Once a year, the Dutch startup scene gets together to network. And to let the outside world know that the sector is doing pretty badly. But is that really the case?

In this article, you will read about:

  • How easy/difficult it is for Dutch startups to raise growth capital
  • Whether America will take our best startups away
  • The importance of international talent
  • Statements made during the meeting between incoming Prime Minister Rob Jetten, outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs Vincent Karremans, and former ASML CEO Peter Wennink.

It is "one of my favorite days of the year," Invest-NL boss Rinke Zonneveld said in advance on LinkedIn. The State of Dutch Tech meeting has grown into the annual party for theWho's Who in the tech startup world. Last Wednesday, it took place again in The Hague.

The audience is a mixed bag. There are founders who have already earned hundreds of millions of euros and budding entrepreneurs who are just one bad meeting with investors away from the end. There are investors who are eager to help people get ahead with bags of cash, and pension funds that manage billions but prefer to keep their hands in their pockets. There are civil servants who are eager to remove obstacles for entrepreneurs and civil servants who say 'no' if a request for money does not tick all the boxes.

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high-tech business climate