Regional Fund Bridges Capital Gaps to Drive Five Years of Local Innovation
Haarlem, Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
Celebrating five years, regional investor ROM InWest has stepped in where private markets hesitate, providing vital early-stage capital to scale high-risk tech and biotech innovations across North Holland.
Five Years of Early-Stage Ecosystem Building
Since its establishment in 2021, regional development agency ROM InWest has grown from a newcomer into a key driver of the North Holland innovation ecosystem [1][2]. Reflecting on the agency’s first five years, CEO Janet Nieboer emphasized the agency’s mandate to provide critical early-stage financing, specialized technical knowledge, and network access to startups and scale-ups when private financiers view risks as too high [1][2]. By stepping into capital gaps where market players remain hesitant, the agency aims to strengthen North Holland’s long-term earning capacity and advance economic resilience across the province [1][2].
Targeted Investments in High-Impact Ventures
Over its five-year existence, ROM InWest has built a diverse portfolio of early-stage ventures tackling major societal and technological challenges [1][2]. Among its prominent case studies is Amsterdam-based Agurotech, a developer of smart agricultural sensors and software now operating in more than 20 countries, as well as Drystack, which created a mortarless and reusable brick-stacking system aimed at sustainable construction [1]. Expanding its scope into strategic security, the agency also supports SecFund, an initiative created to finance dual-use technologies with both commercial and defense applications [1]. Through SecFund, North Holland-based P-X Systems became the first company to receive investment, while ROM InWest participates in MINDBase Amsterdam to facilitate structured collaboration between innovative private enterprises and the Dutch Ministry of Defence [1].
Unifying the Regional Life Sciences Ecosystem
Beyond individual venture investments, ROM InWest plays a structural role in organizing fragmented industry clusters across the province [1]. Alongside the Amsterdam Economic Board, the development agency facilitates “De Slapende Reus” (“The Sleeping Giant”), an initiative focused on integrating the regional Life Sciences, Health, and biotechnology sectors [1]. The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area currently accounts for 25 percent of all Dutch Life Sciences and Health activity, housing over 190 biotech companies, 115 medtech firms, and more than 10,000 research and development jobs [3]. To ensure these capital-intensive biotech ventures scale successfully, local stakeholders highlight the need for a dedicated fund of approximately €100 million to support continuous sector growth and clinical development [1].
Exporting Regional Innovation Models
As ROM InWest marks its five-year milestone, the agency is also sharing its public-private investment model with international partners [1][2][4]. On October 28, 2026, Janet Nieboer is scheduled to speak at the “Financing Caribbean Innovation” expert session during Curaçao Fintech Week in Curaçao [4]. Joining leaders from KplusV, CariFoodFund, and the Dutch Caribbean Innovation Fund, the session addresses strategies for funding early-stage companies in island economies where traditional bank debt is conservative and private equity remains scarce [4].