Graduate Ventures
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersRotterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Graduate Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Graduate Ventures
- Legal name
- Graduate Ventures
- Website
- https://graduate.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Graduate Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early-Stage Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Open-End Investment Funds (525910)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Graduate Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rotterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Graduate Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture capital fund returns: Manages a €10M pre-seed fund and a €50M seed fund. Revenue is generated via management fees on the funds (typical VC carry/fee model) and capital gains from equity, SAFE and CLA investments in portfolio companies.
- Co-investment syndication: Acts as lead or co-investor alongside other VCs (Capricorn Partners, Intel Capital, In-Q-Tel, InnovationQuarter, FORWARD.one, etc.), generating returns on follow-on participation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pre-Seed — tickets up to €75K |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Seed — tickets €500K–€2M |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Graduate Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Graduate Ventures is a Dutch early-stage venture capital firm that invests between €75K and €2M in founders based in the Netherlands at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages through two dedicated funds: a €10M pre-seed fund restricted to founders from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, or Erasmus MC, and a €50M seed fund open to Netherlands-headquartered startups. Investments are made predominantly via SAFE (pre-seed) or equity (seed), with the firm acting as lead or co-investor. A bundled Founder Support Program provides portfolio companies access to a 200+ alumni network, curated events (Founders Forum, Graduate Connect, Graduate Meetup), and one-on-one coaching with seasoned entrepreneurs.
Product overview
Graduate Ventures is a Dutch early-stage venture capital firm and alumni-anchored investment platform — not a SaaS product — built around two core investment vehicles (the Pre-Seed Fund and the Seed Fund) wrapped in a Founder Support Program that leverages a 200+ alumni network. The Pre-Seed Fund writes tickets up to €75K for founders from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, or Erasmus MC, while the Seed Fund writes €500K–€2M tickets for Netherlands-HQ'd startups; both funds can act as lead or co-investor. The supporting Founder Support Program (including curated events such as Founders Forum, Graduate Connect, and Graduate Meetup, plus one-on-one coaching) is bundled with both funds and designed to help portfolio companies scale. A newer regional extension, the Wageningen Pre-Seed Fund, applies the same pre-seed model to Wageningen University spin-outs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Graduate Pre-Seed Fund: Dedicated pre-seed fund investing tickets up to €75K in startups with at least one founder from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam or Erasmus MC.
- Graduate Seed Fund
- Graduate Wageningen Pre-Seed Fund
Products and services
- Pre-Seed Fund Investment fund offering tickets up to €75K for pre-seed-stage startups with at least one founder from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, or Erasmus MC. Investments are made predominantly through SAFE, with equity and CLA options available; the fund acts as lead or co-investor and provides follow-on capacity from the Seed and Series A funds.
- Seed Fund Investment fund offering tickets ranging from €500K to €2M for startups headquartered in the Netherlands that are pursuing product-market fit and revenue growth. Investments are predominantly through equity, with CLA and SAFE options available; the fund acts as lead or co-investor and provides follow-on capacity.
- Founder Support Program
Quantifiable outcome
- 80 investments completed within ~5 years of launch
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Graduate Ventures
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Graduate Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Graduate Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Graduate Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- UNIIQ: UNIIQ is a Dutch early-stage/seed fund focused on validating proof-of-concepts from South Holland-based (Rotterdam/Delft) founders, making it the closest direct peer to Graduate Ventures in geography, stage, and university ecosystem tie-in.
- InnovationQuarter: InnovationQuarter is a Rotterdam-based regional development agency and investor that participates in seed-to-growth rounds for Dutch deep tech and climate companies; it co-invests with Graduate Ventures (e.g., in QuantWare's Series A) and targets a similar Dutch founder base.
- FORWARD.one: FORWARD.one is a Dutch early-stage VC focused on industrial tech and hardware, frequently co-investing with Graduate Ventures (QuantWare, Rocsys), operating in the same Dutch deep-tech deal ecosystem and at comparable early stages.
- Capricorn Partners: Capricorn Partners is a Benelux early/growth-stage tech and cleantech investor that co-leads rounds in Graduate Ventures' portfolio (Rocsys Series A extension, QuantWare) and competes for similar Dutch/Belgian deep tech deals.
- CapitalT: CapitalT is an Amsterdam-based early-stage VC investing tickets typically below €1M in Dutch tech startups, with a comparable fund size and focus on the Dutch pre-seed/seed ecosystem.
- Curiosity VC: Curiosity VC is a Dutch early-stage VC backing Dutch tech startups at pre-seed and seed, operating in the same deal universe and with similar community-driven sourcing tactics as Graduate Ventures.
- LUMO Labs: LUMO Labs is an Eindhoven-based early-stage impact-tech VC fund and accelerator that operates from the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, directly competing for deep tech / impact founders in the same Dutch cities Graduate expanded to.
- YES!Delft: YES!Delft is the TU Delft incubator and pre-seed fund that Graduate Ventures is co-located with in Delft, sourcing many of the same TU Delft alumni founders and operating a similar pre-seed/seed mandate.
Broad incumbents
- Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund: Invest-NL is the Dutch national impact investor that co-led QuantWare's Series A alongside Graduate Ventures; it is a much larger, government-backed vehicle targeting the same Dutch deep tech opportunity at later stages.
Emerging players
- Contrary Capital: Contrary Capital is a US-based student-and-alumni-driven venture fund that originated the "university-talent-first" model Graduate Ventures has adapted for the Netherlands, making it a structurally analogous peer despite geographic separation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Graduate Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceGraduate Ventures compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Graduate Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Graduate Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Graduate Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Graduate Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Graduate Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments71 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Graduate Ventures
What does Graduate Ventures do?
Graduate Ventures is a Dutch early-stage venture capital firm that invests between €75K and €2M in founders based in the Netherlands at the pre-seed, seed, and Series A stages through two dedicated funds: a €10M pre-seed fund restricted to founders from TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam, or Erasmus MC, and a €50M seed fund open to Netherlands-headquartered startups. Investments are made predominantly via SAFE (pre-seed) or equity (seed), with the firm acting as lead or co-investor. A bundled Founder Support Program provides portfolio companies access to a 200+ alumni network, curated events (Founders Forum, Graduate Connect, Graduate Meetup), and one-on-one coaching with seasoned entrepreneurs.
Is Graduate Ventures a public or private company?
Graduate Ventures is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Graduate Ventures founded?
Graduate Ventures was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Graduate Ventures based?
Graduate Ventures is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Graduate Ventures make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture capital fund returns are the primary driver. The others are co-investment syndication.
Who are Graduate Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are UNIIQ, InnovationQuarter, FORWARD.one, Capricorn Partners, CapitalT, Curiosity VC, LUMO Labs and YES!Delft. Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund is listed as a broad incumbent. Contrary Capital is listed as an emerging player.
Does Graduate Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Graduate Ventures.
What industry is Graduate Ventures in?
Graduate Ventures's product category is Early-Stage Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525910 and its SIC code is 6282.