Graduate Ventures is a Netherlands-based venture capital firm founded in 2021 by alumni and entrepreneurs from Delft University of Technology and Erasmus University Rotterdam. The firm backs pre-seed and seed-stage startups and spin-outs founded by students, researchers, and alumni across Dutch universities, pairing capital with a network of more than 200 alumni investors who help portfolio companies grow.
Graduate Ventures backs university-linked startups and spin-outs working in AI, deep technology, healthcare, and climate, combining capital with a network of alumni who contribute their time, expertise, and connections.
The firm runs a two-fund structure: a Pre-Seed Fund, operated day-to-day by a student team with a direct line into university labs, and a Seed Fund staffed by its core investment team.
At least one founder of each portfolio company must have studied or worked at one of its partner institutions.
In October 2026, Graduate Ventures launched its second Seed Fund, targeting $140.2 million, with a first close of $112.2 million. The new fund follows the firm's $56.1 million first seed fund and a separate $11.2 million pre-seed vehicle funded by alumni donations.
Backers of the second fund include entrepreneurs Frank Slootman (former CEO of Snowflake), Michiel Muller (founder of Picnic), and Jonas Ruyter (co-founder of DataSnipper), along with Peter Wennink (former CEO of ASML), Invest-NL, and Oost NL.
Alongside the new fund, Graduate Ventures expanded its university partnership from three institutions to eight universities and three university medical centers across the Netherlands, including Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University of Amsterdam, Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University, the University of Twente, Leiden University, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, along with Erasmus MC and Amsterdam UMC, making it the largest university-linked venture fund in the country.
Leadership
Graduate Ventures is run by Auke van den Hout, Managing Partner.
The firm's board includes co-founders Frans van Houten, Chairman and former CEO of Royal Philips; Menno Antal, former Managing Partner at 3i Group; Gert Jan van der Hoeven, founder of H2 Equity Partners; and Sandro van Hellenberg Hubar, co-founder of Xindao.
Investment Strategy
The firm combines investment professionals who bring fund management expertise, alumni who open doors and share industry knowledge, and a dedicated student team that runs its Pre-Seed Fund with a direct line into university labs.
Notable Investments
Graduate Ventures has backed more than 90 startups, including:
Auke van den Hout - Managing Partner
auke.vandenhout@graduate.nl
Rui Li - Associate Principal
rui.li@graduate.nl
Eva Post - Head of Pre-Seed Fund
eva.post@graduate.nl
Filip Cuypers - Principal
filip.cuypers@graduate.nl
Victor Leeuw - Principal
victor.deleeuw@graduate.nl
Karel Jongen - Investor Pre-Seed Fund
karel.jongen@graduate.nl
Sharwan Tewari - Pre-Seed VC
karel.jongen@graduate.nl
Meike Dekker - Pre-Seed Investor
meike.dekker@graduate.nl
Berend Van de Pol - Pre-Seed Investor
berend.vandepol@graduate.nl
Sophie Heijenberg - Investor
sophie.heijenberg@graduate.nl
Netherlands
