TL;DR: Dutch VC momentum for women founders in June 2026
VCs in the Netherlands investing into women news, June, 2026 shows a real opening for you if you are building or fundraising: Dutch capital is paying more attention to women-led startups, but the bigger win is the slow build-out of support around that money.
• The shift is now visible in named players and numbers. The Borski Fund raised €21 million with backing from ABN AMRO, ING, and Rabobank, while Code-V is pushing national action on the funding gap.
• The gap is still severe. Women make up about 38% of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, yet receive only 13.7% of business funding and less than 2% of venture capital, according to the Code-V study. That means founders who prepare well can stand out in a market still correcting old bias.
• What this means for you: know the Dutch funding map, match your pitch to your stage, bring proof before polish, and target funds and networks that already back women-led growth. This article argues that women do not need more inspiration; they need lower-cost ways to test, build, and raise.
• The most promising areas include foodtech, biotech, healthtech, edtech, impact software, and deeptech, where Dutch investor interest and founder activity already overlap.
If you want more context, see the broader female founders VC numbers and this earlier look at Dutch VCs backing women founders. If you are raising soon, treat this moment as a cue to get your proof, narrative, and investor list ready now.
Check out other fresh news that you might like:
Active Angel Investors in the Netherlands News | June, 2026 (STARTUP EDITION)
VCs in the Netherlands investing into women news in June 2026 points to a market shift that founders should watch very closely. Dutch investors are putting more attention, more capital, and more public pressure behind women-led startups, but the story is still far from fixed. From my point of view as Violetta Bonenkamp, a founder who has built deeptech, edtech, and startup tooling across Europe, the real issue is not inspiration. The real issue is INFRASTRUCTURE, and the Netherlands is slowly starting to build it.
The Dutch market now has a few clear signals. The Borski Fund remains one of the most visible names in this space. It was launched as the first Dutch VC fund focused on female entrepreneurship and raised €21 million, backed by ABN AMRO’s investment in the Borski Fund for female entrepreneurship, plus ING and Rabobank. At the same time, the Netherlands launched Code-V, a national effort to narrow the funding gap for women founders by bringing together banks, VC firms, public actors, and support groups.
That matters because the gap is still ugly. According to the Code-V case study on closing the finance gap for Dutch women entrepreneurs, women account for about 38% of Dutch entrepreneurs, yet receive only 13.7% of total business funding and less than 2% of venture capital. That is not a minor market glitch. That is a structural mispricing of talent.
Here is why this matters to entrepreneurs, startup founders, freelancers, and business owners. When money starts moving with intent, the rules of entry change. New gatekeepers appear, old biases get exposed, and founders who are prepared can move faster than those waiting for perfect conditions. June 2026 is not just another month of startup chatter. It is a useful checkpoint for anyone building in the Dutch startup market.
What is actually happening in the Netherlands right now?
Let’s break it down. The Dutch ecosystem is showing a stronger public and financial commitment to women founders than it did a few years ago. That does not mean the problem is solved. It means the conversation has moved from vague support to named funds, named banks, named programs, and measurable targets.
- Borski Fund remains a flagship Dutch fund focused on female entrepreneurship and diverse teams.
- ABN AMRO, ING, and Rabobank backed Borski, which gave the market a strong signal that mainstream finance is willing to participate.
- Code-V was launched to address the funding gap for women entrepreneurs in the Netherlands through joint action and reporting.
- Women in VC NL is helping strengthen the investor pipeline itself, which matters because founder access often mirrors investor diversity.
- Media coverage and founder communities are giving women-led startups more visibility in sectors such as tech, foodtech, biotech, edtech, and impact-led ventures.
Each of these pieces matters on its own, and together they suggest that Dutch venture capital is under pressure to become more accountable. As a founder, I care less about glossy diversity statements and more about whether a woman can get term sheets, fair diligence, and access to follow-on capital. That is the real test.
Why does this news matter beyond PR and conferences?
Because capital shapes who gets to experiment. And startups are, at their core, structured experiments under uncertainty. If women get locked out of early funding, they also get locked out of the chance to learn at speed, hire talent, and survive long enough to find product-market fit.
I have spent years building ventures in Europe, from CADChain in deeptech and IP tooling to Fe/male Switch, a women-first startup game and incubator. One pattern keeps repeating. Women do not need more panels telling them to dream bigger. They need systems that reduce the cost of trial and error. Dutch VC activity around women founders matters when it lowers that cost.
The Netherlands has an opportunity to become one of Europe’s clearest test cases for what happens when capital markets start treating female entrepreneurship as a source of returns instead of a side topic. If that shift holds, founders will benefit from better access to money, stronger networks, and more founder-specific support structures.
Which Dutch entities should founders know by name?
Semantic clarity matters here, so let’s name the entities properly and define what they are in context.
- Borski Fund: A Dutch venture capital fund based in Amsterdam that backs companies run by female entrepreneurs or businesses that improve gender equality. According to Atto’s list of investors for female founders, Borski looks for a female shareholder with at least 5%, a Dutch head office, and minimum turnover of €500,000.
- ABN AMRO: A major Dutch bank and one of the financial backers of Borski. Its support matters because bank participation gives legitimacy and scale to gender-focused investment efforts.
- ING and Rabobank: Also backers of Borski, and both help show that this is not just a boutique movement.
- Code-V: A Dutch initiative launched in 2023 to reduce the finance gap for women entrepreneurs. It brings together private and public actors and pushes more transparency around funding outcomes.
- Women in VC NL: A Dutch network of women working in venture capital. This matters because changing who writes checks often changes who gets heard in the pitch room.
- The Next Women and StartGreen Capital: Founding partners connected to Borski Fund and important actors in the Dutch female entrepreneurship story.
If you are fundraising in the Netherlands, these are not random names. These are map points in the capital system. Founders who know the map waste less time.
What do the numbers say, and what do they hide?
The headline numbers are already stark. Women are 38% of entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, yet they receive just 13.7% of total business funding and less than 2% of venture capital, according to the Code-V study. That is the visible part.
The hidden part is what these numbers fail to capture. They do not fully show how many women founders self-select out of fundraising because they expect bias. They do not capture how many teams get weaker intros, softer support, or slower follow-up. They also do not show how many women build “too small” because they are forced into undercapitalized, low-risk strategies from day one.
This is where my founder perspective gets a bit blunt. A market that funds women at such low rates is not acting rationally. It is leaving money on the table. If your fund claims it wants alpha but keeps filtering for pattern-matching around male founder stereotypes, then your sourcing model is broken.
Quick data points founders should remember
- €21 million raised by Borski Fund for women-led scale-ups.
- Three major Dutch banks backed the fund: ABN AMRO, ING, and Rabobank.
- Less than 2% of venture capital in the Netherlands goes to women, based on the Code-V case study.
- €139 billion in additional value could be added to the Dutch economy if women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men, according to the same Code-V material citing ABN AMRO and McKinsey.
That last figure should make every policymaker and investor uncomfortable. If your economy is leaving that much value unrealized, the problem is not founder ambition. The problem sits in access, pattern recognition, and decision structures.
Why are Dutch VCs paying more attention to women founders now?
There are at least four forces behind this shift, and founders should understand all of them.
- Returns are getting harder to ignore. Investors are seeing more proof that diverse teams can build serious companies, and that underfunded founder groups may offer better entry points.
- Public pressure works. Banks, funds, and startup hubs now face more questions about who they back and why.
- The pipeline is improving. More women are building in deeptech, healthtech, edtech, climate, food, and software.
- Support systems are becoming more structured. Programs like Code-V and founder communities reduce friction around access and readiness.
Still, let’s not romanticize it. Some money is moving because investors finally see a real business case. Some is moving because nobody wants to look outdated. For founders, the motive matters less than the result. If the door opens, use it. But enter prepared.
Which sectors are most promising for women founders in the Netherlands?
The Dutch market has shown recurring interest in sectors where women founders are already active and where investor attention is more willing to follow customer demand. Based on the sources and broader market direction, a few categories stand out.
- Foodtech: The Netherlands has strong agri and food roots, which helps founders with market access and sector credibility.
- Biotech and healthtech: Dutch investors have a known appetite for healthcare and life sciences.
- Edtech: Women founders often build here from lived experience, and the market still has room for better tools and business models.
- Impact-led software: Businesses linked to social outcomes, financial inclusion, future of work, or equality tend to attract mission-aware capital.
- Deeptech: This one is harder, but not impossible. My own work in deeptech has taught me that women can win here if they combine technical credibility with very clear commercial framing.
If you are building in one of these sectors, do not assume the market will automatically understand you. Investors still need translation. A founder must explain the category, the timing, the cost structure, and the growth logic in plain business terms.
How should women founders approach Dutch investors in 2026?
Here is where I want to get practical. If you are a founder, you do not need vague motivation. You need a way to move from idea to fundable company with less waste. My own work through Fe/male Switch has always followed one principle: women need infrastructure, not applause.
A practical fundraising path for founders
- Map the Dutch capital stack. Separate banks, grants, angels, accelerators, early-stage VCs, and gender-focused funds. Do not pitch all of them with the same story.
- Define your stage with precision. Pre-seed is not seed. Seed is not Series A. Investors reject founders who do not understand the capital stage they are actually in.
- Build proof before polish. Customer interviews, pilots, letters of intent, retention data, waitlists, and revenue beat pretty slides.
- Prepare a bias-resistant narrative. Investors often question women more on risk and downside. Anticipate this. Answer with evidence, not emotion.
- Use no-code and AI tools early. My view is simple: default to no-code until you hit a hard wall. That keeps burn lower and learning faster.
- Protect your IP and data hygiene early. This matters even more in deeptech, design, and technical products. Protection should sit inside the workflow, not as an afterthought.
- Get warm intros where possible. Dutch venture capital still runs on networks. A strong intro can change the tone of the first meeting.
- Track investor behavior. Record response time, question patterns, and follow-up quality. The goal is not just to raise money. The goal is to choose smart money.
Next steps. Build a founder system, not just a pitch. Fundraising is easier when your company already behaves like an investable machine.
What mistakes do founders make when chasing Dutch VC money?
Many founders fail before the first investor call ends, and often for reasons that are fixable. I have seen this across accelerators, startup programs, deeptech ventures, and women-focused founder spaces.
- Pitching too early. If your idea is still a concept with no market proof, you may need users before you need VCs.
- Confusing grants with venture capital. Grants fund projects. Venture capital funds growth. Those are different money logics.
- Talking in abstract mission language. Investors need a business model, not just a good cause.
- Hiding ambition to sound “reasonable.” Many women founders understate market size or growth plans. That can backfire in VC meetings.
- Ignoring ownership structure. Cap table messes scare investors fast.
- Weak follow-up. If you promise metrics, send them. If you promise an intro, make it. Investor trust compounds through small actions.
- No understanding of investor fit. A biotech investor is not the right target for your creator economy app just because they have capital.
And one more mistake deserves extra attention. Founders often think rejection means the company is weak. Sometimes it means the investor is weak at pattern recognition. Learn the difference.
What is the Dutch ecosystem still missing?
Money helps, but money alone does not fix structural exclusion. The Netherlands still needs more of the following if it wants real progress rather than better messaging.
- More women writing checks, not just more women pitching.
- Better pre-funding infrastructure so founders can test ideas before burning capital.
- More technical support for women entering deeptech, AI, health, and industrial products.
- Founder education with consequences, where people must make hard choices under uncertainty, not just complete passive modules.
- Clearer metrics on who gets funded, at what stage, on what terms, and with what follow-on results.
This is why I built startup learning around game mechanics and real-world tasks. Education should be experiential and slightly uncomfortable. If a founder program feels too safe, it often teaches performance, not decision-making. And decision-making is what investors actually fund.
What can VCs do better right now?
This article is for founders, but investors should hear this too. If Dutch VCs want better access to women-led deal flow, they need to change behavior, not just branding.
- Audit question bias. Compare how male and female founders are questioned on risk, ambition, and competence.
- Widen sourcing channels. Great founders are often outside the usual intro circles.
- Back earlier experimentation. Many women build too lean for too long because nobody funds the first serious test.
- Reward execution signals beyond founder style. Confidence theater is not the same as company quality.
- Support infrastructure around the check. Intros, hiring help, legal guidance, and follow-on access matter.
A Dutch fund that gets this right will not just look progressive. It will likely see better deals before competitors do.
How does this connect to broader European startup trends?
The Netherlands is part of a wider European shift. Female investors are getting more organized, founder communities are becoming more visible, and LP pressure is changing how funds talk about team composition and sourcing. You can see this in networks such as European Women in VC, where Dutch actors like Simone Brummelhuis are present alongside investors from across the continent.
Europe still has a fragmented capital market, and that creates friction. Yet it also creates room for niche leaders. The Netherlands can become one of those leaders if it turns pilot projects and headline funds into a repeatable founder pathway. That means a woman founder should be able to move from idea, to testing, to first revenue, to pre-seed, to seed, without falling into a structural funding hole at every stage.
What should entrepreneurs do next if they want to benefit from this shift?
Here is the practical checklist. Save it, share it, and use it.
- Research Dutch funds and initiatives tied to women-led ventures.
- Study ABN AMRO’s report on backing the Borski Fund to understand how banks frame the opportunity.
- Read the Code-V finance gap case study and use its figures in your market narrative.
- Follow communities such as Female Ventures in the Netherlands and European Women in VC for network access and pattern recognition.
- Build your proof stack before fundraising: customer proof, traction proof, execution proof, and team proof.
- Use startup education that forces action. Reading about fundraising is not the same as practicing it.
- Think in systems. Your pitch, cap table, data room, IP hygiene, and customer evidence should reinforce each other.
If you are a freelancer or business owner thinking about a startup round for the first time, this is your reminder that venture capital is a specific financing model, not a badge of honor. Use it when your business has the kind of growth logic that fits it. If not, choose another path and do it deliberately.
Final view from Violetta Bonenkamp
June 2026 shows real movement in VCs in the Netherlands investing into women news, and that movement deserves attention. But I would not call it victory. I would call it a live experiment. The Borski Fund, Dutch bank backing, Code-V, and the wider rise of women-focused capital networks are all signs that the Dutch market is trying to correct a long-standing imbalance.
My own founder view is simple. Women do not need more inspiration. They need better systems, better access, and lower-cost ways to test serious ideas. When those conditions exist, talent shows up fast. The Netherlands now has a chance to prove that funding women is not charity, not fashion, and not a side initiative. It is smart business.
For founders, the message is even simpler. Be early, be prepared, and be very hard to dismiss.
People Also Ask:
How much of VC funding goes to women?
Only a small share of venture capital goes to women-led startups. A commonly cited figure is that all-female founding teams receive around 2% of total VC funding worldwide, while mixed-gender teams receive more but still far less than all-male teams. In the Netherlands, search results also point to a funding gap, with only a limited share of VC firms backing teams with a female founder.
Who is the richest female venture capitalist?
There is no single fixed answer because wealth estimates change and can depend on public holdings, private investments, and fund ownership. Names often mentioned among the wealthiest and most influential female venture capitalists include Aileen Lee, Mary Meeker, and Theresia Gouw. Rankings can shift over time as company valuations and exits change.
What do VCs invest in?
Venture capitalists invest in startups and high-growth companies that they believe can grow fast and produce strong returns. They often back sectors such as software, fintech, healthtech, climate tech, AI, marketplaces, and biotech. In the Netherlands, this can also include startups with women founders, though results suggest that female-led teams still receive a smaller share of funding.
What is the 80 20 rule in VC?
The 80/20 rule in venture capital usually means that a small portion of investments generates most of a fund’s returns. In many VC portfolios, around 20% of startups may produce about 80% of the gains, while many others return little or fail. This is why VCs look for companies with very large upside potential.
Why do women founders receive less VC funding?
Women founders often receive less VC funding because of bias in investor networks, fewer warm introductions, and a lower share of women in partner roles at VC firms. Search results tied to the Netherlands mention that only a small share of VC partners are women, which may affect who gets funded. Pitch questioning styles and pattern-matching by investors can also influence outcomes.
Are there Dutch VC funds focused on female founders?
Yes, there are Dutch funds and initiatives that focus on female entrepreneurship or women-led startups. One example shown in the search results is the Borski Fund, which was created to support female entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. There are also wider ecosystem efforts like Code-V that connect financial groups and support organizations around women founders.
How many VC partners in the Netherlands are women?
One result in the search data states that about 6% of venture capital partners in the Netherlands are women. That figure points to a strong gender imbalance at the investor level. A lower share of women in partner roles can affect sourcing, networks, and investment decisions.
Do female investors affect startup funding outcomes?
Research suggests that having more female investing partners can improve outcomes for startups and may increase the chances that female founders get funded. One search result from Harvard mentions that firms with more female investing partners can see better portfolio performance. More gender diversity inside VC firms may widen the range of founders and ideas that get serious attention.
What is the Borski Fund in the Netherlands?
The Borski Fund is a Dutch venture capital fund focused on supporting female entrepreneurship in the Netherlands. It is presented as one of the first Dutch VC funds with that mission and has backing connected to major Dutch banks. Its aim is to help close the funding gap faced by women founders.
Is the funding gap for women founders improving?
Progress exists, but the gap remains large. Search results still point to very low funding shares for all-female teams and a small number of Dutch VC firms investing in startups with female founders. Even with more public attention and targeted funds, the pace of change appears slow.
FAQ
How can women founders in the Netherlands tell whether VC is the right funding path at all?
Dutch venture capital fits startups with fast growth potential, scalable margins, and a large addressable market, not every small business or consultancy. Founders should pressure-test their model before pitching. Explore the Female Entrepreneur Playbook for funding fit and review venture capital and female founders data.
What should founders prepare before approaching Dutch investors focused on women-led startups?
Come with a clean narrative, proof of demand, stage clarity, and a realistic use-of-funds plan. Dutch investors increasingly expect discipline, not just a compelling mission. See how Dutch women-focused VC momentum developed in March 2026 and strengthen your visibility via LinkedIn for startups.
Are Dutch investors only interested in women-led startups with a female CEO?
Not necessarily. Some investors also back mixed teams, female co-founders, or businesses improving gender equality outcomes. For example, some Dutch criteria focus on ownership and company setup, not only title. Read the May 2026 Dutch VC update on women-led scale-ups.
How can founders improve their chances if they do not already have a strong investor network in Amsterdam?
Start with founder communities, operator networks, targeted events, and warm introductions through mentors or angels. In Dutch venture capital, access still compounds through trust. Use Female Ventures Amsterdam for local ecosystem entry points and improve discoverability with SEO for startups.
Which startup sectors may give women founders stronger fundraising traction in the Netherlands?
Founders often see stronger traction in foodtech, biotech, healthtech, edtech, AI, and impact-led software, especially where Dutch sector strengths already exist. Category clarity still matters. Review April 2026 women-led startup investment trends in the Netherlands.
What signals show that the Dutch market is becoming more serious about funding women entrepreneurs?
The strongest signals are institutional backing, named initiatives, and measurable reporting pressure, not conference language. Borski, major bank participation, and Code-V all matter because they create accountability. Study the numbers behind venture capital and female founders in Europe.
How should female founders handle investor bias during Dutch fundraising conversations?
Prepare for prevention-style questions on risk, credibility, and downside, then answer with evidence, customer proof, and execution data. A bias-resistant fundraising strategy is practical, not defensive. See March 2026 insights on mentorship and systemic support for women founders.
What role does founder visibility play when raising from VCs in the Netherlands?
Visibility helps investors validate market credibility, founder consistency, and thought leadership before meetings even happen. It should support traction, not replace it. Founders can build this through content, partnerships, and public proof. Build authority with LinkedIn Ads for startups.
If a startup is not yet fundable, what should the founder do instead of forcing a VC round?
Focus on customer discovery, pilots, revenue experiments, and lower-burn product testing until stronger proof exists. Many founders need evidence before equity financing. Use the Bootstrapping Startup Playbook for pre-VC traction building and study Female Ventures Amsterdam startup support options.
Why does this Dutch funding shift matter beyond the Netherlands?
The Netherlands is becoming a useful European test case for whether women-focused capital can move from narrative to repeatable founder outcomes. That matters to cross-border founders and ecosystems alike. See the broader context in the European startup playbook and compare with venture capital and female founders in Europe.
