New investment fund for WUR startups

Start-ups, who work under the wing of Wageningen University & Research, can apply for crucial funding from a new fund: SHIFT III. This is a so-called multi-stage fund, which startups can use for a longer period of time in the various phases of their startup. A total of 65 million euros will be available by the end of this year.

There is enough money available in the Netherlands to allow startups to grow, but then the innovation that these companies are working with must have already proven itself and generate a substantial turnover. The special thing about Shift III is the possibility for start-ups to get financing in the phase before that.

"This fund helps us create more impact because we can now help develop more and faster scalable spin-offs," says Sebastiaan Berendse, Director of Value Creation at Wageningen University & Research. "That's because Shift III not only provides money, but also other support in the form of knowledge and support when needed. For example, by linking the right people and partners to a spin-off so that the potential it contains is actually achieved".

SHIFT III is supported by the universities in Wageningen, Delft, Twente, and Eindhoven. TNO and the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) have also expressed their support for the new investment fund.

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