Startups in Nijmegen, the Netherlands: 2027 guide

Startups in Nijmegen: the short answer

Startups in Nijmegen come out of Radboud University, the Radboudumc hospital and HAN University of Applied Sciences, and they build in two fields: health and high tech, above all semiconductors. Nijmegen ranks #433 of 1,000 cities in our startup city ranking (StartupBlink 2024 ecosystem scores). Noviotech Campus houses some 75 companies with 3,400+ people, Philips started making chips in the city in 1955 and NXP and Nexperia continue that work today, and the regional development agency Oost NL invests up to €5 million per company. Anyone searching “startups Nijmegen” should start with three names: The Launch, Briskr and Oost NL.

Is Nijmegen a good place to start a startup in 2027?

Nijmegen works well for medtech, biotech, health software and chip-related hardware founders. Almost 30% of the population works in healthcare according to Briskr, so you sit next to hospitals, clinics and test users, and the semiconductor cluster gives hardware teams suppliers and engineers. Big companies keep investing: AstraZeneca announced a $70 million expansion of its Nijmegen medicine plant, growing the site from about 100 to 130 employees.

It suits you less if you build consumer apps or fintech, or if you need a non-EU visa facilitator in town. Local capital comes mainly from Oost NL and angels, and no recognised startup visa facilitator is based in Nijmegen.

What does the Nijmegen startup ecosystem look like?

• The Launch: Radboud University’s incubator, formerly Mercator Launch, now in the Forum building on campus. It gives students, PhD candidates, researchers and alumni training, one-to-one business coaching and office or lab space.
• Noviotech Campus: the campus for high tech and health, with offices, labs and cleanrooms for rent, education programs with Radboud University and HAN, and monthly Meet&Eat events.
• Briskr: the program that helps startups and SMEs in health and high tech grow. Its partners include the Municipality of Nijmegen, Oost NL, Province of Gelderland, Radboud University, Radboudumc, Health Valley Netherlands and Novio Tech Campus, according to Into Nijmegen.
• StartUp Nijmegen: a coworking space next to Nijmegen Centraal station with free workshops and events; it says it has helped more than 700 companies get started, and it runs the yearly StartUpper van het Jaar award.
• Large tech and health employers: NXP, Nexperia and Ampleon in chips, Radboudumc and the Sint Maartenskliniek in care, and AstraZeneca in biologics manufacturing.

Where do founders in Nijmegen find funding?

• Oost NL: the development agency for Gelderland and Overijssel invests up to €5 million in startups and growth companies in food, health, tech, energy and the circular economy. It takes a minority stake, aims to exit in 5 to 7 years and asks for co-investors in most deals. Its funds include IEG-Innovatie (€50,000 to €2.5 million for Gelderland companies) and the Participatiefonds Oost NL (up to €5 million).
• Business Angels Network Nijmegen: run by Briskr and Oost NL, with 80+ angels in health and high tech. Three invite-only evenings a year give 12 startups a pitch slot, for rounds of €50,000 to €500,000, after a valuation workshop and pitch training.
• Business Angels Oost NL: 160+ angels across the east, investing €50,000 to €350,000; Oost NL prepares you and introduces you to five matching investors.
• Grants: Oost NL’s INDUSTRI_4.0 program gives up to €50,000 for digital projects. The old regional VFF Gelderland loan closed in 2025, so early-stage founders now use RVO’s national VFF loan of up to €450,000 at 7.19% in 2026, and the Innovatiekrediet for up to 45% of risky development projects.

How do you register a company in the Netherlands?

Founders who plan to raise money set up a BV (besloten vennootschap), the Dutch private limited company. A civil-law notary draws up the deed, registers the BV in the KVK Business Register and records the owners in the UBO register. The minimum share capital is €0.01, notary fees run €500 to €1,500, and KVK charges a one-time registration fee of €85.15. Solo founders testing an idea can start as a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) at KVK. Budget for one more line: a director who is also a major shareholder must draw a salary of at least €58,000 a year in 2026.

What taxes does a startup pay in the Netherlands in 2026?

• Corporate income tax: 19% on profit up to €200,000 and 25.8% above it (Belastingdienst).
• VAT (btw): 21% standard, 9% for food, medicine and books, 0% for some exports (Belastingdienst).
• WBSO R&D credit: in 2026 you deduct 36% of the first €391,020 of R&D wage and costs from payroll tax, 50% for starters, and 16% above that (RVO).
• Innovatiebox: profit from R&D covered by an RVO S&O declaration is taxed at an effective 9% (Belastingdienst). The Tax Plan 2027 proposes raising the flat amount for smaller companies from €25,000 to €100,000 from 2027; parliament still has to vote (Rijksoverheid).
• 30% ruling (expat scheme): you can pay a hire recruited from abroad up to 30% of salary tax-free. The 2026 salary floor is €48,013, or €36,497 for under-30s with a master’s degree (Belastingdienst). From 1 January 2027 the maximum drops to 27% and the floor rises to €50,436 before indexation; this is already law (Ondernemersplein).

Which visa can a foreign founder use to move to Nijmegen?

EU and EEA citizens need no permit. Founders from outside the EU apply for the Dutch startup visa, a one-year residence permit that needs a contract with a facilitator, a step-by-step plan, a product or service that is new to the Netherlands, KVK registration and enough money to live on. RVO advises the IND, and the application costs €423. None of the facilitators on RVO’s list is based in Nijmegen. Agrifoodtech founders can work with StartLife in nearby Wageningen; others pick a national facilitator such as Rockstart or Antler and can still live and build in Nijmegen. After the year, you switch to the self-employed residence permit, where RVO scores your company on points.

Pros and cons for founders in Nijmegen

Pros

• A deep health base: a university hospital, a specialist clinic and almost a third of residents working in care.
• A real chip cluster with NXP, Nexperia and Ampleon, plus cleanroom space on Noviotech Campus.
• Two angel networks (80+ and 160+ angels) and Oost NL tickets up to €5 million.
• A free entry point at The Launch for anyone from Radboud.

Cons

• No startup visa facilitator in the city.
• The regional VFF Gelderland loan closed in 2025, so early loans now go through RVO’s national queue.
• Few local VC funds, so Series A rounds mean meeting investors in the Randstad.
• The 30% ruling falls to 27% in 2027, which raises the cost of foreign hires.

What does Nijmegen offer women founders?

We found no women-only founder program in Nijmegen in October 2026, though local women founders do use the general programs. Sophia Eriola Shanko, founder and CEO of Shanx Medtech, credits the Briskr programs with support for her startup, and researcher Yvonne van den Berg built her anti-bullying tool company Social Shuffle at The Launch, where it now reaches 50,000 teachers. For funding readiness, the closest options are national. Code-V, an alliance of 130+ banks, investors and public bodies, offers a free Funding Readiness Check and investor meetups, and Borski Fund invests in female (co-)led startups in women’s health, climate tech and future society tech.

FAQ about startups in Nijmegen

Where do startups in Nijmegen work?

Radboud founders start at The Launch on campus, health and chip companies rent offices, labs and cleanrooms on Noviotech Campus, and freelancers and early founders use StartUp Nijmegen next to the central station.

Who invests in startups in Nijmegen?

Oost NL (up to €5 million, with IEG-Innovatie at €50,000 to €2.5 million), the Business Angels Network Nijmegen (€50,000 to €500,000) and Business Angels Oost NL (€50,000 to €350,000). RVO adds national loans.

Can I get a Dutch startup visa in Nijmegen?

Yes, through any recognised facilitator, but none is based in Nijmegen. The IND application costs €423, and the permit lasts one year.

What is the corporate tax rate for a Nijmegen startup in 2026?

19% on the first €200,000 of profit and 25.8% above that, the same across the Netherlands.

Sources (checked October 2026)

• Radboud University: The Launch opens
• Noviotech Campus
• Into Nijmegen: startups and scaleups
• Briskr
• Briskr: Business Angels Network Nijmegen
• StartUp Nijmegen
• Oost NL: investing
• Oost NL: project funding and INDUSTRI_4.0
• Oost NL: Business Angels
• Oost NL: IEG-Innovatie
• Oost NL: Participatiefonds Oost NL
• Oost NL: VFF Gelderland closed
• Oost NL: AstraZeneca expands in Nijmegen
• StartLife
• RVO: recognised startup visa facilitators
• IND: residence permit for a start-up
• IND: fees
• Belastingdienst: corporate income tax rates
• Belastingdienst: VAT rates
• Belastingdienst: innovatiebox
• Belastingdienst: Expat Scheme (30% facility)
• Ondernemersplein: 30% ruling becomes 27% in 2027
• Rijksoverheid: Tax Plan 2027 proposals
• RVO: WBSO 2026
• RVO: Proof-of-concept funding (VFF)
• RVO: Innovatiekrediet
• KVK: private limited company (BV)
• KVK: registration fee
• Business.gov.nl: BV in the Netherlands
• Code-V
• Borski Fund

MeanCEO Index for Nijmegen 🚀

Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands, now builds companies in health and chips. Here is how it scores for female entrepreneurs on the ten factors of the MeanCEO Index.

---

1. Weather ☀️

• Score: 6/10
  • Nijmegen has mild winters by northern European standards. It is not a warm place, and rain falls on many days of the year.

2. Location 🏞️

• Score: 4/10
  • Nijmegen sits on the Waal river with green hills and nature close by. The sea and beaches are far away, which costs points for anyone who wants seaside leisure.

3. Women Friendly 👩‍💼

• Score: 8/10
  • The Netherlands has a progressive stance on gender equality, and women founders in Nijmegen use local programs such as Briskr and The Launch. Some stereotypes linger.

4. Foreigners Friendly 🌍

• Score: 7/10
  • Locals are open to newcomers. Getting into long-standing social circles takes time, and women who move alone can find that harder.

5. English as a Business Language 📚

• Score: 9/10
  • English is widely spoken, above all in the startup scene and at Radboud University. This makes Nijmegen accessible for international founders, including women from many backgrounds.

6. Delicious Cuisine 🍽️

• Score: 6/10
  • Dutch cuisine is not famous worldwide, and Nijmegen has a growing food scene with healthy, locally sourced options. Onions are common, and local beers and cheeses are good.

7. Ease of Getting Married and Starting a Family 💍

• Score: 5/10
  • There are chances to meet partners, and the dating scene is quieter than in bigger cities. Quality of life supports family life well.

8. Medicine 🏥

• Score: 7/10
  • The Dutch healthcare system works well, with timely appointments and affordable tests, and the city has its own university hospital, Radboudumc.

9. Ease of Transportation & Traveling 🚍

• Score: 6/10
  • Nijmegen has decent public transport and train links to other major cities. Local transport is less extensive than in bigger metropolises.

10. Startup Mindset 💡

• Score: 7/10
  • Nijmegen has a growing entrepreneurial spirit, and the startup community is still developing. People support new ideas and accept failure, though the scene is younger than in larger startup hubs.

---

MeanCEO Index Score: 65/100 🎉

Nijmegen offers a promising and still growing environment for female entrepreneurs. It scores well on support for women, English and healthcare, and loses points for its smaller size and quieter social life compared with bigger cities. Its health and chip clusters give women founders real room to build and grow.

Here’s to your entrepreneurial journey in this charming city! 🚀