The Amsterdam startup scene in 2026: AI cuts across every sector

The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area has more than 186 startups listed in the DutchStartup database in 2026, active across a wide range of sectors. What stands out: AI is not a distinct niche within that landscape, but a layer running through virtually every industry, from point-of-sale software for growers to materials research and clinical support.

The city is also attracting concrete new infrastructure this year. In September, The Stack opens, an AI startup hub at Jacob Bontiusplaats 9 in Oostenburg. The hub is backed by ABN AMRO, ClickHouse, Deloitte, IMC, Google and Prosus, and focuses on bringing together AI companies, investors and large enterprises. The first startups to take up residence are Ubicloud, Dawnguard and Iconic Works. The direct involvement of major names such as Google and Prosus signals that serious capital and networks are behind it.

At the same time, Amsterdam is reinforcing its role as an event city for the European tech world. Money20/20 Europe, the Hello Tomorrow Global Summit and the TNW Conference are all being held in Amsterdam in June 2026. Money20/20 expects more than 8,500 attendees. That draws founders, investors and buyers from across Europe to the city.

Deeptech and biotech: fast money for fundamental research

Two Amsterdam-based startups demonstrate that investors are also willing to commit large sums to companies that are still far from market. CuspAI, founded in 2024, discovers and generates new materials using AI, and has already raised €111 million in a Series A. The company claims it can find new materials ten times faster than through traditional methods. With a founding date of 2024 and a funding round of that size, CuspAI is one of the fastest-funded deeptech companies in the region.

Cradleactive since 2021, combines machine learning with its own wet-lab research to accelerate protein design. In 2024 it closed a €100 million Series B. Cradle targets a broad application space, from pharmaceuticals to industrial enzymes, and has both a software and a scientific dimension.

Both companies illustrate a broader trend: investors in the Amsterdam region are entering earlier and earlier in the lifecycle of companies working on fundamental scientific problems, as long as the application of AI is central to their approach.

Energy and climate: AI as a management tool

Two Amsterdam-based companies are applying AI to the infrastructure of the energy transition. Overstory, founded in 2018, uses satellite imagery to monitor electricity networks for vegetation that could damage cables. The company raised €67.8 million in a Series B. The application is concrete: network operators can intervene preventively before trees or shrubs cause outages.

Sympoweractive since 2015, focuses on energy flexibility. It helps companies adjust their electricity consumption to match grid demand, assisting network operators in balancing supply and demand. With €74.5 million in Series B financing, the company is continuing to scale its services. Both companies operate at the intersection of software and physical infrastructure, a segment gaining importance across Europe as renewable energy accounts for a growing share of electricity production.

HR and talent: Amsterdam veterans and new challengers

In HR technology, two Amsterdam-based companies sit side by side, each addressing a different part of the recruitment process. Textkernelfounded in 2001, is one of the oldest AI companies in the region. It processes CVs, matches candidates to vacancies and supplies labour market data to recruitment professionals. In 2024 it was acquired for €300 million, the largest exit in this overview.

TestGorillafounded in 2019, took a different approach: screening candidates based on skills tests rather than CVs. The company raised €81.2 million in a Series A in 2022. Its proposition aligns with a broader debate about the value of qualifications and work experience versus demonstrable skills, a discussion playing out across many Western labour markets.

Healthcare, agri and payments: AI in core operational processes

Kaiko, founded in 2021, develops an AI assistant that supports clinicians during their day-to-day work in hospitals. It raised €82.5 million in a Series B in 2022. The focus is on integration into existing clinical workflows, which lowers the adoption barrier for healthcare staff.

In the agricultural sector, Source.ag is building software that enables growers to optimise yields in greenhouses. The company, founded in 2020 by Rien Kamman and Ernst van Bruggen, closed a €54.5 million Series B in early 2025. The market for so-called controlled environment agriculture is growing internationally, driven in part by the need for food production that is less dependent on weather conditions.

In fintech, Silverflow is building payment infrastructure via a single API for acquirers and merchants. The company, founded in 2019, raised €70.5 million in a Series B. Amsterdam has long held a strong position in European payments technology, partly due to the presence of major processors and its proximity to financial institutions.

Data, content and gaming: the breadth of the ecosystem

Beyond the heaviest technology sectors, the region also features companies in media and tooling. Framer, founded in 2015, enables users to build professional websites without code, from design through to publication. It closed a €85.6 million Series D in early 2025. The product targets designers and small teams looking to launch a website quickly.

Medal.tv, based in Naarden just outside Amsterdam, allows gamers to easily record, edit and share gameplay moments. With €82.2 million in a Series C, it serves a large and growing audience of content creators in gaming.

Finally, there is Toloka, based near Schiphol, which provides high-quality training data for AI models through a combination of human experts and automation. It raised €64 million in a Series B in early 2025. Training data is an underappreciated but critical link in the AI chain, and Toloka positions itself as a specialised provider within it.

Together, these companies sketch a region that is broader than fintech or enterprise software alone. The opening of The Stack and the clustering of major conferences in Amsterdam in 2026 reinforce the city's position as a hub for European AI investment. For founders and investors outside the Randstad, this illustrates where the greatest concentrations of capital flows and networks converge, even as the Dutch ecosystem continues to grow steadily beyond the region.