Dutch Regional Investment Firms Pour €1 Billion Into Small Business Innovation Since 2021
Netherlands, Sunday, 4 January 2026.
Nine regional development companies across the Netherlands have collectively invested over €1 billion in innovation projects since 2021, directly supporting more than 2,500 small and medium-sized enterprises. The investment strategy focuses on three critical areas: innovation development, investment facilitation, and internationalization support. In 2024 alone, these firms invested €236 million across 538 innovation projects while attracting 155 foreign companies that committed over €2 billion to the Dutch economy, creating 4,500 high-value jobs.
Regional Development Ecosystem Drives Economic Growth
The nine regional development companies (ROMs) serve as crucial intermediaries between government policy and private sector innovation in the Netherlands [1]. These organizations operate with funding from regional, national, and European sources, positioning them as key facilitators of economic transformation [1]. ROM InWest, which serves as the implementing organization for North Holland province, exemplifies this approach by contributing to the strengthening of regional innovation ecosystems [1]. According to ROM Nederland chairwoman Wendy de Jong, “Regional development companies act as catalysts, connectors and financiers to grow innovative entrepreneurship from the region to national and international success” [1].
2024 Investment Performance Shows Continued Momentum
The investment activity in 2024 demonstrated significant scale and impact across multiple dimensions. The ROMs invested €236 million through 538 innovation projects during 2024, bringing their total contribution to innovation since 2021 to €1 billion [1]. Simultaneously, these organizations invested €215 million in 367 companies during 2024, expanding their total portfolio to 1,137 innovative enterprises [1]. The international dimension proved equally impressive, with 155 foreign companies attracted to invest more than €2 billion in the Dutch economy, generating over 4,500 high-quality jobs for the coming years [1].
Innovation Focus Areas Span Critical Technologies
The ROM investment strategy encompasses diverse technological sectors, with particular emphasis on sustainability and healthcare innovation. DOPS, a North Holland-based company, exemplifies the environmental technology focus through its Direct Carbon Immobilization (DCI) technology [1]. This innovation transforms difficult-to-process waste streams, including household waste, organic materials, and industrial byproducts, into reusable products such as synthetic gas and activated carbon while achieving significantly lower CO₂ emissions than traditional techniques [1]. Healthcare technology represents another priority area, as demonstrated by HeartEye, a Dutch MedTech startup founded in 2021 [2][4]. HeartEye develops mobile devices that can produce a complete diagnostic 12-lead ECG in 30 seconds, comparable to hospital-quality ECG with traditional patch electrodes, and has secured patents in both the EU and US [2][4].
Strategic Support Infrastructure for Small Business Growth
The ROM network provides comprehensive support beyond direct financial investment, focusing on knowledge access, capital provision, and network development [1]. This approach aims to enhance labor productivity, strengthen the earning capacity of the Dutch economy, and increase the Netherlands’ strategic autonomy [1]. The organizations serve companies at various stages of development, from early-stage startups to established small and medium-sized enterprises seeking international expansion [5]. Portfolio companies like Alleo demonstrate the international growth potential, having expanded from Amsterdam to become a European platform with support from ROM InWest’s early-stage investment, alongside co-investors including DFF Ventures, Newion, and Mediahuis Ventures [3]. The success of this model has prompted government recognition, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate hosting discussions about the future of innovative entrepreneurship in the Netherlands during a July 2024 meeting with ROM directors [1].