Amsterdam’s startup ecosystem is seeing renewed momentum as multiple local companies secured significant funding rounds in March 2025. Despite a slight drop in the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, the Dutch capital remains one of Europe’s most active innovation hubs, representing nearly half of the Netherlands’ total startup count. The city’s appeal continues to draw in investors and jobseekers alike, with several of the funded startups currently hiring talent across engineering, software, and marketing roles. This activity signifies confidence in Amsterdam’s entrepreneurial climate, particularly in sectors such as sustainable energy, AI, fintech, and hospitality tech.
While Amsterdam has consistently ranked among the top European startup cities, recent developments indicate a shift toward deep tech and sustainable innovations. Sectors like clean energy and AI were less dominant in earlier years, when e-commerce and mobility startups prevailed. Today’s funding trends reflect a maturing ecosystem that is expanding into high-impact areas, attracting institutional capital and specialized talent. The rise of modular energy solutions and AI-based customer tools demonstrates that Amsterdam startups are aligning with global industry needs rather than focusing solely on consumer services.
Which startups received the highest funding, and what are their focuses?
Mews raised €70.6M for its cloud-based hospitality platform, Mews Hospitality Cloud, which aims to streamline hotel operations and guest services. The startup claims to serve over 5,500 clients globally, including BWH Hotels and The Social Hub. Thorizon secured €20M to develop a molten salt reactor that utilizes existing nuclear waste to generate stable energy. The company positions its technology as a complement to intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar.
“Our patented technology overcomes the main bottlenecks to bring molten salt, a technology that has already been demonstrated, to the market,”
said Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon. She emphasized the firm’s cartridge concept that addresses material integrity and fuel management issues seen in similar technologies.
How are other startups addressing niche markets and emerging technologies?
Moonwatt gathered nearly €8M in seed funding to advance sodium-ion battery storage systems, which it believes can stabilize renewable energy availability. The startup combines hardware and software innovations to build cost-effective, 24/7 clean energy solutions. Lemni, backed with €3.3M, focuses on AI agents designed to interact with customers through a continuous knowledge base, reducing redundancy in support interactions.
Billy Grace secured €3M to support its marketing optimization platform that utilizes machine learning for campaign automation and analytics. The company reported 700% growth in 2024 and is planning expansion efforts. Meanwhile, The Micro Habit Company, with undisclosed funding, offers behavioral training programs via a gamified app to improve corporate health and digital adoption.
Fraudio, a fintech startup, is developing AI systems that detect financial fraud and money laundering. Though the funding amount remains undisclosed, the company aims to support compliance for service providers and card issuers. Dubformer raised €3.38M to build dubbing technology that prioritizes emotional fidelity over simple voice replication, utilizing a method it calls Emotion Transfer.
These startups represent a broad spectrum of industries, emphasizing Amsterdam’s diversification. Companies like Mews and Moonwatt are scaling in traditional and emerging sectors, while smaller firms like Lemni and Dubformer introduce AI-driven and media technologies tailored to niche markets. The funding also signals investor confidence in long-term outcomes, with many of the startups already onboarding new talent and preparing for international growth.
The breadth of Amsterdam’s startup scene indicates more than just capital inflow—it reveals the city’s deepening role in high-tech innovation. Startups such as Thorizon and Moonwatt reflect how energy and environmental concerns are being addressed with new ideas. In contrast, companies like Dubformer and Lemni apply AI to customer interaction and content processing. For professionals and investors, this offers clear opportunities in sectors where technological and societal needs align. By monitoring job openings and funding trends, stakeholders can better identify which companies are scaling and which markets are gaining strategic attention. Ultimately, Amsterdam continues to provide a supportive environment for early-stage ventures, particularly those that blend technical novelty with practical application.
