Graduate Ventures expands to Amsterdam and Eindhoven

Graduate Ventures, the Dutch venture fund backed by some of the Netherlands' most prominent entrepreneurs, announced a major national expansion yesterday at its annual Graduate Connect networking event, adding the University of Amsterdam (UvA), Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, and Eindhoven-based partners to its university ecosystem.

Since its 2021 launch by Erasmus University Rotterdam and Delft University of Technology, the fund has invested in more than 80 startups — 62 at the pre-seed stage with tickets up to €75,000, and 18 at the seed stage, including notable portfolio companies Workwize, QuantWare, and Eddy Grid. Sifted, the Financial Times' startup publication, named Graduate Ventures one of Europe's most active tech investors last year.

Alongside the geographic expansion, the fund announced a second seed fund totaling €80 million, following the success of its first €50 million seed fund. A separate pre-seed fund of nearly €10 million is entirely funded by donations from alumni and affiliated university funds.

Addressing the scale-up gap

The expansion addresses what Graduate's founders describe as a structural Dutch challenge: while the Netherlands ranks among the world's top five most innovative countries, only one in five startups grows into a scale-up — compared to more than half in the United States, according to an analysis from the Dutch research agency TNO. The fund's model, modeled on the alumni giving culture surrounding universities like Stanford and MIT, pairs capital with the hands-on mentorship of over 200 successful entrepreneurs.

From September, student investment teams will become active at UvA, VU Amsterdam, and Amsterdam UMC. The Amsterdam student startup fund ASIF Ventures will also be absorbed into Graduate, as will Round One Ventures, a Brabant-based pre-seed fund, strengthening the Eindhoven presence.

Impactful expansion

University leaders welcomed the partnership. "Our researchers and students produce strong and promising ideas. Graduate offers them an additional springboard with matching ambition: not only funding, but also the experience of mentors who have walked this path themselves," says Richard Goldstein, Vice President of the Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam. "That combination makes Graduate Ventures a valuable partner for us in this collaboration."

"With this step, we are making meaningful progress on our ambition to make a national difference for new entrepreneurs from the university ecosystem," says Managing Partner Auke van den Hout. "The combination of capital and the active involvement of more than two hundred committed entrepreneurs has proven its value in Rotterdam and Delft. I am confident that it will deliver strong results in Amsterdam and Eindhoven as well."