More Growth for Dutch Start-ups and Scale-ups Through More Capital, Talent, and Extension of Techleap

The cabinets commitment is outlined in the action agenda ‘Building the Tech Champions of Tomorrow’ by Minister Karremans (Economic Affairs). This further develops the previously established ambitions in areas such as financing, talent, tech jobs, scaling up to scale-ups, and focusing on knowledge-intensive startups (deep tech).

Taking extra steps is more than necessary. Other countries are surpassing us with investments in research and innovation. The Netherlands has recently dropped from 4th place in 2022 to 10th place in 2025 on the list of the most competitive economies in the world. We also lag behind countries like the US and China regarding technological developments. If we want to secure our earning capacity and public services in the future, we must ensure that innovative companies grow here.

Minister Karremans (Economic Affairs): “We must invest now in the earning capacity of tomorrow. Start-ups and scale-ups are the engine for economic growth and for solutions that make our society stronger and more sustainable. If we want the Netherlands to continue to afford our healthcare, education, and security in 10 years, we need this new generation of companies. The Netherlands has many successful tech companies like ASML and Adyen, but that is not a given. We must ensure that these kinds of companies continue to emerge and grow here in the future. Without new tech companies, there is no strong Netherlands.”

This new action agenda for start-ups and scale-ups aims to ensure that at least 10 new technology and market leaders are produced in the Netherlands over the next 10 years. Therefore, we focus on 6 priorities:

• A strong ecosystem: the financing of the temporary, successful Techleap program will be extended by 3 years with a renewed focus on scaling up deep tech companies. This ensures that Techleap remains a driver of a strong ecosystem at least until 2029.
• Finding and retaining talent: a new tax scheme for employee participation is being developed, which is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2027.
• Money to grow: more risk-bearing capital will be made available, such as € 200 million on top of the previous € 100 million for participation in the European Tech Champions Initiative (ETCI). And a Blended Finance instrument of € 250 million. There will also be efforts to establish a national investment institution and an exception for shareholders of start-ups in box 3.
• Turning knowledge into solutions: translating research into companies and products faster and easier, with support for spin-offs from knowledge institutions. The cabinet is also exploring the establishment of a National Agency for Disruptive Innovation, as has proven successful abroad.
• Room to grow: the physical space for start-ups and scale-ups to grow is scarce. Therefore, the cabinet has decided that the physical space for the economy must not decrease.
• Entering the global market: we provide additional support for international breakthroughs, such as start-up missions, international events, and extending the ScaleNL program towards the US.

This action agenda builds on the National Technology Strategy (NTS) launched in 2024 and the cabinet ambitions for growth companies outlined in 2023. With this action agenda, a significant step forward is being taken to improve the ecosystem for start-ups and scale-ups. At the same time, this is just the beginning. It is crucial that we build on this in the coming years and make the Netherlands even more innovative and entrepreneurial. Because only by investing in technology and entrepreneurship can we secure our prosperity and future earning capacity.