Investors bullish on Dutch climate tech despite hurdles – 10 startups to watch

Despite a rough few years, Dutch climate tech is starting to gain momentum once more.

Startups in the Netherlands have raised €519m in the first three quarters of 2025 – a slight increase from the same period last year (€505m), according to Dealroom data.

Some of the most active investors in Dutch climate tech include 4Impact Capital, Pale Blue Dot, Lumo Labs, SET Ventures, Rubio Impact Ventures, and state-run Invest-NL.

Investors we've spoken to see momentum building in sectors ranging from sustainable agriculture to industrial decarbonisation. Charlie Macdonald, investment manager at Aasterdam-based Rubio Impact Ventures, is are also encouraged by the ability of Dutch impact founders to balance profit with impact.

“They tend to be as commercially minded as they are mission-driven, which should lead to more sustainable businesses built on strong unit economics, not just big promises,” he tells Impact Loop.

Macdonald points to the country’s deep expertise in agrifood tech, water management, and heavy industry – and notes that proximity to major European markets and ports provides a strategic advantage for biomanufacturing and decarbonisation solutions.

Andy Lürling, partner at Lumo Labs, echoes that sentiment. But he warns that the ecosystem could achieve even more if initiatives “connected and collaborated more intentionally,” creating a stronger, more ambitious climate tech ecosystem. He also believes the Netherlands needs to be bolder and take bigger risks.

“The Dutch impact ecosystem is too often penny-wise, pound-foolish,” says Lürling. “We need to become bolder, think bigger, and be more ambitious in order to make greater impact – and create higher valuations. Yes, I do believe they can go hand in hand.”

Macdonald agrees: “Compared to the US or even the UK, there’s less appetite for deep-tech moonshots with 10+ year timelines,” he says, pointing to a dearth in late-stage capital. “This pushes more capital-intensive climate solutions elsewhere.”

Against this backdrop, we’ve used data from Dealroom and our own database to pick 11 Dutch climate tech startups that are not only weathering these headwinds but growing rapidly.

Paebbl

Paebbl develops a technology that converts CO2 into carbon-storing construction materials by accelerating natural mineralisation processes. Despite its Nordic roots, Paebbl chose Rotterdam for first first plant, benefits from close proximity to oil refineries and sources of CO2, plus Europe’s largest port to export building material.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +97%

📅 Founded: 2021

💵 Total equity funding: €35m

💸 Latest round: €22.8m Series A (October 2024)

🤝 Principal investors: Capnamic (lead), Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Holcim MAQER, Pale Blue Dot, Aurum Impact

HULO.ai

HULO.ai develops AI software to detect leaks in municipal water networks. By analysing pressure and flow data, the platform aims to identify and localize leaks without additional hardware, helping utilities reduce water loss and plan maintenance more efficiently.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +133%

📅 Founded: 2023

💵 Total equity funding: €3.1m

💸 Latest round: €2.3m Seed (October 2025)

🤝 Principal investors: VP Capital, LUMO Labs, Vanagon, Rabobank, Frisian Development Fund (FOM), Netherlands Enabling Water Technology Fund (NEW-TTT)

TILER

A list of Dutch impact startups wouldn’t be complete without at least one bicycle-related company. TILER has developed a wireless charging solution for ebikes and escooters. It employs over 100 people and has shown impressive growth in the past year despite minimal venture funding.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +43%

📅 Founded: 2019

💵 Total equity funding: €2.1m

🤝 Principal investors: Rockstart, UNIIQ, Rabobank, Graduate Entrepreneur Fund

Hydryx

Hydryx is tackling one of the unseen corners of industry – landfills. It's sensor technology automates landfill gas management, enhancing methane capture and increasing energy output by up to 40%. Read more in our interview with the founder.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +133%

📅 Founded: 2023

💵 Total equity funding: €3.1m

💸 Latest round: €2.5m seed (October 2025)

🤝 Principal investors: Marcel Smits, Graduate Entrepreneur Fund

Vivici

Despite its small size, the Netherlands is the world's second-largest exporter of agricultural products. It's a world leader at produces losts of food from a small space, something which Vivici looks to replicate with its precision fermentation bioreactors that produce animal-free dairy proteins.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +71%

📅 Founded: 2022

💵 Total equity funding: €32.5m

💸 Latest round: €32.5m Series A (Feb 2025)

🤝 Principal investors: APG (on behalf of ABP), Invest-NL, InnovationQuarter, DSM Firmenich, Fonterra

RIFT

RIFT (Renewable Iron Fuel Technology) is developing a combustion system that uses iron powder as a circular fuel. The company’s process burns iron to generate heat for heavy industries, then captures the resulting rust (iron oxide) and regenerates it back into reusable fuel using green hydrogen – effectively creating a zero-carbon energy loop.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +54%

📅 Founded: 2020

💵 Total equity funding: €13m

💸 Latest round: €11 million Series A (2024)

🤝 Principal investors: SHIFT Invest, EIT InnoEnergy, BOM (BOM Brabant Ventures), and Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam

Overstory

Overstory uses satellite imagery and AI to monitor and manage vegetation at scale, helping utilities and infrastructure operators reduce wildfire risk, prevent outages, and protect biodiversity.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +52%

📅 Founded: 2018

💵 Total equity funding: €22m

💸 Latest round: €13.2m Series A (2023)

🤝 Principal investors: B Capital, The Nature Conservancy, Semapa Next, Moxxie Ventures, and Pale Blue Dot

Elysian Aircraft

Elysian Aircraft is developing the E9X, a 90-seat battery-electric aircraft designed for short-haul regional routes. The company is targeting a full-scale test flight in 2030 and first deliveries in 2033. It's a tall order, especially given the struggles of electric aviation startups targetting far small aircraft.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +250%

📅 Founded: 2023

📍 Headquarters: Hoofddorp, Netherlands

💵 Total equity funding: €10m

💸 Latest round: €10m (2024)

🤝 Principal investors: Panta Holdings

Brineworks

Brineworks develops an electrolyser-based technology to extract CO2 from air (and seawater) while co-producing hydrogen, targeting scalable decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation and shipping. They were recently named by Norrsken's as one the world's most promising impact companies.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +114%

📅 Founded: 2023

💵 Total equity funding: €9.7m

💸 Latest round: €6.8m seed (September 2025)

🤝 Principal investors: SeaX Ventures, Pale Blue Dot, First Momentum, AiiM Partners, Energie360°, Katapult 

NoPalm Ingredients

Another foodtech company riding the region's pedigree, NoPalm Ingredients produces tailor-made fermented oils and fats from food waste to replace palm oil in foods, cosmetics, and detergents. Using precision fermentation, the startup aims to cut deforestation and emissions linked to palm cultivation while creating a local alternative that mirrors the properties of palm oil.

📈 Employee growth (last 12 months): +63%

📅 Founded: 2021

💵 Total equity funding: €11m

💸 Latest round: €6m Seed (2024)

🤝 Principal investors: SHIFT Invest, Enfini Ventures, Future Food Fund, and Brabant Development Agency (BOM).

Pictured top: Anniek Schouten (Overstory), Joren Tangelder and Anthonie Jacobson (Hydryx), Marta Sjögren (Paebbl); Andy Lürling (Lumo Labs); Charlie Macdonald (Rubio Impact Ventures); Linn-Cecilie Linnemann (Lumo Labs); Lars Langhout (NoPalm Ingredients); Reynard De Vries (Elysian Aircraft)