From 3,800 startups to 150 scale-ups: South Holland takes steps

South Holland is among Europe’s leading deeptech regions, but only a small share of startups actually manages to grow further: of the more than 3,800 startups, only about 150 reach the scale-up phase. The challenge lies not only in starting companies, but above all in scaling them. That is where the pressure increases for CEOs: quickly attracting senior talent, raising larger investment rounds with higher risks, finding production space that does not yet exist, dealing with permits, regulations, and lead times that cause delays, and finding customers that match the company’s ambition.

A different approach to scaling

With Founded in South Holland, the region wants to take the next step to help startups and scale-ups grow faster and navigate the ecosystem better. “Founded in South Holland shows what is really needed to scale a company in this region and what needs to work better for that,” the initiators say. “By making existing strengths work together better, it helps companies move forward faster at the moments that matter most.” This is done through targeted support for scaling challenges such as talent, capital, and market access, while strengthening cooperation within the broader startup and scale-up ecosystem.

“The Netherlands has all the ingredients to build successful companies and lead internationally,” says CEO Stephan van Sint Fiet of Vivici, “but it is about combining those strengths instead of working alongside each other. We are grateful to have access to this ecosystem, but as soon as you grow from a startup to a scale-up, the risks and capital needs increase rapidly. There is still work to be done to ensure that scale-ups get the support they really need.”

Making the system work when the pressure is highest

“We keep seeing the same pattern: the ingredients are there, but they do not always come together on time,” says Jorg Kop, Private Lead of Founded in South Holland. “Founded in South Holland is about ensuring that this connection emerges at the moment when it is needed most.”

South Holland has leading research, strong access to capital, prominent knowledge institutions, and a dense network of innovation hubs and science parks. Founded in South Holland helps founders navigate that ecosystem more effectively, especially in the complex scale-up phase in which timing, access, and cooperation are crucial.

Founded in South Holland connects to Founded.in, a platform in Northern Netherlands with the same mission: helping startups and scale-ups grow faster and find their way through the ecosystem better. “Breakthroughs can arise anywhere, but scaling cannot,” explains Bertwin Kampman, director of Founded in the North. “The difference lies in whether a system works at the moment when it matters. That only happens when the right things come together at the right time, built from the reality of founders who are scaling up.”