ROM InWest

What they do

Founded in October 2021 as the ninth and final Regional Development Agency (ROM) in the Netherlands, ROM InWest is a government-backed investor designed to strengthen the regional economy of North Holland. They distinguish themselves by operating with a dual mandate: requiring both strong financial returns and measurable societal impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Beyond providing capital, ROM InWest acts as a central hub in the regional ecosystem, offering business development support, helping founders become "investor-ready," and connecting them with a broad network of external financiers and knowledge institutions.

What they look for

ROM InWest invests in "gamechangers"-ambitious startups, scale-ups, and innovative SMEs whose solutions accelerate four key societal transitions: the Circular economy, the Digital transition, the Energy transition, and the Food transition. They explicitly look for groundbreaking innovations that make a real, demonstrable societal impact, with a financially profitable business case capable of healthy growth. Crucially, the company must be located in or have a significant economic impact on the North Holland region.

Stage

Seed, Series A, Series B+

Sectors

Climate, Healthcare, Deeptech, Food and agriculture, AI

Based

Haarlem, NL