Innovation Industries, a Dutch venture capital fund, is proud to announce the launch of Innovation Industries Fund III, a new fund aimed at financing and supporting deep-tech start-ups and scale-ups in the Benelux and Germany. The fund has a size of €500 million, equal to the maximum target capital. The launch follows shortly after the announcement of the €100 million Innovation Industries Strategic Partners Fund, which focuses on financing scale-ups within the existing Innovation Industries portfolio. Investors in the fund are mainly institutional investors, including a number of Dutch pension funds. BOM is also one of the investors.
The money from the Innovation Industries funds will be invested in companies that focus on developing and bringing advanced technologies to the market, also known as 'deep tech'. Deeptech companies have the potential to provide innovative solutions to global problems such as climate change, healthcare, food security, safety and energy supply. Due to the complexity and innovative nature of the products, deep tech companies have higher capital requirements and development times can be longer, making financing especially in the crucial later phase a key challenge. With a team of industry experts and sufficient financial strength, Innovation Industries is well equipped to select the best deep tech companies and guide them in their growth.
Nearfield Instrument
nnovation Industries has been active since 2017 and has since acquired stakes in more than 30 companies. An example of a successful participation is Nearfield Instrument, a TNO spin-off that develops advanced metrology solutions for the semiconductor industry. Innovation Industries has invested from the start of the company and has made a significant contribution in each follow-up round. Nearfield Instruments has now grown into one of the most promising Dutch deep tech companies of the moment. An example of a successful exit is Luxexcel, a company specializing in 3D printed optics, which was sold to Meta, formerly known as Facebook, in 2021. Innovation Industries was the largest investor in Luxexcel.
Innovation Industries is proud to be backed by leading pension funds and banks, demonstrating a strong commitment to long-term, sustainable investment strategies. In addition to the PME and PMT pension funds, which made the previous Innovation Industries funds possible, [ABP, bpfBOUW, KPN Pension Funds TNO Pension Fund] have now also joined as investors. The remaining capital is provided by, among others, [the European Investment Fund, KfW, Wachstumsfonds, ABN AMRO, Athora, Rabobank, OostNL, BOM, IQ and InvestNL]. With the support of these esteemed investors, InnovationIndustries Fund III is well positioned to make valuable contributions to the deep tech ecosystem in the Benelux region and Germany.
“Deeptech companies continue to face significant challenges in raising capital,” explains Nard Sintenie, partner and co-founder of Innovation Industries. “With the Innovation Industries Fund III, combined with the Strategic Partners Fund, we are taking an important step in tackling this problem for Dutch deep tech companies.”
Harm de Vries, partner and co-founder of Innovation Industries, emphasizes: "Thanks to the support of pension funds PME and PMT, we have now been able to convince many other pension funds that investing in the Dutch deep tech ecosystem is not only beneficial from a financial perspective, but is also essential for a better future for society. With a total of approximately €900 million under management, we have reached a position where we can act as a magnet for cutting-edge technologies being developed in Europe."
“Our team currently operates from offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven. We will soon add an office in Munich,” explains Chris Sonnenberg, partner and co-founder of Innovation Industries. “With a solid European presence, we can identify the best technology companies and thus strengthen the competitive position of the Netherlands,” he adds.
Source: bom.nl
