Many entrepreneurs choose Amsterdam because it offers supportive infrastructure, access to capital, and a network that helps pilot and scale new solutions. This mix of energy, policy and community creates a space where climate innovation is real, tested, and connected across industries and regions.
Amsterdam is the destination for Direct Air Capture units, AI-driven grid balancers, and circular economy logistics platforms. The Dutch approach to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is deeply rooted in efficiency and infrastructure.
Here are the 10 Amsterdam-based startups that are currently defining the European climate tech landscape.
Overstory
Wildfires are becoming a global constant, but the root cause is often not just heat but poor vegetation management. Founded by Indra den Bakker, Overstory uses satellite data and machine learning to monitor all the trees growing near power lines. It sounds niche until you realise that vegetation contact is a leading cause of grid outages and wildfires. Having raised $14 million to scale their vegetation intelligence, they are now providing utilities with a “real-time view” of the risks in their network, enabling them to prevent fires before they start. It’s a perfect example of the’ prevention is better than a cure’ mindset, utilising deep tech to address a massive infrastructure vulnerability.
Carbon Equity
The most significant barrier to climate action isn’t a lack of ideas, but a bottleneck of capital. Historically, investing in top-tier climate technology like green steel or battery storage was reserved for massive pension funds or billionaires. Co-founded by Jacqueline van den Ende, Carbon Equity breaks that velvet rope. They operate a fintech platform that pools capital from “regular” wealthy individuals to invest in elite private equity and venture capital climate funds. They are effectively democratising access to the asset class that will likely produce the next Tesla or Northvolt, unlocking millions of dollars in capital for heavy decarbonization technology.
The Great Bubble Barrier
This is perhaps the most “Amsterdam” startup on the list. The city is defined by its canals, but these canals often serve as highways for plastic waste that flows into the ocean. Founders Francis Zoet, Saskia Studer, and Anne Marieke Eveleens developed a system at The Great Bubble Barrier that pumps air through a perforated tube at the bottom of the waterway. This creates a curtain of bubbles that blocks plastics and directs them to a catchment system on the side, capturing up to 86% of trash while allowing ships and fish to pass through unharmed. It’s elegant, low-tech, and visually arresting, a simple solution to a complex pollution problem.
Seenons
If you think waste management is boring, you haven’t seen the logistics nightmare behind it. Led by Joost Kamermans, Seenons is trying to build a “waste-free world” by acting as the Tinder for trash. They connect organisations that have waste such as coffee grounds, orange peels, and old electronics with logistics partners and processors who can actually utilise those materials. Instead of burning valuable resources, they recirculate them. Their platform provides the granular data needed to make the circular economy actually work, moving us away from the linear “take-make-waste” model.
Source.ag
The Netherlands is the second-largest food exporter in the world, a remarkable achievement made possible by high-tech greenhouses. Founders Rien Kamman and Ernst van Bruggen are building the next evolution of that legacy at Source.ag. Their software models plant biology to predict precisely how a crop will grow under different conditions. This allows farmers to optimise water, energy, and yield with surgical precision. Having recently secured a $23 million Series A, their AI “brain” for greenhouses is becoming critical for global food security as climate change makes outdoor farming more erratic.
Sympower
As we switch to renewables, the power grid is becoming unstable because the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Founded by Simon Bushell, Sympower solves this by unlocking flexibility in industrial machines. They connect to energy-intensive assets, such as paper mills or industrial freezers, and subtly adjust their power consumption in real-time to balance the grid. They turn energy demand into a battery. It’s a software-first approach to a hardware problem, enabling more renewables to come onto the grid without causing blackouts.
Skytree
Direct Air Capture (DAC), sucking CO2 directly out of the sky, is often criticised for being too energy-intensive. Skytree, a spin-off from the European Space Agency (ESA) founded by Max Beaumont, is changing that equation. They were initially designed to scrub CO2 from breathable air on spacecraft and adapt it for use on Earth. Their decentralised units can capture carbon on-site for greenhouses which need CO2 for plant growth or for usage in e-fuels. It’s deep tech with a sci-fi pedigree, turning a waste product into a valuable feedstock.
Land Life Company
Planting trees is good, but planting trees that actually survive is hard. Founded by Jurriaan Ruys, Land Life Company brings a Silicon Valley approach to reforestation. They use drones, AI, and specialised planting “cocoons” to restore degraded land in harsh climates where traditional planting would fail. They treat reforestation as an engineering challenge, tracking every tree’s growth and carbon capture data. It’s nature restoration for the data-driven age, ensuring that corporate net-zero pledges result in actual forests, not just dead saplings.
Sensorfact
You can’t manage what you don’t measure. For thousands of small and medium-sized factories, energy waste is a black box. CEO Pieter Broekema leads Sensorfact, which provides simple, clamp-on sensors that measure energy usage at the machine level. Within days, a factory manager can see that a conveyor belt is running empty for 4 hours a day or that a compressor is leaking. It’s a practical, unglamorous solution that delivers immediate carbon reduction for the industrial SME sector. No magic, just data.
Fairphone
No list of Amsterdam impact tech is complete without the pioneer. Founded by Bas van Abel in 2013, Fairphone demonstrated that it is possible to build a consumer electronics device without exploiting workers or harming the planet. Their phones are modular, repairable, and built with conflict-free minerals. While the rest of the industry glues batteries down to force you to upgrade, Fairphone invites you to open the device with a screwdriver. They are the moral compass of the smartphone industry, constantly proving that ethical electronics are not a fantasy.
The Bottom Line
Amsterdam’s strength lies in its refusal to separate “business” from “impact.” The startups here aren’t treating ESG as a compliance checklist; they are treating it as an opportunity for efficiency. Whether it’s balancing the grid, closing the loop on waste, or growing food with AI, the Dutch capital is proving that the green transition is, fundamentally, an engineering project.