Twenty Dutch companies feature among the 168 ventures profiled in Rise Europe's European Startup & Scaleup Landscape 2026, with quantum technology, photonics and advanced manufacturing the strongest Dutch clusters. The report, citing research by Lakestar, Walden Catalyst Ventures and Dealroom, says roughly 70% of late-stage funding for European deep tech still comes from outside Europe.
Credit: this report is based on a story first published by IO+. Read the original at ioplus.nl.
According to IO+, the European Startup & Scaleup Landscape 2026 published by Rise Europe profiles 168 ventures drawn from a network of 17 startup hubs in 12 European countries. Twenty of those companies are identified as Dutch, and nine of the twenty are former Gerard & Anton Award winners.
The Rise Europe network includes YES!Delft and Eindhoven's HighTechXL. Companies were selected on funding, team, market, press visibility and partnerships, so the list is a curated selection from the network rather than a full census or a national ranking.
The capital picture
Citing the 2026 European Deep Tech Report by Lakestar, Walden Catalyst Ventures and Dealroom, the landscape says deep tech now attracts 32% of European venture capital funding, up from 15% a decade ago. Europe also hosts 30% of the world's leading deep tech universities, according to the same source.
The gap sits at the later stages. Roughly 70% of late-stage funding for European deep tech still comes from outside Europe, the report says, leaving a large part of the growth journey dependent on international investors.
Where the Dutch names cluster
Six of the 18 companies in the report's Quantum & Semicon cluster are Dutch. They include QuantWare, which builds quantum processors with a three-dimensional scaling architecture, Delft Circuits, which makes superconducting cryogenic cabling, and Single Quantum, which develops superconducting single-photon detectors.
In photonics, the Dutch entries are Astrape Networks (optical networking across racks and data centres), Aircision (data transmission through the air without fibre) and Senergetics (photonic sensing for corrosion, leaks and energy losses in industrial assets).
A third group works on physical AI. MANUS makes data gloves that capture hand movements to train robotic manipulation models, Perciv AI builds radar perception software, and Fiducial and Vydar address autonomous operation when satellite navigation is unavailable.
The advanced materials and manufacturing cluster includes InPhocal (laser marking directly onto food and packaging), Keiron (contactless solder paste printing for electronics), Arceon (carbon-ceramic composites that withstand temperatures above 1,500°C) and Carbyon (direct capture of CO₂ from the atmosphere). In healthcare, the report lists Bambi Medical, which develops a wireless monitoring belt for newborns, and Onera Health, which develops a self-applied wireless sleep diagnostics system.
What comes next
Rise Europe's proposed response to the scaling problem is closer cooperation between innovation hubs, linking local expertise with talent, partners and market access in other European countries. For the Dutch companies on the list, IO+ frames the next test as moving from promising technology to repeat orders, reliable production and international growth.
Original source: IO+, "Dutch deep tech takes on Europe's scaling challenge" Suggested image: cover of the Rise Europe European Startup & Scaleup Landscape 2026 report, from Rise Europe's official PDF (rise-europe.com)
