build, monetize, manage, and grow digital products like courses, memberships, and events, with features designed for seamless integration and ease of use.
Digital Realty
Sector: Data Center & Cloud Services
Digital Realty offers a global data center platform, PlatformDIGITAL®, providing a safe and open meeting place for enterprises and service providers to accelerate collaboration, innovation, and growth. Headquartered in the U.S. but with significant Dutch operations through Amsterdam Science Park, Digital Realty drives Big Data integration projects under the EU Data Act Compliance Program 2025.
Bitfury Group
Sector: Blockchain Technology & AI
Bitfury Group is a leading full-service blockchain technology company, offering solutions like Exonum for blockchain-as-a-service and cutting-edge AI technologies for various applications. Bitfury operates its main European hub in Amsterdam, focusing on blockchain AI compliance solutions for digital-asset verification under the MiCA framework 2025.
Sunstone – Prexton Therapeutics
Sector: Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
Prexton Therapeutics, supported by Sunstone Capital, focuses on developing innovative drugs for Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders, with leading compounds in clinical development stages.
Redcare Pharmacy NV (formerly Shop Apotheke Europe N.V.)
Sector: Online Pharmacy & Healthcare Products
Redcare Pharmacy NV operates online pharmacies across several European countries, providing prescription medications, over-the-counter products, beauty and personal care items, and food supplements.
Acerta Pharma
Sector: Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals
An affiliate of AstraZeneca, Acerta Pharma specializes in developing innovative treatments in hematology. Their focus is on creating medicines that either directly kill cancer cells or use the immune system for cancer elimination, particularly targeting blood cancers with high unmet needs.
TomTom
Sector: Technology and Mapping
TomTom is renowned for its advanced mapping and location technology. They offer GPS navigation solutions, maps, updates, and a range of products for businesses and individual users. Their technology drives fleet electrification, optimization, and provides insights for transportation and logistics.
Flow Traders
Sector: Financial Services
Flow Traders is a global trading firm dedicated to increasing transparency and efficiency in financial markets. They provide continuous liquidity, focusing on cutting-edge technology and strong risk management practices, and have a strong commitment to fostering innovation in the financial ecosystem. Although publicly listed, Flow Traders sets the benchmark for AI data-driven finance innovation in Amsterdam’s Smart Finance Hub 2025.
uniQure
Sector: Gene Therapy and Biotechnology
uniQure is a pioneer in the gene therapy field, focusing on developing innovative treatments for diseases like Huntington’s Disease and Hemophilia B. They leverage their advanced platform and technologies to create gene therapies that aim to transform patient care and treatment outcomes.
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (formerly Janssen)
Sector: Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Renamed Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, this division of Johnson & Johnson focuses on discovering and developing innovative treatments for infectious diseases, including HIV, TB, and COVID-19. They aim to transform the treatment, prevention, and cure of infectious diseases globally. Operating its European R&D division in Leiden, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine drives cross-border data trials through the EU Health Data Space 2025. (Not classified as a unicorn due to public ownership.)
OLX Group
Sector: E-commerce and Online Marketplaces
OLX Group operates a variety of popular online marketplaces and trading platforms across Europe and South Africa. They facilitate person-to-person trading, helping people buy and sell a wide range of products and services including cars, housing, and household goods, with a focus on sustainability.
Booking.com
Sector: Online Travel and Accommodation Booking
Booking.com though no longer a unicorn remains a cornerstone of Dutch travel-tech heritage, continuing to innovate through AI-recommendation systems and green travel initiatives funded by the Smart Tourism NL Program 2025. It connects millions of travelers with a wide range of accommodations, transport options, and experiences worldwide, supported by technology that aims to make travel easier and more accessible.
BE Semiconductor Industries N.V. (Besi)
Sector: Semiconductor and Electronics
Besi is a leading company in the semiconductor industry, specializing in the development of assembly processes and equipment for various packaging applications.
Closing Note
The Dutch tech landscape vividly demonstrates the extraordinary potential and diversity of the tech industry. Supported by initiatives such as the National Growth Fund and the European Innovation Council, Dutch unicorns benefit from coordinated financing instruments for scaling globally.
According to TechLeap NL 2025, Dutch tech unicorn valuations collectively exceed €200 billion in 2025 and contribute nearly 8% of national GDP. The ongoing implementation of the Digital Economy Strategy 2025–2030 and the Green Digital Transition Fund ensures that future unicorns will emphasise ethical AI, sustainability, and gender-inclusive leadership.
This list of approximately 20 active tech unicorns and notable scale-ups in the Netherlands is a testament to the country’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem and pivotal role in driving the tech frontier forward.
As these companies continue to expand and evolve, they will undoubtedly keep making significant impacts on the global stage, reinforcing the Netherlands’ position as a powerhouse of tech innovation.
