About Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
The Internet First Media sector in Netherlands comprises 313 companies, including 25 funded companies having collectively raised $10.6M in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 9 are Series A+ funded.
Internet First Media sector in Netherlands has seen 8 acquisitions and 1 IPO.
This sector includes digital media platforms which create their own content/source through multiple channels (crowdsourced, social, news agencies) and publish through an editorial team. Information is primarily conveyed through text and aided by video, audio, and images.
Internet First Media sector is also known as Web-Based Media, DigiMedia, WebMedia, Web-Based Content or Mediatech.
Online-only news portals, aggregators, and media networks are included in this sector. Online video, blogging/self-publishing, podcast networks, UGC platforms which allow self-publishing e.g. Medium are excluded.
Top Internet First Media Companies in Netherlands
There are 313 Internet First Media startups in Netherlands which include The Next Web, Blendle, Africanews, Football Mania, 433 Football. Out of these, 25 startups are funded, with 9 having secured Series A+ funding.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 12 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Imperial College London and University of Oxford.
Here is the list of top Internet First Media startups in Netherlands
1. The Next Web
Online platform offering science and technology news. Its platform provides news under various categories including artificial intelligence, finance, consumer tech, sustainable mobility, markets, and others. It also provides solutions for media campaigns and tech events.
Key facts about The Next Web
- Founded Year: 2006
- Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Acquired
- Investors: European Union, DutchBasecamp and 1 Other
- Latest Funding Round: Grant (prize money), Jan 01, 2020, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 57/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 1,706 Competitors
2. Blendle
Blendle is a Netherlands-based company that provides pay-per-view services for digital print media. Its business model allows users to pay for and view an individual article from available publications rather than pay for periodic subscriptions. It charges a 30% commission from the payments with the rest going to the publication house. It also has a pre-paid wallet service called Blendle Wallet that lets users add money to the account and pay for the articles via the wallet service. Refunds the money for the article in case a user doesn't like it and gives a reason for the same. Currently the company is active in Netherlands and boasts of major Dutch, Belgian and English publications like The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Elsevier.
Key facts about Blendle
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Utrecht (Netherlands)
- Stage: Acquired
- Total Funding till date: $8.58M
- Investors: Inkef, Axel Springer and 5 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series A, May 14, 2018, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 47/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 17 of 607 Competitors
3. Africanews
Africanews is an online news network providing information on multiple categories such as business, sports, culture, science and technology, elections, and more. Monetizes through display advertisements.
Key facts about Africanews
- Founded Year: 2004
- Location: Haarlem (Netherlands)
- Stage: Funding Raised
- Tracxn Score: 45/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 41 of 240 Competitors
Football Mania offers iOS and Android applications for real-time football scores, results and statistics. The platform offers detailed data and insights of more than 1000 leagues, 10,000 teams, and 100,000 players worldwide. The mobile applications on both platforms are available in more than 15 languages.
Key facts about Football Mania
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Unfunded
- Tracxn Score: 44/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 41 of 2,015 Competitors
5. 433 Football
News platform covering soccer. It features updates and news, video content, and games for soccer fans. Its application is available for download from the Android and iOS stores.
Key facts about 433 Football
- Founded Year: 2013
- Location: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Stage: Unfunded
- Tracxn Score: 44/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 29 of 1,483 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
24 Internet First Media startups in Netherlands were founded in 2020 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2025 | - |
2024 | 4 |
2023 | 15 |
2022 | 14 |
2021 | 14 |
2020 | 24 |
2019 | 14 |
2018 | 11 |
2017 | 19 |
2016 | 12 |
Stage-wise distribution of Internet First Media sector companies in Netherlands
Out of the total 313 Internet First Media companies in Netherlands, 25 have secured funding. Among them, 9 have reached Series A or higher, and 9 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 313
Funded - 25
Series A+ - 9
Series B+ - 9
Series C+ - 9
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 313 |
Funded | 25 |
Series A+ | 9 |
Series B+ | 9 |
Series C+ | 9 |
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Funding Trends in the Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
Total funding year-on-year in the Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
The Internet First Media sector in Netherlands saw a total funding of more than $10.3M in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2018 at more than $4.86M.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2024 | $102K |
2023 | $261K |
2022 | $189K |
2021 | $203K |
2020 | $388K |
2019 | $482K |
2018 | $4.86M |
2017 | - |
Recent Funding Rounds in Internet First Media in Netherlands
In the year 2020, till March 2020, Internet First Media companies in Netherlands have raised equity funding across 1 round.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Internet First Media companies in Netherlands:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed | 7822 | Mar 2020 | ||
Series A | 8930 | May 14, 2018 | ||
Series A | 3989 | Apr 07, 2017 | ||
Seed | 1142 | Jan 18, 2016 | ||
Series A | 6292 | Oct 29, 2014 |
Top Investors in Internet First Media in Netherlands
General Atlantic is the top investor in Internet First Media companies in Netherlands based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Internet First Media companies in Netherlands:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
New York City (United States) | - | |
London (United Kingdom) | - | |
The Hague (Netherlands) | ||
London (United Kingdom) | - | |
Washington, DC (United States) | - |
M&A activity in Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
In the year 2025, till December 2025, 3 acquisitions happened in Internet First Media sector in Netherlands.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Internet First Media sector in Netherlands:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Dec 09, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Nov 23, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Mar 06, 2025 | ||
Business Acquisition | Dec 15, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | May 16, 2023 |
Acquisition trends in Internet First Media sector in Netherlands
Here are the acquisition trends in Internet First Media sector in Netherlands:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2025 | 1 |
2024 | - |
2023 | 2 |
2022 | 1 |
2021 | - |
2020 | 2 |
2019 | 1 |
2018 | - |
2017 | - |
2016 | - |
Colleges which produce the most Internet First Media companies in Netherlands
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Internet First Media in Netherlands
Most number of Internet First Media startups in Netherlands have been founded by alumni from Imperial College London and University of Oxford.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Imperial College London | 1 |
University of Oxford | 1 |
Top News in Internet First Media in Netherlands
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Nutanix participates in a project with the GISS to implement a solution that allows remote workEl Confidencial Digital•Jun 23, 2022•Nutanix, ClimateChangePost
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KPN ends cooperation with Talpa, RTL, VodafoneZiggo on targeted TV advertisingTelecompaper•Feb 04, 2021•RTL, Talpa Network, KPN
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Inshorts partners with 30+ content publishers and 5 e-commerce players to boost content discoveryInshorts•Apr 20, 2016•Inshorts, Zomato, BookMyShow, BikeDekho and 29 others
