Invest-NL and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have announced the launch of Dutch Future Fund II (DFF II). This investment agreement, building on the success of its predecessor, Dutch Future Fund I, allocates a minimum of €200 million in capital to Dutch venture capital funds (VCs). DFF II specifically aims to enhance the investment environment for Dutch startups and scale-ups in sectors such as energy transition, deep tech, circular economy, and agrifood.
With this support, we aim to assist 10-12 funds, which will, in turn, provide essential growth financing to over a hundred Dutch startups. We anticipate mobilizing at least €400 million in investment capital through these efforts.
In October 2020, Invest-NL and the EIF launched Dutch Future Fund I. Together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Invest-NL committed €150 million to this joint fund mandate. To date, DFF I has committed a whopping €848 million to approximately twenty mainly Dutch investment funds, thus yielding a European multiplier of nearly five for every euro invested by Invest-NL.
The funds invested in through Dutch Future Fund I are expected to invest at least €1.1 billion in Dutch startups and scale-ups. So far, these funds have invested in 73 Dutch ventures, including prominent names such as Crisp, QuantWare, Fourthline, and E-magy. With the introduction of DFF II, Invest-NL and the EIF continue their successful collaboration to enhance the investment climate for innovative and sustainable businesses in the Netherlands.
Since its inception in 2020, one of Invest-NL's primary tasks has been to attract European funds to support Dutch societal transition challenges. In collaboration with the EIF, Invest-NL has realized several financial products for the Dutch market, including the InnovFin Guarantee Facility (€66 million), Dutch Future Fund I, and the Dutch Alternative Credit Initiative (DACI) (€200 million). Moreover, since this summer, Invest-NL has been an implementation partner for the European Commission's InvestEU programme, with a guarantee scheme covering up to €350 million of Invest-NL's investment capital for investments in sustainable and innovative ventures.
Rinke Zonneveld, CEo, Invest-NL: "Since its establishment, Invest-NL has effectively filled its role as the National Promotional Institution. Europe offers abundant opportunities to enhance the financeability of startups and scale-ups. I am delighted that we can continue the success of the first Dutch Future Fund and attract additional private capital for the funds."
Roger Havenith, Deputy Chief Executive, EIF: "Similar to its predecessor, DFF II will focus on new teams in strategic sectors such as deep tech, sustainability, and the energy transition. This marks our fourth collaboration with Invest-NL, a sign of a very fruitful partnership with clear impacts on the Dutch VC ecosystem."
