What struck me immediately in both cities was the strong belief in collaboration. Government, investors, knowledge institutions and companies really pull together. They realize that innovative startups, scale-ups and SMEs can only flourish if the entire ecosystem functions well. And at least as important: knowledge is actively applied – it is seen as the lifeblood of an innovative economy and as an engine for social impact.
That is precisely why I am proud of the success of DOPS Recycling Technologies in North Holland. With their technology, they convert waste into valuable raw materials – without significant CO₂ emissions – and they can also process various waste streams. There is a great need for this in a circular economy.
Recently, DOPS raised €5 million in their first investment round, with participation from multiple investors. ROM InWest is one of them, together with several private parties and InnovationQuarter as lead. This also underlines the power of collaboration within the ROM family. InnovationQuarter is the regional development company of South Holland, and through this collaboration we succeed – in addition to capital from the market – also in attracting investments from outside the provincial borders.
We got to know DOPS in 2022 and they illustrate the innovative capacity of our region. Thanks in part to the support of regional parties such as GO!NH, Innovatiefonds NH, PIM, Investa and ONHN, this company has made great strides in just three years. It shows how valuable a well-functioning ecosystem is: it helps entrepreneurs grow and accelerates the social impact we are working on together.
