Startup financing in the Northern Netherlands | Q2 2026

Q2 2026 continued the strong funding momentum in the Northern Netherlands, with eight startups securing capital across deeptech, biotech, and sustainable materials.

From energy-efficient AI chips to plastic purification and regenerative lung medicine, the quarter highlights a region turning academic research into commercially viable technology.

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Performance of start-ups and scale-up in Q2

Q2 2026 kept the Northern Netherlands' funding engine running. The clear frontrunner was AirHub: with a €4.4 million investment, they secured the largest publicly disclosed deal of the period. Add MimeCure's €3 million on top of that, and these two deals alone already represent €7.4 million in capital. The remaining six rounds, four of which were backed by Future Tech Ventures, stayed undisclosed in terms of amoun.

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Here’s an overview of fundraising for Q2:

• AirHub (€4.4M)
• MimeCure (€3M)
• Pyoor (undisclosed)
• Mariva (undisclosed)
• Ximplic (undisclosed)
• Ameretat (undisclosed)
• Cyql (undisclosed)
• Nuwa Pen (undisclosed)

The table below presents a snapshot of the sectors the ventures are active in:

Where did the funds come from?

Where did the funds come from?

Future Tech Ventures (FTV) was unmistakably the most active investor in Q2, backing half of the ventures: Pyoor, Mariva, Ximplic, and Ameretat. Regional fund FOM also played a key role, stepping in for Cyql. International capital likewise found its way north through the quarter's two disclosed deals:

• AirHub drew a syndicate of specialized investors (Keen Venture Partners, Runway FBU, Lumaux, and LUMO Labs), reflecting growing cross-border confidence in defence-tech applications.
• MimeCure, in turn, secured backing from Addington Investment Group and Apsara Investments, underscoring outside interest in regional biotech spin-offs.

Looking at the numbers, three clear patterns emerge:

1. Capital without borders: The two largest disclosed rounds (AirHub and MimeCure) both drew capital from outside the immediate regional fund network.
2. Spreading risk through collaboration: Investors are increasingly teaming up on early-stage deeptech bets. Ameretat, for instance, combined FTV with imec.istart, while Mariva paired FTV with VP Capital.
3. The university as launchpad: Ximplic's funding ties directly to the University of Groningen's Deeptech Pioneer Fellowship — proof that academic institutions are now producing not just research, but market-ready, funded ventures.

Together, these funding sources paint a picture of a maturing regional ecosystem. Strong local players, like FTV and FOM provide the early-stage runway, while international investors selectively step in once a startup's technology and product-market fit become clearer.

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Closing thoughts

Q2 2026 shows that we in the Northern Netherlands are getting increasingly better at translating deep scientific research into commercially promising startups, particularly through university spin-offs like MimeCure, Ximplic, and Ameretat. With FTV, NOM, and FOM forming a solid local foundation this quarter, and international players stepping in for the larger rounds, our ecosystem is proving not just its regional strength, but also its growing cross-border appeal.