About Drones sector in Netherlands
The Drones sector in Netherlands comprises 103 companies, including 28 funded companies having collectively raised $277M in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 9 are Series A+ funded.
Drones sector in Netherlands has seen 2 acquisitions and 1 IPO.
This sector includes drones are defined as any powered unmanned aerial heavier-than-air vehicle (manual or autonomous) and excludes unmanned ground, undersea and surface vehicles.
Drones sector is also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Flying Robots or Quadcopter.
Includes manufacturers of consumer, commercial and military, fixed-wing, rotor and tethered unmanned aerial vehicles; providers of software for general operation and control, navigation, autopilot, collision avoidance, fleet management, airspace and flight path mapping; UAV-enabled service providers such as drone/drone pilot marketplaces and rental platforms; drone hardware parts, accessories and peripherals including spare parts, payloads and sensors; drone detection and anti-drone technologies including anti-drone geofencing companies. Excludes unmanned ground vehicles (military, commercial and consumer RC toys), unmanned underwater vehicles; online stores in multi-brand drone retail; drone resellers and distributors; drone-focused online discussion and review forums, and drone-focused social media platforms.
Top Drones Companies in Netherlands
There are 103 Drones startups in Netherlands which include Destinus, PATS Indoor Drone Solutions, Land Life Company, DeltaQuad, AirHub. Out of these, 28 startups are funded, with 9 having secured Series A+ funding.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 3 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of BIT Mesra, BITS Mesra and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Here is the list of top Drones startups in Netherlands
1. Destinus
Provider of drone solutions. It is a platform that designs unmanned aerial vehicles across all speed ranges from subsonic drones to hydrogen fueled supersonic and hypersonic demonstrators. It manufactures turbines and hydrogen energy infrastructure for storage,refueling and transportable turbine based power generation systems.
Key facts about Destinus
- Founded Year: 2021
- Location: Hengelo (Netherlands)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $29M
- Investors: Commerzbank, Mountain Partners and 11 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Conventional Debt, Dec 18, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 57/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 18 of 367 Competitors
PATS Indoor Drone Solutions develops a small autonomous, quadcopter drone which can be deployed within existing greenhouse infrastructure to keep crops insect free. The drone acts as an early warning system by continuously monitoring the environment to detect & chase harmful insects and eliminate the same (just like swallows and bats) thereby preventing them from reproducing and their larvae affecting the crops. The company claims that the solution is patented and developed in collaboration with Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. It is a part of Climate-KIC accelerator program 2018.
Key facts about PATS Indoor Drone Solutions
- Founded Year: 2018
- Location: Delft (Netherlands)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $3.45M
- Investors: UNIIQ, DivisionQ and 4 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, Sep 16, 2025, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 49/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 6 of 194 Competitors
Tech-driven nature restoration and reforestation for climate, biodiversity, communities. The company innovates for impact, applying science-based and field-tested innovations to deliver high-quality nature restoration projects. They scale up and improve project quality through in-house developed technologies. The focus is on nature-first solutions, working with landowners and companies to change how the world values nature. They invest in nature-based solutions to benefit climate, biodiversity, and communities. The company restores degraded land at scale to benefit the environment and society. They offer solutions for landowners to bring their land back to life and for companies to invest in nature for their climate impact. The company uses technology to drive reforestation at scale.
Key facts about Land Life Company
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Series B
- Total Funding till date: $13M
- Investors: DOEN Foundation, Grantham Foundation and 8 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Mar 01, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 49/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 2 of 16 Competitors
4. DeltaQuad
Manufacturer of fixed-wing VTOL UAVs for defense, security, and industrial uses. These UAVs offer dual payload capacity and extended flight range. They provide solutions for security and defense, agriculture, rail and road, GIS mapping, oil and gas, utilities, environmental and humanitarian, and mining and construction sectors. The company collaborates with armed forces and fixed-wing drone solution providers.
Key facts about DeltaQuad
- Founded Year: 2012
- Location: Duivendrecht (Netherlands)
- Stage: Unfunded
- Tracxn Score: 48/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 23 of 735 Competitors
5. AirHub
Provider of a drone flight planning platform for enterprises. It offers software to gather, access, plan, analyze, monitor, visualize, manage, and control drones. Its offering includes pre-plan tools, weather data, battery level detectors, map views, and monitors. It also offers services such as consulting and training. It is available on iOS and Android platforms.
Key facts about AirHub
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Rotterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Seed
- Total Funding till date: $1.06M
- Investors: LUMO Labs and Lumaux
- Latest Funding Round: Seed, Apr 16, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 48/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 6 of 109 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Drones sector in Netherlands
10 Drones startups in Netherlands were founded in 2018 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | - |
2023 | 2 |
2022 | 1 |
2021 | 2 |
2020 | 6 |
2019 | 9 |
2018 | 10 |
2017 | 5 |
Stage-wise distribution of Drones sector companies in Netherlands
Out of the total 103 Drones companies in Netherlands, 28 have secured funding. Among them, 9 have reached Series A or higher, and 5 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 103
Funded - 28
Series A+ - 9
Series B+ - 5
Series C+ - 4
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 103 |
Funded | 28 |
Series A+ | 9 |
Series B+ | 5 |
Series C+ | 4 |
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Funding Trends in the Drones sector in Netherlands
Total funding year-on-year in the Drones sector in Netherlands
The Drones sector in Netherlands saw a total funding of more than $276M in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2025 at more than $207M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $207M |
2024 | $3.84M |
2023 | $3.28M |
2022 | $29.8M |
2021 | $9.42M |
2020 | $10.6M |
2019 | $1.61M |
2018 | $5.83M |
2017 | $2.9M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Drones in Netherlands
In the year 2025, till September 2025, Drones companies in Netherlands have raised $3.17M in equity funding across 1 round.
In the same period last year (i.e. till April 2024), Drones companies in Netherlands had raised $1.06M across 1 round.
So, 2025 has seen a 198.08% rise in funding in Drones companies in Netherlands as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Drones companies in Netherlands:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed | 2578 | Sep 16, 2025 | ||
Seed | 7928 | Dec 12, 2024 | ||
PE | 4513 | Oct 14, 2024 | ||
Seed | 7052 | Apr 16, 2024 | ||
Seed | 9532 | Oct 09, 2023 |
Top Investors in Drones in Netherlands
Plug and Play Tech Center is the top investor in Drones companies in Netherlands based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Drones companies in Netherlands:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Sunnyvale (United States) | - | |
Menlo Park (United States) | - | |
Delft (Netherlands) | ||
Vilnius (Lithuania) | - | |
Novosibirsk (Russia) |
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M&A activity in Drones sector in Netherlands
In the year 2023, till September 2023, 1 acquisition happened in Drones sector in Netherlands.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Drones sector in Netherlands:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Sep 01, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Sep 27, 2017 |
Acquisition trends in Drones sector in Netherlands
Here are the acquisition trends in Drones sector in Netherlands:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | - |
2023 | 1 |
2022 | - |
2021 | - |
2020 | - |
2019 | - |
2018 | - |
2017 | 1 |
Colleges which produce the most Drones companies in Netherlands
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Drones in Netherlands
Most number of Drones startups in Netherlands have been founded by alumni from BIT Mesra, BITS Mesra and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
BIT Mesra | 1 |
BITS Mesra | 1 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 |
University of Amsterdam | 1 |
University of Oxford | 1 |
Total funding in Drones companies founded by alumni from top colleges in Netherlands
In the last 10 years, University of Amsterdam graduates' Drones companies in Netherlands have raised the most funding among top colleges. BIT Mesra and BITS Mesra alumni are second.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
University of Amsterdam | $2.8M |
BIT Mesra | $2.63M |
BITS Mesra | $2.63M |
University of Oxford | $321K |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | - |
Top News in Drones in Netherlands
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HENSOLDT Enters into Strategic Collaboration with Wings For AidUAS Vision•Dec 05, 2023•Hensoldt, Wings For Aid
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