Dutch Startup Digest August

In just 3-minutes, make sure you didn’t miss a thing

There’s a lot going on in the Netherlands startup ecosystem and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. This post takes less time to read than making a cup of coffee (in fact grab one whilst you read it). One quick glance and you ’re in the know about who’s closed investment, what events are going on and who was in the news!

Here we go:

Financial 💸

• Mendix, a developer of a ‘low-code’ application development platform was acquired by Siemens for €628M. Mendix will become part of the software business within Siemens’ Digital Factory division.
• Nico-lab, a health-tech venture which uses AI to diagnose strokes raised €3M in preparation for an IPO in Australia next year.
• Fairphone, the ethical mobile phone manufacturer raised €2.5M with Oneplanetcrowd crowdfunding
• Madam Therapeutics, a biotech startup looking combat resistant bacterial infections closed €1.1M
• Digital Outdoor Advertising company Beyond Outdoor crowdfunded €1.3M
• Ligo, an online platform for DIY legal solutions raised a seed round of €500,000
• Wetransfer acquired the U.S company FiftyThree, famous for making previous iPad app of the year Paper. The price was undisclosed.

Find more information on the StartupDelta Finder

In the news 📰

• Wired named its “hottest startups in Amsterdam for 2018”, here they are: Harver, Otrium, Hiber, Shypple, Helloprint, Fairphone, Ohpen, Hotelchamp, Messagebird and Felyx.
• Gfk research released its report on Smart Home Trends in the Netherlands. Less than 50% of the people claim to be interested or very interested in smart home technology. This is a decline from last year’s 59% number.
• MessageBird launched it’s new product Programmable Conversations, a single API, which unifies customer interactions across the world’s popular communication channels into a single conversation thread.
• Swapfiets enters Denmark to expand on 53,000 already happy customers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
• The CEO of Lightyear, Lex Hoefsloot and CEO of Blockheating, Jeroen Burks sat down with StartupDelta to give some valuable insights on such things as building company culture, dealing with failure and battling product/market fit.

Events not to miss in September🎉

• CES Unveiled Amsterdam, on Sept 27 see the latest tech innovations from the Netherlands and build partnerships with 700 prominent European tech industry influencers and media.
• Angel Island, jump on a boat and venture to Pampus Island to make meaningful connections. Join 150 founders, 350 investors and original thinkers for the world’s only Unconference on September 26.
• Green Challenge, Startup Solutions on September 12. At this event by the National Postcode Loterij expect to find out more about how startups are helping with the energy transition.
• Y Combinator is coming to the Netherlands on September 12. The world famous accelerator is hosting an event in collaboration with Messagebird for founders to learn about what YC is like, how to get accepted & how to make the most of an accelerator program.
• It’s Amsterdam Capital Week 24–28 September! That means only one thing, amazing events and a chance to meet investors. Some highlights include ProAngels, Capital Tour and Unpack Impact.
• The Netherlands welcomes a special guest on the 13 September, Lita Nelsen, former director of MIT Technology Licensing Office. The Masterclass Knowledge Transfer takes place at Wageningen University & Research.
• Early call 📣, going to Slush or Websummit? On the 11th October learn how to make the most of your trip with the Cashing in on Websummit and Slush event. A day of knowledge, insights and advice to aid your trip.

Looking for more exciting events find them here