Mainport Innovation Fund

What Mainport Innovation Fund does

Mainport Innovation Fund is a Dutch venture capital vehicle investing seed and Series A capital into startups in sustainable mobility, logistics and aviation. Originally established as MIF I by KLM, Schiphol Group, Rabobank and TU Delft, the platform launched MIF II in October 2015 with EUR 18 million committed by KLM, Royal Schiphol Group, TU Delft, Port of Amsterdam, NS Dutch Railways, and the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs's SEED Capital scheme. The fund is managed by NBI Investors (New Balance Impact Investors), a team of approximately 15 investment professionals; Thijs Gitmans serves as dedicated Fund Manager.

The fund's investment model centers on EUR 250k–3M equity tickets into Dutch startups whose technology maps to its four pillars — sustainable mobility & logistics, sustainable aviation, logistics technology, and intermodal/IoT optimization — coupled with non-capital support such as access to strategic corporate limited partners (KLM, Schiphol, NS, Port of Amsterdam) as potential anchor customers. Portfolio companies span electric bus fleet management (ViriCiti, exited to ChargePoint in August 2021), maritime digital twins (We4Sea), aviation inspection AI (Aiir Innovations), IoT asset tracking (Undagrid, partnered with Lufthansa Technik), transport cybersecurity (RazorSecure), freight collaboration (Synple, SupplyStack) and flight simulators (MPS, exited to H2 Equity Partners in 2016), among 14+ named investments.

In November 2022, the MIF team and its partners joined forces with SHIFT Invest, expanding the combined vehicle to EUR 110 million under the SHIFT Invest III banner — making it the largest Dutch climate-impact venture capital fund, with KLM, NS and Royal Schiphol Group joining as new limited partners alongside increased commitments from the European Investment Fund, Invest-NL and TNO. MIF II formally closed for new investments in October 2021; the legacy portfolio continues to be managed while new sustainable-mobility deployment is sourced through SHIFT Invest III. Revenue mechanics are standard for a venture fund: management fees on committed capital, with carried interest earned on successful exits.

Name

Mainport Innovation Fund

Legal name

Mainport Innovation Fund II

Website

https://mainportinnovationfund.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mainport Innovation Fund is a Dutch venture capital fund investing EUR 250k–3M into early-stage startups in sustainable mobility, logistics and aviation, backed by strategic corporate LPs including KLM, Schiphol, NS, Port of Amsterdam and TU Delft, and now operating within the EUR 110M SHIFT Invest III platform managed by NBI Investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Miscellaneous Financial Investment Activities (523999), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Transition / Engagement & Stewardship Funds (FSANAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Core Infrastructure Funds (Transport, Social, Digital, Utilities) (FSANAEAA), Renewables & Energy Transition Funds (Solar, Wind, Hydrogen, CCUS) (FSANAEAD), Digital Infrastructure Funds (Data Centers, Fiber, Towers) (FSANAEAM)

Keywords

• Venture capital fund
• Mobility logistics investing
• Aviation startup funding
• Sustainable transport capital
• Early-stage seed investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Amstelveen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: MIF generates returns through equity investments in startup companies. Returns realized through exits via acquisitions (e.g., ViriCiti acquired by ChargePoint) or trade sales. The fund charges management fees and takes carried interest.
2. Fund Management Fees: Management fees collected from limited partners (investors in the fund). Fund size of EUR 18 million with a portion provided through SEED Capital scheme.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mainport Innovation Fund is a Dutch venture capital fund that invests equity capital (EUR 250k-3M per company) into early-stage startups operating in the mobility, logistics, and aviation sectors. The fund combines capital deployment with sector expertise, partner-network access (KLM, Schiphol, NS, TU Delft, Port of Amsterdam), and active portfolio support. After the 2022 merger with SHIFT Invest, the strategy continues as SHIFT Invest III (EUR 110 million), the largest Dutch climate impact venture capital fund.

Product overview

Mainport Innovation Fund II is a venture capital fund that accelerates innovation in mobility, logistics, and aviation. MIF II (EUR 18 million fund, launched October 2015) was established by KLM, Schiphol Group, TU Delft, Port of Amsterdam, and NS Dutch Railways, managed by NBI Investors. In 2022, MIF II and its partners joined forces with SHIFT Invest, creating SHIFT Invest III (EUR 110 million), now the largest Dutch climate impact-oriented venture capital fund. The fund does not develop products directly but invests in portfolio companies including GRASP Innovations, RazorSecure, Aiir Innovations, ViriCiti, We4Sea, Parcompare/Mobian, Synple, C Teleport, SupplyStack, and others operating in sectors such as electric fleet management, maritime efficiency, airport security automation, cybersecurity for transport, and AI-powered inspection solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mainport Innovation Fund II (MIF II) Venture capital fund that invests EUR 250k-3M equity tickets into early-stage Dutch startups in mobility, logistics, and aviation. Provides capital, industry expertise, and network access via KLM, Schiphol, NS, TU Delft, and Port of Amsterdam. Targets sustainable mobility, electric vehicle infrastructure, IoT logistics, maritime efficiency, and aviation innovation.
• SHIFT Invest III (Successor Fund) Successor climate-impact venture capital fund continuing the MIF II investment strategy in sustainable aviation, mobility, and logistics. Backed by KLM, NS, Royal Schiphol Group, European Investment Fund (EIF), Invest-NL, TNO, and RVO. Targets startups combatting climate change, biodiversity loss, and natural resource depletion.

Quantifiable outcome

• We4Sea demonstrated up to 20% fuel cost reduction for maritime customers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and co-investor.

• SHIFT InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2022MIF and partners joined forces with SHIFT Invest in 2022, creating the largest Dutch climate impact VC fund at EUR 110M.
• Lufthansa TechnikmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2017Strategic IoT partnership with Undagrid for global GSE 4.0 project - smart asset management across Lufthansa Technik locations worldwide.
• GoodFuels MarinesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2017Collaboration with We4Sea and A2B-online for sustainable biofuels project to reduce shipping emissions.
• Port of Amsterdamco-investorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2017Port of Amsterdam invested EUR 400k in We4Sea through MIF II, supporting maritime sustainability innovation aligned with port strategy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lufthansa Innovation Hub: Lufthansa Group's innovation and investment arm, actively scouting and investing in aviation, mobility and travel-tech startups. Direct analog of MIF given the carrier-as-LP and aviation-deployment focus, reinforced by Lufthansa Technik's strategic partnership with MIF portfolio company Undagrid.
• Newion: Benelux-focused B2B software VC that co-invested EUR 1.1M in Synple with MIF. Comparable Dutch/regional VC with a similar early-stage ticket size and sector focus overlap in logistics software.
• Energy Impact Partners: Global utility-and-corporate-backed VC focused on decarbonization, which co-led the EUR 6.25M Series A in ViriCiti alongside MIF. Comparable as a strategic-LP-backed climate fund targeting energy transition and mobility adjacencies.
• Fortino Capital: Benelux B2B software VC that participated in SupplyStack's EUR 5M Series A alongside MIF. Comparable Dutch/regional VC investing in SaaS/logistics-tech with similar stage and ticket size.
• INKEF Capital: Dutch growth venture capital firm that co-invested with MIF partners in Robin Radar. Comparable as a Netherlands-rooted VC backing technology companies with international growth ambitions.
• JetBlue Ventures: Corporate venture arm of JetBlue focused on early-stage startups in aviation, mobility and adjacent tech. Closely comparable to MIF given the airline-strategic-LP model and aviation/sustainability investment thesis.
• Starburst Aerospace: Global aerospace-focused accelerator and venture investor. Comparable as a sector-specific VC/accelerator targeting aviation startups with strategic corporate partnerships, mirroring MIF's aviation/mobility thesis.
• Innovation Industries: Dutch deep-tech and hightech venture capital fund with a EUR 75M fund. Comparable to MIF as a Netherlands-based VC, co-invested with MIF in Undagrid, serving similar early-stage Dutch tech companies.

Emerging players

• Prime Movers Lab: US-based VC funding breakthrough scientific startups in energy, transportation, infrastructure, and human augmentation. Comparable sector thematic focus on transportation and energy, with similar early-stage ticket sizes and impact lens.

Broad incumbents

• Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Bill Gates-backed climate tech VC investing across power, transportation, buildings, manufacturing, and agriculture. Comparable on climate-impact thematic and mobility/logistics sub-themes, with substantially larger fund scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mainport-innovation-fund
• Xx.com/mainportif

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments21 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mainport Innovation Fund