Web3 and blockchain in the Netherlands: five startups illustrate the sector's breadth

The Dutch Web3 and blockchain sector comprises 357 companies as of May 2026, of which 110 have attracted external funding. Together they raised $774 million. Amsterdam is the sector's centre of gravity: nearly half of all companies are based in the capital, which ranks 24th globally in blockchain-ecosystem rankings.

When five concrete examples from the database are placed side by side, what stands out is how differently 'Web3' is interpreted. Some companies use decentralised technology as their core product; others carry the label while their primary activity has little to do with blockchain. That makes the ecosystem broad and diverse, but it also makes straightforward comparison difficult.

Planck Network stands out in scale, but faces a turning point

Amsterdam-based Planck Network is the most capital-intensive player in this group. Founded in 2023, the company is building a decentralised GPU network for training and deploying AI models. The platform is built on a modular Layer 0 blockchain and claims to reduce GPU cloud costs by up to 90 per cent compared with providers such as AWS or Google Cloud.

Its funding history is complex. Various sources cite diverging figures: the DutchStartup database records a Series B of €200 million in January 2025, while other sources reported total funding of $7.5 million in November 2025, of which $3.5 million was raised and $4 million came via staking. In September 2026 a strategic round of $345,000 was announced. The all-time low of the associated token, $PLANCK, was $0.000105 on 20 August 2026, with a market capitalisation of approximately €2,600 at that point.

At the same time, Planck Network has announced a wind-down of two entities, Planck Network Cyprus Ltd and Planck Network Ltd (BVI), with a notification period running from 26 August to 24 November 2026. The mainnet launch of Planck₀, planned for Q3 2026, was intended to activate on-chain governance and integration of DePIN- and AI-focused appchains. How those plans relate to the wind-down of the entities mentioned cannot be reconstructed from available source material.

Finturi and Volareo: blockchain as part of a broader proposition

The Hague-based Finturi focuses on electronic invoicing for freelancers and small businesses and has raised a total of €2 million since its founding in 2018. The Web3 component is not prominently featured in the company's public communications; it appears in the database under multiple sectors, including fintech and AI.

Amsterdam-based Volareo has a dual profile. On one hand it sells board game accessories through major e-commerce platforms; on the other it presents itself as an open-source, decentralised smart speaker enabling voice-controlled crypto transactions. Partners such as Musicoin, Emanate and Raven Protocol point to a background in the crypto-audio space. The company raised a seed round of €3.1 million in January 2023. No recent activity or new funding can be identified from available source material.

ParadigmataMedia and Aurea Imaging: Web3 as context, not core

ParadigmataMedia, based in Kortenhoef, has existed since 2009, making it the oldest company in this overview. Founder Menno Lindeblad is building a media ecosystem for journalism, publishing and audio, with blockchain and AI as supporting infrastructure. The company owns a proprietary CMS used for platforms such as Unbreakingnews and Amsterdam Today, with plans to license that system in the future. No external funding has been recorded.

Utrecht-based Aurea Imaging illustrates how the Web3 label sometimes says more about a sector classification than about day-to-day operations. The company develops precision data per tree for fruit growers via the TreeScout system, a tractor-mounted sensor system that sends orchard data to the cloud. In July 2024 it raised €2.8 million in a Series A round, with investors including Pymwymic and ROM Utrecht Region. In January 2025, Aurea Imaging sold its phenotyping activities for plant breeders to Hiphen in order to concentrate on orchard management. The company is active in the EU, North America, New Zealand and South Africa.

Regulation and energy as shared challenges

Two issues recur broadly across the Dutch Web3 sector. The first is regulation: frameworks for crypto assets, token issuance and decentralised financial services are still taking shape, both at national and European level. Companies that issue tokens or operate across borders, such as Planck Network, are directly exposed to that uncertainty.

The second issue is energy consumption. Decentralised networks that deploy GPU capacity for AI training are increasingly under pressure to account for their energy use. As sustainability requirements tighten, from both investors and regulators, this is becoming a more visible element of business operations.

For founders and investors in the Dutch ecosystem, a pattern is emerging: companies that use blockchain as a functional layer for a concrete service, such as invoicing, agri-data or media distribution, typically operate with more modest funding but a clearer business model. Companies building entirely on decentralised networks and tokens sometimes raise larger amounts, but also operate in an environment where market conditions and technical roadmaps shift more rapidly. That divide is not unique to the Netherlands, but the breadth of the local offering makes it particularly visible here.