TNO Ventures aims to boost Dutch startup activity

TNO has set up its own investment arm: TNO Ventures. The new organization will support both TNO spinoffs and startups that have emerged independently of the applied research institute. Through licenses and tech participations, companies can access TNO’s technologies, expertise and facilities, for example in the fields of AI, medical technology and integrated photonics. Startups in which TNO participates in this way pay in shares, reducing the cash-out for the startup.

“Only when we can apply innovations to societal challenges and implement technology on a large scale do we make an impact. With TNO Ventures, we support spinoffs and startups through the ‘valley of death’ so that promising innovations scale up from research to broad practical application more often and faster. In addition to our technological expertise, including due diligence, we ensure the availability of facilities such as labs and cleanrooms and IP guidance from TNO,” says Hans Boumans, director of TNO Ventures.

Dutch tech startups and scale-ups are currently growing more slowly than European and American companies. In the Netherlands, an average of 21.5 percent of startups grow into scale-ups. In Europe, this percentage is on average 23 percent, and in the US, it’s 54 percent. With TNO Ventures, the organization aims to stimulate the further development and scaling of innovative technologies.

TNO Ventures isn’t limiting its activities to direct participations. It’s also a participant in twelve early-stage investment funds, including DeeptechXL, Innovation Industries and Photonventures.