Graduate Ventures launches a €125M second seed fund for Dutch tech startups, with €100M already committed

Graduate Ventures has launched its second seed fund of €125 million, with €100 million already committed. The fund backs Dutch startups in AI, deep tech, healthcare and climate, alongside the firm's existing pre-seed fund.

Founded in 2021 by alumni of Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam, Graduate Ventures has invested in more than 90 tech startups and now partners with eight universities and three university medical centres, giving it nationwide coverage. Its platform includes a network of more than 200 entrepreneurial alumni who support founders with expertise and introductions. Co-founder and chairman is Frans van Houten.

The LP base is a roll-call of Dutch founders: Frank Slootman of Snowflake, Michiel Muller of Picnic, Jonas Ruyter of DataSnipper and former ASML CEO Peter Wennink, with Invest-NL and Oost NL also participating. The firm points to QuantWare, backed in 2021 and closing a €152 million Series B earlier this year, as the model.