Dutch Life Sciences Trend Analysis 2025 shows a two-faced trend 

The Dutch life sciences sector sees a sharp decline in new biotech company foundation, and an increase in the level of funding amounts raised by companies previously established. This two-faced trend came to light through the Trend Analysis Report 2025 from Biotechgate, the leading global biotech database. The annual report provides an in-depth look at funding patterns, company formation, and international benchmarks. 

National Trends and Broader Global Patterns 

After signs of recovery in 2023, Dutch biotech venture financing continued to grow in 2024, showing a 10% increase compared to the previous year. Several companies, including Citryll, iOnctura, Cradle.bio, and VICO Therapeutics, secured substantial investments, each exceeding $50 million. However, despite this financial growth, the number of newly founded biotech companies has been declining since 2018: from 48 in 2018 to just 12 in 2024. This alarming downward trend is not unique to the Netherlands but reflects a broader global pattern.   

Looking at the numbers of the Dutch biotech ecosystem, the growth in funding originates from fewer companies that raise similar or even higher amounts. This reinforces the idea that capital is increasingly concentrated among a small group of winners. This “winner-takes-all”-effect is not only occurring in early-stage rounds, as hollandbio previously showed, but across the broader funding landscape.  

Overall, venture financing saw a 10% growth in 2024, similar to last year’s growth rate.   However, the second half of the year shows a decline in both the number of funding rounds as well as financing value, for reasons open to speculation.  

 
International Benchmark 

On a European level, the Netherlands is doing well on biotech in Europe when looking at the amounts of companies and amount of funding raised on a per capita level. When looking at venture financing, France and Denmark experienced a sharp decline in biotech funding, while Germany saw an explosive growth of over 300%. The US remains a whole different ballgame when it comes to funding, raising over $22 billion in biotech venture financing, which is more than four times the total amount raised across all of Europe, which just exceeded $5 billion. A worrying trend is the company formation timeline, showing a decline in biotech company formation in all benchmarked countries.  

“We see the financing amounts slowly bouncing back up after a very difficult year in 2022. The difference in the amount of assets in development and the overwhelming difference in financing avenues between the US and Europe emphasize the need for continued efforts to strengthen and enhance our financial ecosystem. It’s crucial for Dutch biotech stakeholders to collaborate, innovate, and advocate for policies that can help the Dutch sector thrive.”Annemiek Verkamman, Managing Director at hollandbio

“We must take the decline in new company formation seriously. We need new companies to emerge constantly to realize the full potential of biotech. Tomorrow’s gamechangers are often today’s start-ups. At hollandbio, we are committed to creating the best possible ecosystem for biotech companies to make life better.”

Annemiek Verkamman, Managing Director at hollandbio