Graduate Entrepreneur Fund

“We’re matching, funding and guiding the best and brightest from Rotterdam and Delft”

Graduate Entrepreneur is a platform created by and for entrepreneurial students from TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, and it is the largest first-time early-stage fund in the Netherlands. The fund is an initiative of successful alumni from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus MC, and TU Delft, who want to give back to their alma mater and to society. Financing and mentoring startups from students and recent alumni is a wonderful opportunity to share success and embody the principle of ‘learn, earn, and return.’ It provides unique growth opportunities for startups and scale-ups in various sectors such as technology, medicine, and social sciences.

Melvin Sieben, founder MEJOR TECHNOLOGIES:

'Thanks to the contribution from the fund, we are now able to complete our Proof of Concept and run a pilot with the fire department and the Dutch Forestry Service. After that, we can use our prototype to launch our first commercial projects. Through the community, we benefit from the knowledge and expertise of experienced entrepreneurs and investors. Additionally, by connecting with other young entrepreneurs, we can learn from each other and grow together!'

Andreas Verbruggen, founder Bladesense:

'The contribution from the fund is incredibly valuable for the further development of our technology. Now, we can purchase the necessary hardware and expand the team. But the support is so much more than just financial. For almost every challenge, we can consult a coach who can share knowledge from their experience. It’s also great to hear how other founders experience entrepreneurship.'

Frans Haafkens, donateur Graduate Entrepreneur Pre-Seed Fund:

'Personally, I am passionate about entrepreneurship, and convinced that entrepreneurs make a significant contribution to real innovation. But entrepreneurship is not easy, and young entrepreneurs especially have a great need for support in the form of cash, coaching, and networking to increase their chances of success. I am happy to contribute to that.'

Carrousel quotes

Ambition Graduate Entrepreneur Fund

The Graduate Entrepreneur Fund aims to support around 30 startups each year, with initial convertible loans of approximately €75,000. Entrepreneurial students and young alumni with a solid business plan can apply to the fund for capital. In addition, they gain access to coaching from experienced entrepreneurs within the joint international alumni network. The Graduate Entrepreneur pre-seed Fund is a non-profit fund built from contributions by alumni from Delft and Rotterdam. The goal is to grow into a revolving fund, also known as Evergreen: repayments or profit distributions flow back into the fund and are made available to new startups.

The total committed capital in the Graduate Entrepreneur Fund now amounts to more than € 58 million.

Donating to Graduate Entrepreneur through the University Fund Delft

Donating to the Pre-seed Fund encourages student entrepreneurship and is fiscally attractive. The University Fund Delft has ANBI status, which means you do not have to pay gift or inheritance tax on your donation. The most favorable way to donate large amounts is through a periodic donation. Since January 1, 2014, periodic donations established through a periodic donation agreement are tax-deductible. If you donate the same amount each year for at least five years, you can deduct this periodic donation on your income tax return.

The amount of the benefit depends on your income, your fiscal partner's income, and your age, and the conditions may change. You can calculate your own benefit here.

Interested? Please contact Leonie Kalkman.

I hope that by actively involving our Delft and Rotterdam alumni in increasing the number and quality of startups, we can together improve our startup ecosystem. I am proud to be a part of this development.
― Ir. Menno Antal, donor Graduate Entrepreneur Fund

We have an excellent state of service in Delft with regard to incubation and validation. We need to scale this further so that we can compete with innovation clusters outside of the Netherlands. This initiative together with Rotterdam will further strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship. Never before in the Netherlands did alumni and students play such an important role.
― Prof.dr.ir. Tim van der Hagen Rector Magnificus / Chairman Executive Board TU Delft

More information

Would you like to know more about the Graduate Entrepreneur Fund and the donation options? Please contact Leonie Kalkman via l.kalkman@tudelft.nl or call: +31 (0) 6 43287795.