These five Dutch companies raised money in February
Every month, we list the investments that caught our attention the most.
Published on March 4, 2026
MicroAlign team © MicroAlign
Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by our editors.
Axelera AI secures more than $250 million in funding
Axelera AI, an Eindhoven-based company developing AI chips, raised over $250 million. The company develops next-gen AI hardware for edge computing—AI that runs on devices rather than in the cloud—and datacenter applications.
Since its incorporation in 2021, the company has attracted over $450 million in equity, grants, and venture capital. Axelera AI says it has delivered its technology to over 500 customers worldwide in the telecommunications, aerospace, and enterprise sectors.
The round was led by Innovation Industries, with participation from prominent funds and accounts, including BlackRock and SiteGround Capital as new investors, as well as existing investors Bitfury, CDP Venture Capital, European Investment Council Fund, Federal Holding, and Investment Company of Belgium (SFPIM), Invest-NL, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Verve Investments.
Duna lands €30 million for its Series A
Duna, a company developing a digital passport for every business, secured €30 million in Series A funding. Founded in 2023 by former payment tech firm Stripe employees, the round brings the total funding to over €40 million.
The company addresses the problem of online identity using an AI-native system. Duna aims to build a global trust infrastructure that provides a digital passport for every business. Over time, this will evolve into a network for shareable identity and one-click onboarding.
“Compliance and identity now consume up to 10-20% of a bank’s total costs. The expensive, manual legacy systems lead to billions in fraud, friction, and fines, as well as lost income from the refusal of legitimate customers. This makes it an ideal use case for AI automation,” explained Duna founder Duco van Lanschot.
MicroAlign gets €2.5M grant for high-tech quantum fiber arrays
MicroAlign, a photonics (light-based technology) company specializing in ultra-high-precision optical-fiber alignment, has been awarded an Accelerator Grant of €2.5 million by the European Innovation Council (EIC), along with an equity investment component. The funding will accelerate the industrialization of its fiber-array manufacturing.
Fiber arrays are high-precision components that hold multiple optical fibers in a precise, engineered pattern to enhance light-collection efficiency. They are critical for photonic quantum computers, with a single large-scale system expected to require thousands of fiber arrays.
“Scaling our manufacturing processes is essential to meet customers’ evolving needs in the coming years,” says MicroAlign CEO Simone Cardarelli.
Voice reconstruction startup Whispp secures €2.5 million grant
Whispp was also selected as a beneficiary of the EIC Accelerator Grant. The startup developing voice construction technology also received €2.5 million.
The company’s real-time audio-to-audio voice reconstruction tech enables people with voice conditions and severe stuttering to communicate more effectively. It does so by converting whispered or affected speech into a clear, natural-sounding voice.
This breakthrough innovation could positively impact the lives of 300 million people worldwide struggling with voice conditions, such as those resulting from throat cancer, vocal cord paralysis, or spasmodic dysphonia.
AI-powered marketing startup Aizy raises €2M
AI-powered marketing startup Aizy announced it raised €2 million. The company, hailing from Breda, helps small and mid-sized businesses optimize their Google and Meta advertising. According to Aizy, their services have resulted in an average of 36% more sales for their customers.
The company optimizes advertising spending on the main advertising platforms through AI-driven automation and data-based decision-making. Following this funding round, led by the founders and existing investors, Aizy has reached a valuation of €22 million.