83 Dutch startups are working on climate and energy transition, cutting across sectors

Eighty-three Dutch startups have climate and energy transition as their core mission, according to the DutchStartup database for 2026. They are active in energy, agri, deeptech, industry and space technology, but share a common approach: data and software as a lever for a less fossil-fuel-dependent energy system.

The group varies widely in size and stage. Some companies raised a seed round less than a year ago, while others have already closed a Series B or C worth tens of millions of euros. What connects them is not a single technology or market, but an orientation towards the bottlenecks of the energy transition: unpredictable generation, overloaded grids, slow infrastructure decisions and the need for new materials.

An analysis of twelve representative companies from that group provides a picture of its breadth and common threads.

Software layer for the energy grid

A significant share of the companies focuses on the management side of the power grid. Dexter Energy (Amsterdam, 2017) builds AI software that enables renewable energy producers to optimise their short-term trading and grid balancing. The company raised a Series C of €23 million in January 2025. CEO and founder Luuk Veeken positions the product as infrastructure for solar and wind producers that want to trade their electricity more profitably and efficiently.

Sympower (Amsterdam, 2015) approaches the issue from the other side. Its platform aggregates flexibility capacity from industrial consumers and offers it as a balancing service to grid operators. With €74.5 million in Series B financing, it is one of the best-funded companies in this segment. Overstory (Amsterdam, 2018) uses satellite imagery and computer vision to detect where vegetation poses a risk to high-voltage lines; the company closed a Series B of €67.8 million.

Gradyent (Rotterdam, 2019) focuses on heat networks. The company's digital twin models and optimises heat distribution in real time, helping grid operators reduce energy losses. In 2025, Gradyent raised €28 million in a Series B.

Weather data and geospatial information as raw material

Accurate data on weather and the environment form a distinct subcategory. Weather Solutions (The Hague, 2017) provides tailored weather forecasts for energy companies, logistics and the agricultural sector. Having raised €42.3 million in a Series B in 2022, the company has reached scale. Its customers use the data, among other things, to better forecast energy production from solar and wind.

52impact (Amersfoort, 2017) works with geospatial datasets to give companies insight into environmental and sustainability risks in their surroundings or value chain. Following a Series B of €15 million in 2022, the company serves clients in sectors such as financial services and real estate, where climate risk is increasingly a reporting obligation.

StellaSpark (Utrecht, 2015) builds digital twins of the physical outdoor environment, intended for management and monitoring. The company raised €50 million through an equity round in 2023 and positions itself for applications including infrastructure management and spatial planning.

Industrial automation and monitoring

A third cluster focuses on efficiency and monitoring in industrial processes, with climate gains as a side effect or an explicit goal. Helin (Rijswijk, 2017) offers an AI platform for real-time remote monitoring of industrial assets; following a Series A of €14 million, the company serves clients in energy-intensive sectors. VBTI Consultancy (Helmond, 2019) positions itself as an AI innovation partner for industry and agri, with a Series B1 Extension of €19 million in 2025.

30MHz (Rotterdam, 2014) provides a sensor platform that enables growers to continuously measure and adjust growing conditions. Although agri is the primary market, the platform has a direct relationship with resource use: less water, less energy, less waste. The company raised €12.8 million in a Series B in 2021.

Deeptech and materials discovery

At the other end of the spectrum are companies working on more fundamental technological challenges. CuspAI (Amsterdam, 2024) uses AI to discover and generate new materials. The company claims it can carry out this process ten times faster than through traditional methods. In 2024 or early 2025, CuspAI raised €111 million in a Series A, an exceptionally large amount for such a young company. New materials are relevant for batteries, solar cells and other key technologies in the energy transition.

Habitat AI (Amsterdam, 2025) is the most recent company in the selection, with a seed round of €16 million. Details about the exact product are limited, but the company operates at the intersection of deeptech, AI and energy.

What connects and distinguishes this group

Most companies in this selection are not building hardware, but a software layer on top of existing infrastructure or data. They make grids smarter, make risks visible or assist with decisions that would otherwise be slow or error-prone. That is a deliberate choice: software scales faster and requires less capital than hardware or physical infrastructure.

At the same time, there are clear differences in market maturity. Companies such as Sympower, Weather Solutions and Overstory operate with substantial customer bases and multiple funding rounds behind them. CuspAI and Habitat AI are early in their existence and operating in markets that are still developing.

The breadth of the group, from greenhouse sensors to materials discovery via satellite monitoring, illustrates that the energy transition is not transforming a single sector but cutting through virtually every sector. For Dutch investors and policymakers, that is relevant: the capital requirements and risk profiles of these companies vary considerably, but they all depend on the same broader ecosystem of grid infrastructure, regulation and data availability. How quickly that ecosystem develops will partly determine how fast these startups can scale.