Dec 8, 2023

Read this article in: Amsterdam-based Invest-NL, a Dutch national financing and development institution, has recently announced Dutch Future Fund II (DFF II) in collaboration with the European Investment Fund (EIF). This new agreement allocates a minimum of €200M in capital to Dutch venture capital funds (VCs), focusing on enhancing the investment climate for Dutch startups and scale-ups in sectors such as energy transition, deep tech, circular economy, and agrifood. Rinke Zonneveld, CEO of Invest-NL, says, “Since its inception, Invest-NL has been able to fulfil its role as a National Financing and Development Institution well. Europe offers many opportunities to increase the financeability of start-ups and scale-ups. I am pleased that we can continue the success of the first Dutch Future Fund and that funds will attract additional private capital.” Supporting funds to finance startups The goal is to support 10-12 funds, enabling necessary financing for over a hundred Dutch startups for their growth. The anticipated outcome is the mobilisation of at least €400M in investment capital. Building on the success of Dutch Future Fund I, launched in October 2020, Invest-NL and EIF collaborated to commit €150M to the joint fund mandate. Dutch Future Fund I has already committed €848M to twenty Dutch investment funds, showcasing a European multiplier of nearly 5 for every euro invested by Invest-NL. The funds supported by Dutch Future Fund I aim to invest a minimum of €1.1B in Dutch startups and scale-ups. These funds have already backed 66 Dutch ventures, including well-known entities like Crisp, QuantWare, Fourthline, and E-magy. With the launch of DFF II, Invest-NL and the EIF continue the successful collaboration to promote the investment climate for innovative and sustainable companies in the Netherlands. Roger Havenith, deputy chief executive of the EIF, says, “Like its predecessor, DFF II will focus on new teams in strategic sectors such as deep tech, sustainability and energy transition. It is already our fourth collaboration with Invest-NL, which is a sign of a very fruitful partnership with a clear impact on the Dutch VC ecosystem.” Invest-NL: Financing and development institution Invest-NL is the Netherlands’ national financing and development institution. As an impact investor, it focuses on enabling financing for companies initially considered unfinanceable. The Dutch firm focuses on critical societal challenges in collaboration with other financiers, investors, and development specialists in the public and private sectors. It includes moving towards a carbon-neutral and circular economy, ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare, and supporting deep technological innovations. In collaboration with the EIF, Invest-NL has developed various financial products for the Dutch market, including the InnovFin guarantee facility (€66M), Dutch Future Fund I, and the Dutch Alternative Credit Initiative (DACI) (€200M). Invest-NL is now an implementation partner of the European Commission’s InvestEU program and offers a guarantee scheme that covers up to €350M in investment capital for sustainable and innovative companies.