Graduate Ventures, a Netherlands-based venture firm, has officially signed up the University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and academic hospital Amsterdam UMC, confirming news first revealed by The Next Leap in March.
The firm is launching a new €80 million seed fund to back companies from its emerging network. The announcements follow Wageningen University & Research’s decision to join the fund earlier this year.
A press release says Graduate Ventures has also “partnered up” with ASIF Ventures, a student startup fund in Amsterdam, and Round One Ventures, a preseed fund located in Eindhoven. A report in local publication IO+ describes the two funds as being “absorbed”, implying an acquisition.
“With this step, we are making meaningful progress on our ambition to make a national difference for new entrepreneurs from the university ecosystem.
“The combination of capital and the active involvement of more than two hundred committed entrepreneurs has proven its value in Rotterdam and Delft. I am confident that it will deliver strong results in Amsterdam and Eindhoven as well.”
Auke van den Hout, managing partner at Graduate Ventures
Graduate Ventures launched in 2021 to raise funding from alumni that could be put be invested in startups emerging from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and academic medical centre Erasmus MC.
The firm has backed more than 80 companies to date, including 62 that received a preseed investment, and counts more than 200 alumni entrepreneurs in its network.
Its preseed fund stands at nearly €10 million, while the original seed fund raised €50 million. Graduate Ventures works with student teams to identify promising ideas.
Amsterdam UMC and the University of Amsterdam, together with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, also run Amsterdam Academic Ventures, which operates four distinct funds. TU Delft runs the TechScout Venture Fund, which makes investments on a convertible loans basis.
