Where Dutch mobility startups are located and why Rotterdam-The Hague is the largest cluster

Of the twenty Dutch mobility startups in this analysis, nearly half are based in the Rotterdam-The Hague region: nine companies have their headquarters in cities such as Rotterdam, The Hague, Rijswijk and Delft. The rest are spread across Eindhoven, the Amsterdam region, Arnhem and Limburg. That distribution is no coincidence; it follows the existing economic centres of gravity in the Netherlands fairly closely.

The Rotterdam-The Hague region combines Europe's largest port, an active airport site that offers space for technology testing, and a political and administrative centre that keeps subsidies and policy processes close at hand. That attracts companies working on autonomous shipping, drone inspections and automated charging, sectors where physical infrastructure and proximity to major clients matter at least as much as rental prices or office space availability.

What makes the Rotterdam-The Hague cluster distinctive

Rotterdam is a European port hub and positions itself as a testing ground for smart mobility. That is not a marketing term: the City of Rotterdam is itself an investor in Captain AI, a startup founded in 2018 that develops AI-based navigation and collision detection for inland and coastal shipping. Other early investors include InnovationQuarter and UNIIQ, both regional development organisations. Captain AI has raised just over $2 million to date and has seven employees, but operates in a market where Rotterdam's port logistics provides direct customers.

In Rijswijk, a municipality directly bordering The Hague, is Rocsys. The company, founded in 2019, builds hands-free charging systems for electric vehicles based on soft robotics and deep learning. It has raised more than $60 million in total, including a Series A extension of €11.1 million led by Capricorn Partners. Rocsys now also has an office in Portland, Oregon, indicating that its international rollout is under way.

The Hague itself is home to Mainblades, which uses drones for aircraft inspections. According to the company's own figures, inspections using its system are ten times faster than manual checks. The company collaborated with KLM on pilot projects and received funding from KLM and research grants. Rotterdam The Hague Airport makes its grounds available for testing this type of technology, which explains why aviation-focused startups tend to land here.

Delft adds another dimension to the cluster. Plotwise and Dalco Robotics are both based in Delft. Plotwise focuses on AI-driven logistics optimisation; Dalco Robotics builds self-driving robots for the healthcare sector. Delft attracts startups through knowledge exchange with TU Delft, rather than through port infrastructure or airport proximity.

Deliberate policy by the Metropolitan Region

The Metropoolregio Rotterdam Den Haag (MRDH) actively pursues policy to strengthen the innovation ecosystem around sustainable mobility. In practice, this means that municipalities and the province work together to attract test programmes, subsidy schemes and innovation partnerships. The City of Rotterdam does so as an investor in its own right, as is visible in the case of Captain AI. Rotterdam The Hague Airport serves as a test site and brings parties together around sustainable aviation solutions.

This governance framework makes the region attractive to startups that depend on public clients or permits, such as companies in autonomous vessels or drone inspections. Access to policymakers and a short line to subsidy providers are relevant location factors for early-stage startups, particularly when the technology is still in a testing phase and commercial volumes have yet to materialise.

Other clusters: Eindhoven, Amsterdam and the rest

Outside Rotterdam-The Hague, Eindhoven is the most notable hub. It is home to Tibo Energy, focused on energy management and grid congestion for businesses, and Maps Untold, which creates personalised city guides for hotel guests. Neither targets port or aviation infrastructure; both focus on data and services. Eindhoven has its own ecosystem centred on the High Tech Campus and the semiconductor industry, which also attracts software companies with a mobility angle.

In the Amsterdam region, BagsID is based in Schiphol-Rijk and GeniusTravel in Amstelveen. BagsID works on algorithm-based baggage recognition for airports and received a seed round of €6.1 million in 2022. Its location close to Schiphol is functional: the airport serves as both a test site and a potential first customer. GeniusTravel offers personalised travel information via a mobile app and raised €2 million in a seed round in early 2025. ViaEurope is located nearby in Rozenburg, a village in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, and automates customs declarations for cross-border e-commerce. That work, too, is tied to the airport, where air freight and customs handling converge.

Deftpower in Arnhem is developing a smart charging platform for EV drivers and charging service providers, and raised €12.5 million in a growth round in early 2025. Arnhem has a strong tradition in energy transition companies, partly due to the presence of grid operators and energy companies in the region. SpecifAi Parking, founded in 2024 in Valkenburg (Limburg), rounds off the list as the youngest company in the overview.

Location logic differs by sub-market

Aviation logistics, autonomous shipping, smart charging infrastructure and customs technology each place different demands on a location. Mainblades, BagsID and ViaEurope need proximity to airports for testing, client contact and the goods flow itself. Captain AI benefits from Rotterdam's port economy. Rocsys and Deftpower focus on EV fleets and charging infrastructure, markets that are less tied to a single geographical point but do benefit from proximity to large fleet operators and energy networks.

Plotwise and Dalco Robotics in Delft follow a different logic: they draw advantage from the knowledge environment of TU Delft, not from ports or airports. Maps Untold in Eindhoven and GeniusTravel in Amstelveen are travel information services for which an urban environment and tourist infrastructure matter more than industrial locations.

For investors seeking to understand the Dutch mobility segment, it is worth examining which regions concentrate the relevant infrastructure and clients for each sub-market, rather than approaching the segment as a whole. The Rotterdam-The Hague cluster is large, but is driven primarily by port- and aviation-related companies. That represents a different type of mobility scene from what is developing in Eindhoven or Arnhem.