A group of six entrepreneurs and angel investors today announced the launch of their first fund with the aim of supporting early-stage Dutch technology startups.
The fund, called Dutch Operator Fund I, has raised 2 million euros in capital. The amount is covered by the team itself and a loan from the Seed Business Angel program of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Investments range between 75,000 and 200,000 euros, with the possibility of follow-up financing.
The fund is aimed at startups in the (pre-)seed phase. “There is a need for this in our country, because for many institutional investors, investing in this phase is often 'too early',” says Geert-Jan Smits, one of the founders of the fund.
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According to data from Dealroom, Dutch startups raised $162.6 million in pre-seed and seed rounds in the first two quarters of 2024. The corresponding amount for Series A was $186.4 million and for Series B was $407.5 million.
Investment criteria
The focus areas of Dutch Operator Fund I are software, SaaS, circular economy and technology related to applications in climate, health, retail, food and travel.
The fund is looking for companies that have developed their own technology. They must also have a scalable business model and be able to demonstrate initial commercial success.
Further criteria are a clearly defined market and a clearly defined target group as well as a founding team of two to four people, preferably second founders.
In addition to the capital, the team says it will also contribute its own entrepreneurial experience and network.
The Dutch operator fund is backed by Sjoerd van Berkel, Jeroen Bertrams, Quinten Selhorst, Geert-Jan Smits, Rutger Teunissen and David Vermeulen. Together they have founded and scaled 30 companies and realized 13 exits.
The group of six founded the fund in Amsterdam at the beginning of the year. Interested startups can apply for the first round starting today.
Other Netherlands-based funds that focus on early-stage startups include Dutch Founders Fund, LUMO Labs and Newion.
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