Founders meetup
Founders Meetup 2026
On Monday, June 22, just before the NOM Midsummer Festival kicks off, Founded, Innokite and NOM are hosting an exclusive meetup for startups and scale-ups in the North.
Why should you join? 75 minutes. Three sharp sessions. Leading investors, experienced founders and the right people in the room.
This year, we’ll focus on fundraising and the investment climate in the Northern Netherlands. Raising capital has changed. Investors are more selective, founders need to be better prepared, and the step from regional funding to national or international growth capital is still a challenge for many startups and scale-ups.
Together with founders, investors and experienced entrepreneurs, we’ll take a practical look at what it takes to raise capital today. What makes a company investable? Where do founders get stuck after their first early-stage funding? What do investors expect today? And what really happens behind the scenes when companies raise significant growth capital?
What to expect?
A focused session from 16:30 to 17:45 featuring:
Kick-off
Marco de Jong (Director of Investment NOM) and Lusanne Tehupuring (founder and CEO Enatom) will open the program and introduce the central theme of the meetup: fundraising in today’s market.
Fundraising unfiltered: founder meets investor
A sharp panel conversation hosted by Lusanne Tehupuring, with Rinke Zonneveld (CEO Invest-NL), Jobert Abma (founder HackerOne), Dagmar van Ravenswaay Claasen (partner Lumo Labs) and Mercedes Tuin (partner HERAN Partners).
Together, they’ll discuss the reality of fundraising in the Netherlands and the Northern Netherlands. What makes a company fundable? Where do founders get stuck? And how do you move from regional funding to national or international growth capital?
Expect a practical conversation about ambition, timing, preparation and the choices that make the difference between a good story and a fundable company.
Inspiration talk A short founder talk by Deepak Veeregowda (founder QT Sense).
In 10 minutes, Deepak will share his lessons learned on building, growing and preparing for the next step. No long theory, but a founder story with practical insights from the field.
Behind the Raise Rudy Mareel (experienced executive and supervisory board member, former CEO Polyganics), Tom van Aken (CEO Avantium) and Ton de Vries (CEO BioBTX) will share the real story behind raising significant growth capital.
What worked? What didn’t? What kept them awake the longest? And what should other founders know before they start raising serious growth capital? This session moves beyond the press release, the round size and the success story, and brings fundraising back to practice, with honest stories and concrete lessons from leaders who have been through the process themselves.
Right after, you’ll roll straight into the NOM Midsummer party—our laid-back midsummer gathering (18:15–20:30). Grass under your foot, drink in your hand and plenty of time to catch up with the people you really want to talk to.
Doors open: 16:00
Program starts: 16:30