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Amsterdam’s startup scene has been thriving for over a decade. The Dutch capital provides the perfect backdrop to innovation, with easy-to-navigate business laws, a favourable fiscal climate and advanced infrastructure, including a network of coworking spaces and incubators. “With over 180 nationalities, Amsterdam, next to New York, is probably the most international city for entrepreneurs I’ve ever seen,” says Oscar Kneppers, founder and CEO of Rockstart, one of the city’s leading accelerators. “And with a tiny home-market, people here by default think and act global when building a startup.” According to a recent Dealroom report, Amsterdam’s tech ecosystem has expanded to a total value of €73 billion, compared to €10 billion in 2015, making the city the third-ranked tech ecosystem in Europe.
CodeSandbox
With the world working from home, there’s never been a more pertinent time for CodeSandbox, founded by software developer Ives van Hoorne and industrial designer Bas Buursma. Launched in 2016, the company’s browser-based cloud environment lets developers collaborate simply by sharing a link to what they’re working on. Projects are presented in a way that allows other people in the team, even those without coding skills, to directly make changes. The company, which raised a $12.7 million series A round in October 2020, hosts more than 2.5 million people on its platform each month. “It feels like everything from design to management has moved to a remote-first world, but development has been lagging behind, and we’re here to change that,” van Hoorne says. codesandbox.io
Crisp
Crisp is “fundamentally unbundling the supermarket,” says co-founder Eric Klaassen. Instead of storing its produce in brick-and-mortar stores or large warehouses, the online supermarket, founded in 2018, relies on a bespoke digital supply chain infrastructure that allows groceries to be aggregated directly from more than 650 small, high-quality producers and delivered to the customer within 24 hours of an order. This means customers receive the freshest food with a lower carbon footprint, and at supermarket prices. As with most e-commerce businesses, Crisp has prospered during the Covid-19 pandemic. Through 2021, it’s set to extend its electrical fleet of delivery trucks, develop its product range and continue working on digitising the full supply chain. In March, the company raised a €30 million series B round. crisp.nl
Grip
In 2020, Grip co-founders Anne Marie Droste, Noor Teulings and Ling Lin teamed up with Frank Broekmans, head of reproductive science at the University Medical Center Utrecht, on a take-home test based on hormones that provides information about fertility. The test measures the risk of irregular ovulation, blocked tubes, thyroid issues and early menopause – four of the most common conditions that can be obstacles to conception – and generates an individual user profile. Many women can face challenges becoming pregnant because they wait too long, says Droste, and while Grip won’t solve any health issues, the data might help inform their life choices. Grip is available across the Netherlands and the UK, and the team plans to launch in Germany this year. heygrip.com
Dyme
Dyme is a subscription management tool that aims to give people better control over their finances. By connecting the app to a bank account, users can manage, cancel or change subscriptions with a click. People underestimate the number of subscriptions they have, and don't want to spend time to decrease their bills, says co-founder and CEO Joran Iedema. “With Dyme, people can enjoy life while their admin is taken care of.” dyme.app
Clear Health Program
By measuring blood glucose levels using a chip-implanted arm patch, Clear Health delivers data-driven personalised nutrition programs based on the user’s biological response to what they’re eating and drinking. “Because your reaction to food is personal,” says co-founder and CEO Piet Hein van Dam. The aim is to improve energy levels, manage weight and promote long-term health. The company raised €780K in February last year. clear.bio
Dott
Dott operates a fleet of 30,000 scooters across cities in Belgium, France, Poland and Germany (it doesn’t yet have a licence for the Netherlands). By using swappable batteries and electric trucks, the e-mobility startup minimises its waste and emissions, which has been key in winning permits to operate in Paris and Lyon. The company has unveiled plans for a bike-sharing service in London and Paris. ridedott.com
Hiber
In March 2021, Hiber secured €26 million in an EU grant and private funding to bring affordable internet connectivity to remote areas of the world. Terrestrial networks sometimes only work in urban areas, and satellites used for wider coverage are expensive. Hiber’s approach is a constellation of cost-effective and energy-efficient nano-satellites. The startup hopes to address geoeconomic challenges – such as allowing users to monitor and manage crop production from afar. hiber.global
Avy
Avy makes fixed-wing, autonomous aircraft, some of which use solar panels to minimise emissions. The engineering combines the agility of a drone with the efficiency of an aeroplane – they take off vertically, but can cover long distances. By leaning on data provided by on-board instruments, the aircraft can also fly beyond the line of sight. They’re currently deployed across emergency services, urgent medical transport and environmental protection. avy.eu
Kinder
Kinder promotes transparency across non-profits through a vetting framework, which gives each charity a quality mark so that donors can have confidence in their donation's impact. Instead of giving to a single organisation, you can donate to a collection of the most effective ones. “It became my mission to help people find the organisations that are focusing on maximal impact,” says founder Mathys van Abbe. The company raised a €525K seed round in September 2020. kinder.world
Overstory
Overstory helps electric utilities, forestry companies and NGOs mitigate wildfires and power outages caused by vegetation making contact with power cables. It does this through high-resolution satellite imagery, which it analyses using machine-learning software. This provides an up-to-date view on where current and future risks are and how to prevent them. The company is monitoring areas in 64 countries for 11 paying customers. overstory.ai
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
