Scaling Agrifood
Innovation  

A Stronger Innovation Ecosystem: Opportunity and Momentum

The food transition represents one of the most significant economic and societal opportunities for the Netherlands. It offers the potential for high‑value manufacturing, new value chains, job creation, and global leadership in sustainable and resilient food systems. Our country already holds a strong position in agriculture, horticulture, and food ingredients, and the next decade will determine whether we can translate this strength into a global scale in alternative proteins, circular ingredients, and digital precision farming.

Momentum is increasing. Food security, sustainability, climate goals, and strategic autonomy are becoming central themes in public debate and policy. International players are increasingly choosing the Netherlands as a base for innovation and scale‑up, reinforcing our role as a global hub. What was once primarily a knowledge‑driven landscape is now evolving into a fully‑fledged innovation ecosystem, capable of commercialising breakthrough technologies and competing internationally.

Breakthroughs in 2025: Innovation Turning Into Impact

2025 marked a turning point. Dutch agrifood startups and scaleups raised over €6 billion, matching the record set in 2020, but with fewer deals and higher average investment per company. This shift indicates stronger investor confidence and greater capacity to support scale‑up trajectories rather than only early‑stage innovation.

Beyond funding, ventures moved decisively into commercialisation: launching new products, closing strategic partnerships, building demo facilities, and delivering measurable sustainability impacts. Across the sector, meaningful advances were made in three dominant themes:

• Circularity: turning side streams into high‑value ingredients
• Alternative proteins: fermentation, cultured cells, fungi, and algae
• Digital precision: AI, autonomous machinery, and data‑driven farming and breeding

Examples of 2025 successes

• Rival Foods secured 10M€ funding to scale
• The protein Brewery is ready for commercial growth with a 30M€ investment received
• MaGie Creations launched Brewlicious at SPAR University: upcycled, fibre‑ and protein‑rich snacks from spent brewer’s grains
• AgXeed unveiled its new AgBot T2 with enhanced power and simplified construction
• ChainCraft partnered with KH Engineering to build a circular chemistry future
• Vivici and The Every Company partnered to establish a precision fermentation factory in Abu Dhabi
• NoPalm Ingredients teamed up with NIZO to establish a demo facility for palm oil alternatives in Ede
• NutriLeads received EFSA approval for its precision prebiotic Benicaros®
• Meatable acquired Uncommon Bio’s platform to accelerate cultivated meat production
• Ceradis was acquired by Gowan Company in a strategic exit, celebrated by impact investor Pymwymic

These examples illustrate how Dutch ventures are translating lab‑scale innovation into commercial traction, forming new value chains, and demonstrating global relevance.

At the European level, the effort to unite startups through EU INC is an important step forward. And we want to thank Constantijn van Oranje for his support in driving this momentum and connecting Dutch ventures into the European innovation landscape.

Keep the Momentum, Scale the Impact

2025 showed what is achievable: record investments, larger funding rounds, and clear progress in commercialization and partnerships. But momentum alone is not enough. Scaling is not a single milestone, it requires sustained, coordinated action. To convert today’s progress into long‑term competitive advantage, the Netherlands must now focus on four essential levers:

• Faster and more predictable Novel Food procedures to shorten time‑to‑market.
• Follow‑on and blended finance to help ventures build factories, expand internationally, and grow beyond early rounds.
• Consortia or open access model of existing shared demo and pilot facilities, and investment in these to bridge the gap between lab and market.
• Earlier collaboration across the value chain so startups, corporates, and retailers co‑develop solutions aligned with production and consumer needs.

And just as important: ecosystem support must be continued and deepened with a joint agenda for innovation and growth. Programmes such as Foodvalley’s Fastlane, Heroes community and SME Innovation Voucher, StartLife’s Accelerate and A la Carte, alongside national and regional partners like RVO, Invest‑NL, and development agencies, provide founders with the guidance, peer learning, finance, and infrastructure needed to navigate the scale‑up journey.

LookingAhead: Building on a Strong Foundation

With collective effort, and the fact that the agrifood sector plays an important role in the National technology Strategy, the Netherlands is well positioned to strengthen its role as a global leading hub for alternative proteins, circular ingredients, and digital precision farming. Continued investment in scale‑up infrastructure, predictable regulation, and targeted financing instruments will enable ventures to accelerate commercialisation and compete globally.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge the reality behind these successes: building and scaling a startup is demanding, and not every venture will make it. The road is challenging, and progress inevitably comes with setbacks. Recognising this adds perspective to the momentum we see, while many companies are thriving, the journey remains complex and requires resilience across the ecosystem.

The progress of 2025 demonstrates what is possible when entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and ecosystem partners work together. Building on this foundation, we can ensure that the Netherlands remains at the forefront of sustainable and resilient food systems, delivering impact at scale and shaping the future of global agriculture.