Cleantech Archieven - InnovationQuarter

green factory and sustainable environment

Contact /Annet Veenstra Datum /1 September 2022

A new venture fund building a sustainable society through early-stage investments in the Industrial Biotech industry.

Today, Capricorn Partners announces the establishment of Capricorn Industrial Biotech Fund, a new fund as part of its Cleantech portfolio of funds. The Capricorn Industrial Biotech Fund invests in early-stage ventures that are using biotechnology solutions to meet the growing demand for products made in a sustainable way.

Industrial Biotechnology is a key technology for the transformation of society towards Net Zero Carbon and Circularity. This industry will accelerate rapidly in the next decades, driven by recent advancements in bio-engineering, Artificial Intelligence, process technology, and a growing regulatory push for low carbon industry. Industrial Biotechnology will provide sustainable alternatives for food & feed ingredients, chemicals and intermediates, advanced materials and energy.

Industrial Biotechnology is in a technology lifecycle phase that is favorable for early-stage venture investing. Many promising technologies are being developed at universities and technology institutes, with a particularly strong presence in the Benelux and other countries in North-West Europe. Capricorn Industrial Biotech Fund invests in early-stage ventures in this industry, and assists them with their growth.

Rob van der Meij, Partner at Capricorn Partners: “CIBF is an excellent addition to our portfolio of Cleantech funds. It targets an industry where we expect strong growth, and where ventures can create significant value. CIBF complements our other funds such as the Capricorn Sustainable Chemistry Fund which invests in later stage sustainable technologies”.

CIBF is an initiative of DSM (AMS: DSM), InnovationQuarter (the regional development agency of the greater Rotterdam-The Hague area in The Netherlands) and Capricorn Partners. The founding partners aim to establish a fund that will further strengthen the ecosystem around the Biotech Campus Delft and connect it to other centres of excellence in Belgium, France, Germany, Denmark and the United Kingdom.

Pieter Wolters, Managing Director DSM Venturing: “The new fund is a perfect vehicle to further boost the unique knowledge ecosystem on and near the Biotech Campus Delft where solutions to tackle the most pressing challenges in for example the way we produce and consume food are being developed. DSM is happy to be a co-founding investor in the Capricorn Industrial Biotech Fund, and we will continue to actively support and foster the scaling up of brilliant biotech inventions, companies and ventures that will sustainably transform health, nutrition and bioscience”.

Liduina Hammer, Head of Investments at InnovationQuarter, stresses the importance of creating a sustainable production industry for the future economy of South Holland: “We support the transition from fossil to green factories in Zuid-Holland. Initiatives like PlanetB.io at the Biotech Campus in Delft support innovative companies to scale their biotech solutions and realise their impact for society. Through this fund we put extra effort in the most urgent climate and energy transition.”

CIBF is launched following a first close, and will start sourcing deals as of now. Interested investors are invited to join for a final close at a maximum of €25 million.

Image by: Capricorn

Contact /Annet Veenstra Datum /16 August 2022

Dutch climate scale-up Gradyent raises €10 million to make heat networks more efficient and sustainable. Heat networks currently lose a quarter of their heat on an annual basis. This problem is becoming even more urgent with rising fuel prices and the strong need for CO2 reduction. Gradyent has developed software that helps heat companies to optimize their heat networks and reduce CO2, so that they can continue to provide affordable and reliable heat. Gradyent is now raising €10m in a Series A investment from existing investors Capricorn Partners, ENERGIIQ and Helen Ventures and new investor Eneco Ventures.

Two major heat companies in Northern Europe (and also customers of Gradyent) are showing through this investment that there is a great need for the Gradyent software: Helen, the Helsinki energy company with 600,000 users, and Eneco, the largest heat supplier in the Netherlands with over 140,000 users and a Gradyent customer for 3 years. About 90% of Helsinki’s heat demand is provided by the heat network and about 600,000 inhabitants of this city live in an apartment heated by it.

Heat grids now lose 25% of their heat annually

More than 25% of global energy consumption comes from heating and cooling buildings. On an annual basis, heat grids lose about a quarter of their heat, while fuel prices rise and calls for CO2 reduction grow stronger. Heat networks often run on outdated software and the transformation to integrated energy systems with local sustainable sources makes it even more important to have the right software systems.

Gradyent solution helps companies save 20% heat loss

Gradyent enables heat companies to optimize their systems and reduce CO2 so they can deliver affordable and reliable heat. Gradyent, founded in 2019 and based in Rotterdam, has developed software based on Digital-Twin technology. This involves creating a digital copy of the physical heat system by combining geographical, weather and sensor data with physical models and AI. The Digital Twin makes it possible to optimize the heat system in real time and to run simulations of future situations. As a result, Gradyent is helping heat companies save, on average, 20% in heat loss, reduce CO2 emissions by 10% and reduce heating costs by 5-10%.

“Eneco is delighted with the investment in Gradyent. The acceleration of renewable heat is one of the important pillars of our One Planet ambition to be climate neutral by 2035, together with our customers. Eneco has been a long-time customer of Gradyent and with this investment wants to further deepen the relationship and continue to share knowledge with a unique and leading technology company in the field of heat networks,” said Robert Blom, Investment Director Eneco Ventures.

“It is our mission to make heat grids future-proof. On the one hand, with the Gradyent Digital Twin we increase the efficiency of existing systems, on the other hand we accelerate the transition to more sustainable systems,” said Herve Huisman, CEO Gradyent.”

Mathijs van Rijk

Investment Manager ENERGIIQ

Contact /mathijs van rijk Datum /2 February 2022

Whiffle, a Delft University of Technology spin-off, has successfully developed cutting-edge technology for highly accurate, localised weather forecasting. Thanks to a €3 million capital injection from impact investors ENERGIIQ and SHIFT Invest, the company will now be able to expand and achieve rapid growth. Global leaders in the renewable energy sector are already using Whiffle’s model.

Following developments at Delft University of Technology over a period of many years, Whiffle was founded by Harmen Jonker and Remco Verzijlbergh in 2015. The company offers several advantages over conventional meteorological services, not least the ultra-high resolution of its forecasts. Whiffle runs the calculations of its weather model on graphic processing units (GPUs), allowing local turbulence and underlying processes and conditions in the atmosphere to be captured in greater detail.

Optimised by artificial intelligence and machine learning, this is the world’s first operational weather model based on Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Whiffle can therefore provide its customers with very fast and accurate weather forecasts that account for various factors such as the local effects of hills, buildings and windturbines. Although the technology can help boost efficiency in many sectors, Whiffle is currently focusing on the renewable energy market.

Whiffle CEO Harmen Jonker says: “We can use this investment to further grow the company and bring our weather model to market in a number of sectors. In recent years, we have been working hard to refine the technology and make it easy for customers to use. We are now seeing a significant increase in commercial interest. This investment will allow us to expand even faster and continue to improve our model in the coming years.”

Accelerating the energy transition

Whiffle’s highly advanced weather model makes renewable energy production more predictable. The technology is of great value to the energy sector because better forecasts reduce the costs of weather risks. More accurate weather forecasting lowers imbalance prices for energy companies, for example, which has a direct effect on their margins. The model can also be used to optimise the configuration of wind farms and better predict future energy yields. This could result in higher yields and lower financing costs. Weather forecasts and wind simulations are of crucial importance to various players in the sector, including energy traders, wind farm owners and developers. The model offers great opportunities in other areas as well, from aviation to agriculture and from shipping to better air pollution forecasting.

Funding
The capital injection is financed by impact investors SHIFT Invest and ENERGIIQ.

Janneke Bik, partner at SHIFT Invest, says: “We are impressed with the team and the state-of-the-art technology it has developed. As the growth of renewable resources will make the energy system more weather dependent, accurate simulations and forecasts are crucial to the energy transition. Whiffle therefore fits perfectly with our fund’s objective.”

Rafael Koene, fund manager at ENERGIIQ, concurs: “Whiffle’s technology can have a major impact on the energy transition by further reducing the overall costs of renewably generated energy. We have great confidence in the company and its model and are very much looking forward to working with the team.”

Want to make impact together?

Get in touch with us.

Mathijs van Rijk

Investment Manager ENERGIIQ

https://energietransitiefondsrotterdam.nl/

Contact /Rafael Koene Datum /20 December 2021

Invest-NL and Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund are jointly investing €15 million in Umincorp (Urban Mining Corporation) to finance the construction of a new rPET plant in Rotterdam. The factory marks Umincorp’s next step in recycling plastic from household waste. InnovationQuarter acts as the fund manager of Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund.

Umincorp reprocesses post-consumer plastic waste into high-grade resources for producers of plastic products such as packaging. This reduces their use of fossil fuel plastics, enabling them to reach their recycling goals. The biggest bottleneck when recycling household waste plastic involves sorting the different plastic materials. To overcome this, Umincorp is using both existing methods and its own proprietary scientific processes, with magnetic density separation (MDS) being the most important.

By applying a specially engineered magnetic liquid to separate materials, MDS allows for a significantly higher volume of reprocessed plastic than conventional sorting and recycling techniques. This increase in recovery rate is key for meeting European recycling goals. The precise MDS process also ensures reprocessed plastic has a higher end-quality, making it more suitable as a resource for high-quality plastic products.

Umincorp’s process reduces the harmful incineration of plastics and increases the functional reprocessing of household waste plastic. The process can even deal with difficult to recycle multi-layer PET trays, which comprise several thin layers of different materials. The new rPET plant will allow for a closed-loop resource cycle, from plastic product to refuse to resource. Plastic producers increasingly demand recycled plastic to reduce the unnecessary use of fossil fuels. Umincorp will be able to respond effectively thanks to its new factory, resulting in an annual decrease in CO₂-equivalent emissions of a staggering 30,000 tonnes.

Jaap Vandehoek, CEO and co-founder of Umincorp: “Our technology has proved to be a disruptive force, creating new opportunities in the recycling market. We show that things can be done differently. Upscaling our business means we will be able to increase our impact and make crucial contributions to the way we recycle. This investment shows confidence in our approach to recycling plastic and will help us grow as we expand our business in both the Netherlands and abroad.”

Rotterdam boosts circularity

Rotterdam wants to accelerate its transition to a circular economy by transforming waste into new resources and Umincorp aims to be a frontrunner in the field of circular plastics. With its factory, Umincorp is taking the next step in recycling household waste plastic, making the company an excellent fit with Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund’s strategy and circular goals. There will also be considerable economic gain as the factory will help to boost business and create new jobs.

Arno Bonte, Rotterdam city councillor for sustainability: “Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic disappear into incinerators, which is a terrible shame. That is why as a municipality we are proud to invest in this recycling plant. With high-grade recycling, we reduce plastic waste and save thousands of tonnes of CO₂. This helps us achieve our climate targets and build a circular economy in Rotterdam.”

Wouter Bos, Invest-NL CEO: “Contributing to a circular economy and minimising resource usage is one of our most important goals. By investing in Umincorp, we are expressing confidence in the role of innovative technology in helping to improve the recycling process while realising additional environmental gains by considerably decreasing carbon emissions.”

Invest-NL is investing €9 million provided under the EIB InnovFin SME Guarantee.

In addition to the financial investment, InnovationQuarter – acting as fund manager of Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund – will offer broad support to Umincorp’s management team.

Rafael Koene, fund manager of Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund: “Umincorp’s innovations and the construction of its new rPET plant constitute important contributions to the circular economy in the Rotterdam region. These developments will reduce the incineration of plastics and create a closed-loop resource cycle, resulting in a significant reduction of CO₂ emissions. Umincorp therefore fits perfectly with the strategy and goals of the Energy Transition Fund: reducing carbon emissions and minimising resource usage.”

Get in touch with Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam

Contact /Loek Becker Hoff Datum /31 August 2021

Hydrogen will be essential in achieving a successful energy transition. But, so far, we have not seen many applications of this carbon-neutral fuel in the maritime industry. Hydrogen is much more expensive than, say, diesel because adequate fuelling infrastructure is yet to be built and standards and regulations must be modified to accommodate hydrogen applications. For this to change, more applications will need to be introduced. Enviu, Zepp.solutions and Flying Fish have joined forces to solve this chicken-and-egg problem. By working together, the project consortium aims to create the necessary ecosystem from the bottom up and stimulate supply and demand. The product components have already been delivered and the first test run is scheduled for early next year on the river Meuse.

Energy & Climate

With their joint Energy & Climate innovation program, the Metropolitan Region Rotterdam The Hague (MRDH), the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the province of Zuid-Holland and InnovationQuarter are stimulating sustainable innovation in the region. At the beginning of this year, Enviu (initiator and project manager), Zepp.solutions (hydrogen fuel cell technology) and Flying Fish (rechargeable battery and other electric maritime solutions) received €75,000 from the program to test their innovation in real life.

Hydrogen in maritime transport

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) aims to secure a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions from ships by 2030 and a 70% reduction by 2050 compared to 2008. To achieve this, ships must become more sustainable.

Electric vessels could be a solution but have one major drawback. “Due to the water, a boat experiences much more frictional resistance than a car,” explains Gijsbert van Marrewijk of Flying Fish. “If you want your ship to travel reasonably fast for a large part of the day, a rechargeable battery is too limited in capacity. You will have to recharge it often, which costs time and therefore money.” Hydrogen can be used in a fuel cell, generating electricity to power a vessel and increase its range.

When hydrogen reacts with oxygen in a fuel cell, it emits only water. In other words, it is a carbon-neutral fuel. If also produced by means of electrolysis and renewable electricity, it is a zero-emission fuel. But unlike in the automotive sector, hydrogen applications are not yet widespread in the maritime industry.

Maarten Fonteijn of Enviu explains, “The main challenge is not the technology itself but scaling up. We need more applications to make new technologies competitive. Diesel is extremely cheap and compact, a tough competitor if the new technology does not have the right scalability and/or rewards. Also, both regulators and passengers are quite unfamiliar with hydrogen as a fuel, leading to questions about safety and uncertainty regarding regulatory requirements. We need pioneers to show them how it can work.”

According to Gijsbert, “Many companies are held back by these obstacles. Conducting research and trying to effect change are time-consuming. But as a small company, we are more flexible in this respect.”

“The main challenge is not the technology itself but scaling up.

– Maarten Fonteijn, Enviu

The project

Electric drive trains have been available for recreational watercraft for some time. But for other applications, such as passenger water transport, the system must be efficient, cost-effective and sustainable over a number of years. “We are looking for energy that is both sustainable and economically feasible. It has to be affordable,” says Gijsbert.

Jonas Brendelberger of Zepp.solutions adds, “That is exactly what this project is about. It’s not about finding out whether it is technically possible but about showing that we can achieve the same results with clean fuel. Ideally, the only thing we want passengers to notice is that the noise from the diesel engine has disappeared.”

Gijsbert van Marrewijk, Jonas Brendelberger and Maarten Fonteijn

“We are looking for energy that is both sustainable and economically feasible. It has to be affordable,”

– Gijsbert van Marrewijk, Flying Fish

It is a concrete project. The water taxi is a small boat that carries a maximum of 12 passengers. The client’s requirements are very clear. Watertaxi Rotterdam also has the ambitious goal of operating a zero-emission fleet by 2030. “The water taxi is therefore a very well-defined project,” says Maarten. “Together with the Port of Rotterdam, we are investigating how the safety requirements will have to be adapted. Once we know that, we can look into regulations for other ships.”

“When it comes to existing regulations, you must have the guts to ask critical questions. It is easy to say that something cannot be done because it does not meet the current regulations.”

– Maarten Fonteijn, Enviu

“Those are precisely the sorts of things this project allows us to investigate,” adds Gijsbert. “For example, the safety requirements include details about fire extinguishers for flammable liquid fires, which do not apply to hydrogen. The regulations also state that a greater distance is required between a hydrogen tank and a ship’s exterior than is possible in a water taxi. We are looking into how the regulations can be modified, while guaranteeing at least the same level of safety and performance.”

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Ambitions

The consortium hopes that the results of the project will lead to the development of more hydrogen-powered water taxis and boats. New applications will be able to build on the lessons learnt about regulations and safety in this project.

The designs are now ready and most of the boat’s parts have been delivered. A battery-powered prototype will be tested this autumn; the first hydrogen-powered test run will follow in early 2022. Scaling up after that will require a fuelling station.

Maarten says, “Together with the Port of Rotterdam, we are exploring the possibility of building a fuelling station on the RDM campus. We are also looking for other parties that would want to use it in order to make it profitable.”

This is a small and well-defined project, but its impact extends far beyond passenger water transport. It could have a major cross-sectoral effect that reaches beyond the maritime industry.”

– Jonas Brendelberger, Zepp.solutions

Jonas remarks, “The more accepted the technology becomes, the more attractive scaling up becomes. Hydrogen offers an enormous range of applications. If the fuelling station is located on the quay, hydrogen buses and trucks may also be able to use it. This is a small and well-defined project, but its impact extends far beyond passenger water transport. It could have a major cross-sectoral effect that reaches beyond the maritime industry.” As more hydrogen applications emerge, there will be greater demand for the fuel, making it more cost-effective.

“With Enviu, we have seen in other sectors that we can bring about this kind of large-scale transition by starting with something small and concrete,” says Maarten. “What can we do today? What can we learn from that? What business case can we create based on that? Bringing innovations to the market requires action. An icon such as the water taxi being at the forefront of the necessary transition on the water makes it super tangible.”

Jonas adds, “We are all looking forward to the end result: the taxi actually transporting passengers. If we can pull that off, it will be a world first. No one else has done it so far.”

“We are all looking forward to the end result: the taxi actually transporting passengers. If we can pull that off, it will be a world first. No one else has done it so far.”

– Jonas Brendelberger, Zepp.solutions

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Interested in joining the hydrogen community in our region?

Get in touch!

Loek Becker Hoff

Senior Account Manager Energy & Circular / Team Lead Sustainable & Clean + Green & Healthy

Bel: +31 6 122 26 907

Contact /Rafael Koene Datum /4 June 2021

Climate journalist Bernice Notenboom, investor and founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance Michael Liebreich and city councillor for sustainability Arno Bonte were always going to draw a crowd, even online. Their passionate contribution to the launch of the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund, a collaboration between InnovationQuarter and the City of Rotterdam, helped make the launch event of the fund a big success.

The online kick-off on Thursday, 3 June was hosted by BlueCity at the former Tropicana swimming pool building – the beating heart of circularity in Rotterdam since 2015. Along with the keynote speakers who all have proven track records as innovators in energy transition and the circular economy, an entrepreneurs’ panel was also in attendance. The members’ backgrounds in the field of recycling, new technologies for offshore solar energy and biochemistry made for an interesting and diverse programme.

Watch the webinar launch

Cornerstone but obstacle

Rotterdam and its port are a cornerstone of the Dutch economy. However, as the region is responsible for 20 percent of national CO2 emissions, it presents a significant obstacle for the Netherlands on the road to becoming climate neutral by 2050. During the online launch of the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund, speakers and panel members presented their views on the challenges facing the region and the opportunities for lowering CO2 emissions, improving air quality and reducing the use of primary raw materials.

Dual purpose

Fund manager InnovationQuarter and the City of Rotterdam envisage a two-pronged approach: the €100 million Energy Transition Fund will accelerate the energy transition by investing in innovative businesses that drive change; it will also help the city recover faster from the coronavirus crisis. Scale-ups, in particular, can request co-financing of between €1 million and €10 million for projects that strengthen the circular economy and make energy generation, infrastructure and usage in Rotterdam more sustainable.

Arno Bonte, Alderman Sustainability, city of Rotterdam, says: “In Rotterdam, we see abundant innovative strength. But we also see that companies often face a lack of appropriate funding to realise their business cases. The city council has therefore decided to establish the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund. With investments from this fund, we can help innovative companies boost technologies that contribute to CO2 reduction and the circular economy in Rotterdam.”

Most important conditions for financing

Examples of promising projects include large-scale energy storage, electrification of industrial processes and transport, new technologies for recycling plastic and creating an infrastructure for hydrogen. An important condition is that these innovative initiatives do not readily qualify for market funding. This could be due to risk profile, higher capital requirements or longer payback periods, for example. The expected impact on the business climate and employment also plays a role in a successful investment application.

Rafael Koene, Fund manager Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund at InnovationQuarter, adds: “As fund managers, we place a strong emphasis on whether a business can develop a technology that will make a substantial improvement to the world of tomorrow. In this respect, as an investor, InnovationQuarter has a long-term focus and an ongoing commitment. The Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund will particularly invest in innovative, capital-intensive companies that struggle to receive funding due to higher risks because of the technology, capital intensity or return on investment timescale.”

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The Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund is a revolving fund: profits from investments flow back into the fund and can then be used for new investments.

An additional €30 million

The Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund is part of the ‘Rotterdam, Onwards Stronger’ investment programme and is partially financed from the sales revenue of energy company Eneco. In addition to €100 million for scale-ups, the fund contains €30 million for owners’ associations, private individuals and SMEs. In the form of low-threshold loans, the fund stimulates various sustainability measures, such as home insulation and the installation of solar panels. This part of the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund is managed by SVn (Stimuleringsfonds Volkshuisvesting Nederlandse gemeenten). Like InnovationQuarter, SVn has extensive experience in the management of public investment resources to achieve social objectives.

How can we help?

Do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact /Anne de Vries Datum /6 May 2021

The Nordic markets are generally attractive for a (first) international step for Dutch scale-ups in the sustainable energy and circularity sectors. As this market is generally receptive to sustainable innovations and there is a willingness to invest in these. The other way around, for Nordic cleantech companies the Netherlands, with its innovative mindset and open business culture, is a great place to scale and expand to the rest of Europe. To capitalize on this, InnovationQuarter joined forces with Cleantech Scandinavia to set up the first Dutch-Nordic Market Access Program. With this program Dutch and Nordic cleantech companies will be supported intensively in their first steps into each other’s markets.

On the 29th of April the Dutch-Nordic Market Access Program was kicked off with an informal and interactive session in which we explored the participating companies’ individual goals for the program and everyone was asked to share relevant experiences. These goals vary from setting up a first pilot project abroad, finding a commercial client, or preparing for future establishment in the foreign market. What participants showed to have in common was a great drive to learn and help each other explore the respective markets. In fact, the kick-off also enabled companies to get to to know each other, and the first opportunities for synergy and collaboration between participants, be it in their home or target market, were explored.

The Dutch-Nordic Market Access Program runs until September 2021. In May two more plenary sessions are scheduled in which we will focus on providing Dutch and Nordic market information respectively, and give the participating companies the possibility to check their propositions and USPs with stakeholders in the target market. In the period from June until September the program will continue. Each company will be assisted on an individual basis: they will be supported in obtaining the specific information and contacts needed for market entry. Because of this individual approach, the number of participating companies has been limited and in this first edition of the program a total of 11 companies have been selected for participation.

About the partnership between InnovationQuarter and Cleantech Scandinavia

The Dutch-Nordic Market Access Program follows from the Memorandum of Understanding Cleantech Scandinavia and InnovationQuarter signed in 2019, thereby committing to intensifying collaboration between their respective ecosystems. The focus of this partnership is supporting companies in entering and accelerating their activities in each other’s markets, either for international collaboration, trade or establishment.

Other currently running activities that follow from the MoU are a series of round tables to connect Dutch and Nordic actors in the fields of sustainable building and urban energy systems, as well as a joint Dutch-Nordic digital mission on Deep Energy Retrofits to Boston, in which 16 companies introduce their innovations to stakeholders in the Boston region.

Anne de Vries

Project Manager Internationalisering Energy & Circulair

Bel: +31 6 225 46 065

Contact /Anne de Vries Datum /8 December 2020

The building sector plays a major role in the Swedish and Danish society reaching their ambitious climate targets. The investments that come with this push towards climate neutral buildings, in combination with the innovation and sustainability-minded approach in the region, make these markets attractive to Dutch companies that offer sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for buildings. But how do you act on those opportunities when you cannot travel physically? Our colleagues Anne de Vries and Tiffany Meijer took a group of 16 Dutch innovative companies on a digital trade mission to test the waters. Their conclusion? With about 110 new business connections established, and 65% of the Dutch companies expecting to sign a contract as a result, digital missions might not just be the next best thing in doing business abroad, but could become a key component of any (sustainable) international business trajectory.

The digital trade mission, which InnovationQuarter organized in collaboration with the FME and the Dutch Embassy Network in the Nordics, took place between October 26th and November 6th. The program was aimed at providing a targeted group of companies with in-depth knowledge and high-quality business contacts. The delegation familiarized with the Swedish and Danish key stakeholders and market trends, through a mix of small-scale round table discussions, keynotes from industry leaders and one-on-one matchmaking. The interest from Danish and Swedish stakeholders to participate in these sessions was significant: over 90 developers, architects, building companies, city planners and others attended the respective Dutch-Danish and Dutch-Swedish days on sustainable building and energy systems to connect to the Dutch delegation and share their knowledge and expertise.

Some of our key takeaways

There is no ‘Nordic’ market
Contrarily to what some entrepreneurs who start expanding to Northern Europe believe, there is no such thing as the ‘Nordic’ market. Although the energy and climate goals of Sweden and Denmark are similar, the context in which they work towards these goals varies. For example, in Denmark, the architect has a large role in promoting sustainability, not only at the design stage but increasingly also throughout the entire construction cycle. In Sweden, on the other hand, large construction companies like Skanska and NCC hold much of the influence in sustainable innovation. For a foreign entrepreneur, this means that the best ambassador for your product may differ between the markets. Also, the construction market is in many ways more locally organized than nationally, especially outside the larger cities.
A trend towards long-term thinking
A tendency that is similar in the Danish and Swedish market is the increasingly long-term approach to real estate investment. This opens up the market for sustainable solutions that are not necessarily a quick win but do lead to a return on investment in the longer run. This trend is most strongly observed in the public sector (including public housing), which is to lead by example. However, industry insiders increasingly observe the private sector moving in the same direction as sustainable and climate-smart premises have a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining tenants and buyers. As one of the speakers concluded ‘the market is in favour of sustainability now’.
Data, data, data
The mission contained 45 different (break-out) sessions on a variety of topics. One theme that came back in almost all of them though was the importance of gathering and standardizing data. In order to obtain zero-energy buildings and circular construction, there is a great need to gather and standardize data on construction materials, processes and the actual behaviour of buildings in use, so that sustainability can be better quantified and managed. Both in the Danish and Swedish context, digitalization is considered a key driver in the sustainable building sector and considerable investments are anticipated.
The value of a digital trade mission
This digital mission proved just as effective as a physical mission in gathering market information and getting new business contacts and had the additional advantage of being time and resource-efficient. Although meeting face-to-face remains a vital part of doing business, and will be needed to turn new contacts into actual partnerships, this digital trade mission allowed to identify those areas and stakeholders that provide the best opportunities for Dutch companies, thus making follow-up sessions and visits much more targeted. Hence digital trade missions could well be used as a first step in any future international business development trajectory. In that manner, we do not only work on selling our sustainable technologies abroad but also making that process more sustainable in itself.

What’s next?

As our mission participants are following up on their individual leads, we are planning for future joint activities to help them further expand their network and business. In the first quarter of 2021, a series of digital round tables will take place to continue conversations with the Danes and Swedes. These will be targeted towards the three key pillars that offer market opportunities for Dutch companies: Energy, Circularity and Digitalization, and hopefully followed with small scale working visits in the second half of 2021. Do you want to be part of this follow-up or would you like to hear more about the opportunities the Danish and/or Swedish market might offer for your company? Please get in touch!

Get in touch!

Anne de Vries

Project Manager Internationalisering Energy & Circulair

Bel: +31 6 225 46 065

Contact /maarten hermus Datum /25 September 2020

African Bamboo produces pioneer materials utilizing Tropical Bamboo. A Dutch-Ethiopian company, African Bamboo has been working with the leading European research institutes for many years. CEO Khalid Duri shares: “We decided to select Delft for our R&D location to build on our relations with TU Delft & TNO and the proximity of the port of Rotterdam.”

Started in 2013, African Bamboo works on bamboo-based alternatives to building materials using proprietary, smart and energy-efficient production technology. Khalid Duri shares: “We are driven by a vision of a world in which bamboo is part of everyday life, providing sustainable materials while contributing to the abatement of climate change and poverty.”

By locating their second R&D facility in Delft, African Bamboo aims at creating an innovation cluster for natural fibres in the heart of Europe. The company plans to establish high-tech laboratories and piloting facilities at a Center of Bamboo Research & Application (COBRA) and boost commercialization of products and applications, benefiting from the central location of the R&D centre at YES!Delft and the proximity to the port of Rotterdam.

InnovationQuarter assists African Bamboo, together with TU Delft, in finding the right location, introducing the company to the TU Delft campus and the region, and supporting the African Bamboo team with relocation.

Chris van Voorden, head of internationalization at InnovationQuarter: “African Bamboo is a great addition to Delft and the region. African Bamboo’s focus on building materials of natural fibres fits well in our strategy combining smart manufacturing and the impact potential on the environment. Our region’s R&D and logistic opportunities offer ideal conditions for African Bamboo research & development and connecting to the European market.”

Maarten Hermus

Senior Account Manager Horticulture & Food

Bel: +316 137 48 277

Contact /mathijs van rijk Datum /16 June 2020

Capricorn Partners, Helen Ventures and energy innovation fund ENERGIIQ are jointly investing €1.9 million in Gradyent, a Dutch energy analytics solution company. Gradyent has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) cloud platform that supports the management and optimisation of district heating networks, making them more sustainable and cost-effective. The investment will allow Gradyent to further develop its innovative software and commercialise its services.

Strong investment consortium

The investment of almost €2 million comes from a European consortium of investors including Capricorn Partners (Belgium), Helen Ventures (Finland) and ENERGIIQ (the Netherlands). Together with existing investor henQ, the investors will support Gradyent with expertise and access to their international networks throughout Europe.

Gradyent was founded in early 2019 by a team of seasoned entrepreneurs with years of national and international experience in energy, tech and artificial intelligence (AI). This, combined with the expected positive environmental impact and significant market potential of their AI-powered solution for heating networks, makes Gradyent a very attractive investment target.

Optimising the management and efficiency of district heating networks

Many district heating networks run on legacy control systems with often outdated software solutions that provide limited insight into the network’s efficiency – or lack of it. This gets in the way of innovation and constrains optimisation.

Gradyent’s solution helps district heating companies participate in the sustainability transition by improving the management and efficiency of district heating networks without compromising stability and reliability. Gradyent uses digital twin technology (a replica of real-world objects) built by a unique combination of hydro- and thermodynamic modelling combined with AI. Its AI cloud platform not only provides insight into heating networks but also determines how to optimise them and improve overall efficiency. The solution leads to a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions. Customers immediately see a positive financial impact as the solution provides a rapid return on investment. Gradyent is showing promising results with its first customers.

As Mikko Huumo, director of Helen Ventures, explains, “In the coming years, energy companies, including Helen, will transform district heating networks into sustainable CO₂-neutral heating systems. In practice, large fossil fuel-fired power plants will be replaced with smaller decentralised heat sources and this will increase complexity in the network. Digital tools, like Gradyent’s AI platform, will be needed to provide heat efficiently and reliably to customers every single day.”

Continuing the journey

Gradyent will use the funding to commercialise its services and expand its efforts particularly in AI and software development. The company will also move its operations to South Holland, where it will contribute to local job creation.

Hervé Huisman of Gradyent:

“More than half of the world’s energy demand is in the form of heating, and our team believes there is a huge potential for improving sustainability by smart optimisation and AI. Our first projects with district heating customers in the Netherlands confirm the potential of our solution, and we are excited about extending the offering to our growing Dutch and international customer base in the coming period. We are extremely proud that we can now continue our journey with Capricorn, Helen Ventures and ENERGIIQ on board. These parties can all add relevant insights and provide access to energy, digital growth and district heating networks. Together with our current investor henQ, we have the perfect foundation for our next chapter!”

Rafael Koene, fund manager at ENERGIIQ: “The ENERGIIQ investment team is impressed with Gradyent and the investment consortium that was formed. We are convinced – also because of the strong management team – that Gradyent will experience strong growth in the coming years and that many heating networks will start using Gradyent’s AI platform. The growth will lead to significant CO₂ reduction.”

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Mathijs van Rijk

Investment Manager ENERGIIQ

Contact /Suzanne Kroeze Datum /17 April 2020

The e-bike has been the best-selling bicycle in the Netherlands for over two years. However, there is no sustainable, user-friendly charging structure in place yet. Delft based tech firm Tiler has developed an innovative charging tile, which will allow e-bikes and other light electric vehicles like e-cargo bikes and e-steps to be charged wirelessly. Tiler has secured €250,000 from UNIIQ investment fund to scale up and further develop its charging tile. Jolanda Jansen, director of Rotterdam Ahoy, announced the investment on in a video message.

The charging tile works through induction and is mounted in the ground, just like a paving tile. Charging starts automatically when an e-bike with a compatible kickstand is parked on the tile. An associated software platform for fleet management will eventually make it possible to check availability and charging status and to book and pay for charging. The platform will also facilitate linking with customer systems, the use of a Tiler app and GPS cloudlock for extra security. Tiler aims to boost wireless charging and green mobility.

User-friendly, sustainable and affordable

The innovative system, which has remarkably low purchase and maintenance costs, boasts many advantages over existing alternatives. Docking stations and e-bike charging stations are a lot more expensive, more susceptible to vandalism and take up more space on the street. Charging via a socket also has its disadvantages – each brand has its own adapter, which is vulnerable to cable breakage and corrosion. Because of the risk of explosion, an increasing number of companies are banning indoor charging of bicycle batteries. Firms are therefore keen to find a sustainable, user-friendly and affordable charging infrastructure for their fast-growing fleets of e-bikes. The Tiler wireless charging tile offers a solution to this problem.

Corporate market

Tiler was founded in October 2019, initially under the name Fesla Charge, by Christiaan van Nispen and Olivier Coops. Both entrepreneurs are experienced in founding and kick-starting tech startups. The TU Delft spin-off will use the investment to recruit talented staff, invest in R&D and scale up to the first production batch. Tiler will initially focus on the corporate market – businesses and organisations that encourage their employees to use bicycles more often. The number of companies with an e-bike leasing plan is expected to increase thanks to a new tax measure introduced this year.

Following successful testing of the prototype, Tiler will soon install the first charging tile at pilot customer Rotterdam Ahoy. Production of the tiles will start in the summer and the initial batch will come onto the market in September 2020.

Watch the video message here:

CEO Christiaan van Nispen:

“The current boom in light electric vehicles for corporate fleets can only succeed with a corresponding charging infrastructure. The hassle of an adapter with a cable, the installation of a bulky charging-station infrastructure or expensive maintenance due to corrosion will be a thing of the past with the Tiler tile. We’re going to build a great team to commercialise our solutions and bring them to market through partnerships and pilot customers. Without UNIIQ’s investment, this would not be possible.”

Hans Dreijklufft, UNIIQ fund manager at InnovationQuarter: “Tiler, a spin-off of TU Delft, is focused on the strong growth in electric mobility. The company’s smart charging tile with compatible kickstand is set to play an important role in e-bike charging. Having Rotterdam Ahoy as a pilot partner of Tiler emphasises Ahoy’s ambitions in this area and is a strong validation for the company. UNIIQ is therefore happy to support Tiler’s entrepreneurs accelerate the market introduction of their product.”

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Hans Dreijklufft

Fund Manager UNIIQ

Contact /mathijs van rijk Datum /7 April 2020

Energy innovation fund ENERGIIQ, informal investors and existing shareholders are jointly investing €3.4 million in smart office software developer Mapiq. The Delft-based company will use the capital injection to scale up its software platform. Mapiq allows organisations to make more efficient and flexible use of their office space and facilities, thereby increasing employee satisfaction, saving costs and reducing CO₂ emissions.

Photo Sebastiaan van Damme

Development of Mapiq

Mapiq was founded in 2013 by CEO Sander Schutte and CTO Jasper Schuurmans. At the time, the two founders, who had both been PhD students at Delft University of Technology, had already clocked up several years’ experience as entrepreneurs. Mapiq made its breakthrough a year later thanks to partnering with Deloitte, which rolled out the Mapiq platform in its energy-neutral office building The Edge in Amsterdam. Mapiq is now a frontrunner in the smart office market with national and international customers like PwC, AkzoNobel, Heineken, KPMG, ENGIE, Unilever and Microsoft.

This investment will allow Mapiq to continue its international growth acceleration and boost employment in the greater Rotterdam The Hague area.

Increased job satisfaction

As companies compete for the best talent, employee wellbeing is becoming an increasingly important consideration. In this respect, the workplace plays a vital role. From a nondescript location where people perform routine nine-to-five jobs, the office environment is undergoing a transformation into an inspiring meeting place where great results are achieved together – and where everything runs frictionless.

Mapiq’s smart office platform taps into the trend of activity-based working. Employees can easily switch between spaces and workplaces depending on the type of activity they are engaged in. Mapiq informs users about free desks, meeting rooms, lockers, the location of colleagues and other conveniences by means of an intelligent 3D card. Using seamlessly integrated data and technology, Mapiq then links employees to workspaces and facilities that suit their needs.

The system’s analytics platform provides predictive information and gives facility managers tools to further optimise capacity based on data insights. Mapiq enables employees to work more flexibly and share the office more efficiently. At the same time, the system makes offices future-proof.

Significant reduction in CO2 emissions

The innovative software is connects to IT systems of the customer, in combination with sensors provided by Mapiq (or other parties) as necessary. Mapiq developed both the hardware and the software, which are in compliance with the GDPR as well as ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 for quality and information security. Offered as a SaaS subscription, the monthly costs of the platform depend on the size of the office building.

Mapiq allows organisations to make data driven decisions on their housing and safe costs. Every square metre of office space accounts for around 70 kg of CO2 emissions annually. More efficient use means that less space is needed per employee, which results in a significant reduction in these emissions.

Sander Schutte, CEO of Mapiq:

“The role of the office is constantly evolving. Organisations can save money by using their expensive offices more effectively and by optimising space in the ‘war for talent’. Mapiq is indispensable for making offices more efficient and attractive for employees. This financial injection will help us accelerate our international expansion and strengthen our leading role.”

Rafael Koene, ENERGIIQ fund manager at InnovationQuarter: “We are very impressed with Mapiq and convinced that the company will achieve strong, profitable growth in Europe and beyond. It is our expectation that Mapiq will be a market leader in a few years’ time with a product that not only delivers a more pleasant and effective working environment but also reduces CO2 emissions substantially. ENERGIIQ has every confidence that these great ambitions will be realised.”

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Mathijs van Rijk

Investment Manager ENERGIIQ

Contact /Anne de Vries Datum /5 February 2020

On 4 February 2020 InnovationQuarter and Cleantech Scandinavia signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to intensifying the collaboration between the Nordic and Dutch cleantech ecosystems in the coming years. The collaboration is focused on supporting Dutch and Nordic companies in entering and accelerating their activities in each other’s markets, either for international collaboration, trade or establishment.

Cleantech Scandinavia and InnovationQuarter, together with their respective partners, have regularly partnered up to boost collaboration between the Dutch and Nordic cleantech ecosystems over the past year. In 2019 the organisations co-organised the Sustainable Building and Energy Systems Mission to Boston, and were involved the Dutch-Nordic Business Event connected to the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. During these events it became clear that a joint Dutch-Nordic presence helps businesses make more impact when entering a foreign market, but also that there is a lot of interest among entrepreneurs and clusters to increase innovation and business collaboration between Dutch and Nordic cleantech players.

To boost such collaboration, InnovationQuarter and Cleantech Scandinavia organised the Nordic Business Day on February 4 2020, where Dutch and Nordic entrepreneurs, clusters and governmental organisations exchanged market information and business experiences in the fields of smart & sustainable building, mobility and life sciences and health. Moreover, they took this event as an opportunity to formalise and commit to a multiyear collaboration to connect the Nordic and Dutch cleantech ecosystems by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The goals of this MoU is to set up a multiyear collaboration (2020 – 2022) to connect the Nordic and Dutch cleantech ecosystems in order to

1. Promote collaboration between The Nordic and Dutch cleantech ecosystems, as well as the various players within them.

2. Support Dutch and Nordic companies in entering and accelerating their activities in each other’s markets, either for innovation, trade goals or establishment in respective markets.

3. Investigate possible future collaboration to target other foreign markets.

Cleantech Scandinavia and InnovationQuarter intend to realise the above in various manners:

1. Sharing of relevant market information;

2. Support each other’s network in entering their respective markets. For example by providing introducing companies to potential partners (matchmaking), guiding small groups of entrepreneurs in their respective regions, providing soft-landing services, etc.;

3. The organisation of various events in the Netherlands and the Nordics each year. These events will either involve bringing over a delegation to each other’s region, or be focussed on informing the ‘home market’ on the opportunities that exist in the other region.

4. Supporting Dutch and Nordic entrepreneurs in jointly entering foreign markets.

What’s coming up in 2020?

As part of their collaboration Cleantech Scandinavia and InnovationQuarter have the intention to contribute to the following events:

1. Dutch Sustainable Building Mission to Stockholm from 20 to 24 April (sign up before February 27, click here for more information and registration)

2. InnovationQuarter visits Energy Capital Day in Lund 12 – 13 May.

3. Dutch-Nordic Cleantech mission to Boston – to be held in Boston in the autumn of 2020

4. Dutch/Nordic event at the Smart City expo in Barcelona in November 2020

5. Participation of Nordic Cleantech delegation at Cleantech Summit in Rotterdam in November 2020

Interested in participating in any of the above events?

Or curious to learn more about the collaboration between InnovationQuarter and Cleantech Scandinavia? Get in touch!