How Regional Public Investment Has Transformed North Holland Businesses Over Five Years
Haarlem, Friday 23 October 2026
Celebrating five years, regional development agency ROM InWest has backed roughly half of all Dutch venture capital deals, providing vital stability as private markets fluctuated.
A Stabilising Force in Regional Venture Capital
As of October 2026, ROM InWest marks five years of operation, having evolved from an emerging regional player into an established institutional investor and ecosystem connector across North Holland [1]. During the period spanning 2021 to 2025, regional development agencies (ROMs) participated in approximately 50% of all recorded venture capital deals in the Netherlands [2]. While the private venture capital market contracted sharply across 2024 and 2025, deal activity involving ROMs remained relatively stable, providing critical counter-cyclical liquidity [2]. Although private capital investments remain heavily concentrated in the Randstad, particularly within Amsterdam, ROMs always co-invest alongside private funds to bridge capital deficiencies [2].
Digitising Legacy Sectors and Scaling Software Solutions
In scaling the regional digital economy, ROM InWest focuses on deploying capital into high-growth software and hardware solutions aimed at modernising traditional industries [1]. A prime example is Amsterdam-based agricultural technology provider Agurotech, which leverages sensors and data analytics software to optimize farming efficiency and now operates across more than 20 countries [1]. Additionally, the fund has backed circular industrial solutions such as Drystack, a system enabling demountable and reusable mortar-free brick construction [1]. By stepping in when private financiers deem early-stage technological risks too elevated, ROM InWest guides ventures from initial concept to scalable business models [1].
Targeting Critical Gaps in Life Sciences and Security
To tackle specific structural financing gaps within the Life Sciences & Health and biotechnology sectors, ROM InWest partnered with the Amsterdam Economic Board to launch ‘De Slapende Reus’ [1]. To further scale biotechnology enterprises effectively, the agency is advocating for the creation of a dedicated fund of approximately 100 million euros, requiring ecosystem-wide alignment to prove the capital deficit [1]. Concurrently, the agency expanded its focus to dual-use civil and security technologies by launching the SecFund, selecting P-X Systems as its initial North Holland-based portfolio company [1]. To strengthen ties between defense requirements and innovative tech enterprises, ROM InWest also co-founded MINDBase Amsterdam in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence [1].
Collaborative Data Infrastructure and Future Capital Allocation
The strategic assessment of regional deal flow is facilitated by the Landelijke Data-infrastructuur (LDI), a joint data initiative uniting ROM InWest alongside eight other regional development agencies: NV NOM, Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), InnovationQuarter, Oost NL, LIOF, Horizon Flevoland, Impuls Zeeland, and ROM Utrecht Region [2]. Looking ahead, ROM InWest remains engaged in ongoing policy discussions with the Dutch national government to optimize early-stage capital access [1]. These efforts aim to preserve continuous innovation capacity and ensure high-potential technology ventures can successfully scale within North Holland and beyond [1].