The Zuidvleugel as a technology region in 2026

Rotterdam, The Hague, Delft, Rijswijk and Leiden together form a region with 93 startups and scale-ups in the DutchStartup database. The sector breakdown reveals a distinct character: industrial AI, energy technology and deeptech are notably well represented, while the proximity of the port, the national government and institutions such as TU Delft and Leiden University serve as the foundation.

In 2025 and 2026, several companies from the Zuidvleugel closed substantial funding rounds. Total funding in the database ranges from small seed rounds to a Series B of €152 million. The region is no longer a minor player in the national ecosystem, but a recognisable pool of companies working on concrete industrial and societal challenges.

Deeptech from Delft: quantum hardware as an export product

The most notable funding round from the region in 2026 is that of QuantWare. The Delft-based company, founded in 2021 as a spin-out of QuTech at TU Delft, raised a Series B of €152 million in May 2026. That is the largest Series B ever for a Dutch deeptech company and for a company focused on quantum processors. Founders Matthijs Rijlaarsdam and Alessandro Bruno built a customer base of more than 50 clients in 20 countries, including quantum computing companies, national technology institutes and large technology corporations. Intel Capital and In-Q-Tel, the investment vehicle of the US intelligence community, joined as new investors. The company is developing the VIO-40K, a processor architecture targeting 10,000 qubits, and intends to use the new capital to build its own manufacturing facility in Delft, to be called KiloFab. QuantWare had 93 employees as of mid-2026.

QuantWare illustrates a pattern that recurs frequently in the Zuidvleugel: fundamental research at a university leads to an independent company that supplies hardware to an international market. The presence of QuTech and the National Growth Fund programme Quantum Delta NL gives that chain a stronger foundation in the region than elsewhere in the Netherlands.

Rotterdam as a hub for energy and climate tech

Rotterdam is home to a cluster of companies that connect directly to the energy infrastructure of the port and the city. Gradyent, founded in 2019 by Hervé Huisman and Robert Vrancken, builds digital twins for urban heating and cooling networks. The platform simulates and optimises networks in real time, with the aim of reducing both CO2 emissions and operational costs. In 2025 the company closed a Series B of €28 million.

Elsewhere in Rotterdam, 30MHz develops sensor platforms for greenhouse horticulture. Growers use the system to continuously monitor and adjust growing conditions. The company has been operating since 2014 and raised a Series B of €12.8 million in 2021. Rotterdam-based SYMSON, active in AI-driven dynamic pricing software, closed a Series B of nearly €60 million in 2022. SYMSON targets retail companies and distributors looking to improve their margins through algorithmic pricing.

Together, these companies show that Rotterdam extends well beyond the port. The energy transition, the food chain and the digitalisation of commercial processes are themes for which the city is actively attracting capital and talent.

Industrial AI in the region around The Hague

Rijswijk and Leiden, both a short distance from The Hague, are home to a notable number of companies applying AI to industrial processes. Rocsys from Rijswijk develops a system for hands-free autonomous charging of electric vehicles and fleets, backed by a Series A of €42.7 million. It addresses a practical bottleneck in the roll-out of electric logistics: reliably charging vehicles at scale without human intervention.

Helin, also based in Rijswijk, offers an AI platform for real-time remote monitoring of industrial assets. The company raised €14 million in a Series A. In Leiden, Samotics works on the early detection of failures in industrial machinery through electrical signal measurement. The system identifies issues up to five months before an actual failure occurs, preventing unplanned downtime. Samotics raised €20 million.

Rijswijk is also home to Innatera, which develops brain-inspired chips for smart sensor applications consuming under 1 milliwatt. Having raised €19 million in a Series A, the company serves a market in which energy-efficient edge computing is becoming increasingly relevant. Together, these four companies describe a clear axis: from sensor data to insight to action, executed with as little computing power and human intervention as possible.

Government and healthcare as end markets

Weather Solutions NL in The Hague provides accurate, customised weather data and forecasts to energy, mobility and agricultural companies. With a Series B of €42.3 million in 2022, the company positioned itself as a serious player in a market where the energy transition is driving demand for detailed meteorological data. The proximity of KNMI and government clients works in its favour as a Hague-based business.

Aidence from Rotterdam uses AI to detect pulmonary nodules on CT scans, focusing on early diagnosis in healthcare. The company has been operating since 2015 and has raised €13.2 million. Mapiq from Delft manages office space and employee experience for organisations supporting hybrid working, having raised €17 million in a Series A. Both companies serve sectors, healthcare and government/business services, in which the Zuidvleugel has traditionally held a strong position.

What sets the Zuidvleugel apart

The 93 companies in the database reflect a region that does not focus on a single theme, yet has a recognisable profile. Industrial applications, the energy transition and deeptech appear more frequently than in Amsterdam, where fintech, media and consumer platforms have traditionally been more prominent. The port, the large energy infrastructure and the proximity of the national government give companies here access to concrete proving grounds and clients.

At the same time, it is notable that many companies only raise truly large rounds late in their growth phase. QuantWare is an exception with its €152 million Series B, but companies such as 30MHz and Aidence have operated for more than a decade on relatively modest capital. This suggests that the region still has room to improve the availability of capital for earlier growth stages, although funds such as Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund and InnovationQuarter Capital are gradually adding to that supply.

For investors and policymakers elsewhere in the Netherlands, the Zuidvleugel offers a different type of portfolio than the inner cities of the Randstad. Companies here are predominantly B2B-oriented, capital-intensive and building technology with long development cycles. That calls for patient capital and close collaboration with knowledge institutions, two factors that are present in the region but also require structural maintenance to remain competitive with clusters such as Munich, Leuven or Cambridge.