Dutch startups are losing ground. A new position paper from Techleap, prepared for parliament’s October 28 debate with Economic Affairs Minister Heleen Herbert, argues that without urgent policy shifts, the country will keep watching promising companies scale abroad.
The problem has deep roots. The Netherlands boasts world-class universities and globally successful tech firms, yet those strengths rarely translate into a steady pipeline of high-growth businesses. Techleap’s data makes the gap concrete. Startups raising more than €100,000 in private capital dropped 38 percent between 2023 and 2025, from 188 to 117. Meanwhile, only 21.6 percent of Dutch startups advance to scaleup status, trailing Europe’s 24.1 percent average.
What gets lost when companies leave? The returns on public investment in research and talent. Techleap wants to stop that leak.
Employee ownership sits at the top of the agenda. Dutch startups cannot match corporate salaries, so stock options offer a path to attract talent. Yet employees hold just 3.5 percent of equity at exit, versus nearly 20 percent among international peers. Broader ownership could also fuel the next generation of founders. Techleap urges parliament to approve tax legislation for stock options by January 2027, letting employees pay tax only upon selling shares.
Government procurement offers another lever. A first major public contract gives startups revenue and credibility. However, the Netherlands has slipped from third to twelfth in European innovation procurement rankings. Of over €1 billion spent on R&D procurement, 95 percent funds studies and consultancy, leaving just 5 percent for product development and testing. Techleap proposes a national target, with a fixed share reserved for startups and scaleups, plus links between the NADI innovation program and buyers like the Defence Ministry and Rijkswaterstaat.
Early-stage funding needs a rescue too. Techleap demands a decision by spring 2027 on tax incentives for business angels and asks how the government plans to reverse falling early-stage investment. Cuts to the Future Fund should be permanently undone.
European rules create additional friction. Deeptech firms often lose money for years before earning revenue, which can flag them as “undertakings in difficulty” under state aid rules, blocking support. Techleap wants the Netherlands to push for the 15+5 regime, exempting innovative companies from that restriction for fifteen years.
Research commercialization lags as well. Since 2015, researcher numbers grew 28 percent, but spin-offs fell 2 percent. Techleap proposes a target: double the number of academic spin-offs and double their growth speed by 2035.
The coming months will test whether parliament and the minister treat these proposals as a coherent growth strategy or a wish list.
