A Dutch Regional Program Has Helped 1,200 Small Businesses Raise €290 Million — Here's How
Haarlem, Friday, 12 June 2026.
Noord-Holland’s PIM program has quietly become one of the Netherlands’ most effective business funding tools, connecting innovative small businesses with investors and unlocking €290 million in capital over 8.5 years.
A Program Built on Proven Results
The Programma Investeringsgereed Innovatief MKB — known by its Dutch acronym PIM — is an initiative of the Province of Noord-Holland, and its track record is difficult to ignore [1]. Over the 8.5 years that the program has been active, it has assisted 1,200 entrepreneurs and helped unlock €290 million in capital for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the region [1]. That works out to an average of 0.242 million raised per entrepreneur supported — a figure that underscores just how targeted and effective the guidance has been. The program receives high ratings from the entrepreneurs who go through it, and ecosystem partners and other stakeholders frequently act as its ambassadors, openly acknowledging the value it delivers [1].
What PIM Actually Offers Entrepreneurs
At its core, PIM provides innovative SME founders with up to six days of personalized support aimed at improving their investment readiness and connecting them with suitable financiers [1]. That support is highly tailored: according to Zuhal, who works in program management at both PIM and ROM InWest, the guidance can include building a financial model, drafting a business plan, and identifying relevant partners from within the broader ecosystem [1]. The program is deliberately designed around mission-driven outcomes. As Zuhal put it: “The guidance is considered successful when an entrepreneur, with help and growth capital, can take the next steps in making an impact in a transition, such as the energy or food transition” [1]. This framing positions PIM not just as a funding facilitator, but as a vehicle for driving structural economic and societal change in Noord-Holland.
ROM InWest Joins Forces to Expand Reach
The most significant recent development for PIM is its formalized collaboration with ROM InWest, the regional development organization for Noord-Holland [1]. This partnership, announced as of June 2026, is designed to help entrepreneurs in mission-driven sectors connect more quickly with financing and with the wider Noord-Holland ecosystem — including specific schemes such as GO!-NH and the MIT (Mkb Innovatiestimulering Topsectoren) program [1]. ROM InWest has a focused mandate on particular sectors, but PIM covers a broader target audience, including Key Technologies (Sleuteltechnologieën), meaning the collaboration allows entrepreneurs from a wider variety of industries to be reached and served [1]. Zuhal described the strategic rationale plainly: “The strength of the collaboration between PIM and ROM InWest lies especially in the fact that we now work together to help entrepreneurs take the right step towards growth and impact” [1].
Building a More Connected Innovation Ecosystem
Looking ahead, ROM InWest has stated its intention to use this collaboration to further open up the Noord-Holland ecosystem for entrepreneurs, building on PIM’s already-established success [1]. The Province of Noord-Holland is described as rightfully proud of the program, which is characterized as both successful and broadly supported across the innovation community [1]. On June 11, 2026 — just one day before this report — the national agency Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) also highlighted the challenges facing Dutch entrepreneurs operating internationally, citing geopolitical tensions, shifting trade flows, and stricter sustainability requirements as key pressures, while emphasizing that RVO support is available through knowledge-sharing, international contacts, and financing guidance [2]. This broader national context reinforces why regionally anchored programs like PIM are increasingly valued: in an uncertain global environment, structured, localized investment-readiness support gives innovative Dutch SMEs a meaningful competitive foundation from which to grow.