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Groningen Startups to Watch in 2027: 10 Verified Companies in Energy, Health Tech, Biotech and Software, Where Founders Get Support and What Happened to the Old List

Groningen Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Energy, Health Tech, Biotech and Software

Groningen is the largest city in the north of the Netherlands, home to the University of Groningen, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) and Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Its startups grow out of that research base: health tech and biotech spin-offs from the UMCG and the university, energy and circular chemistry companies tied to the region's energy transition, and software companies that sell across Europe. The 2026 version of this article listed ten names, but most of them were based in Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht or Prague, two had been bought, and one had gone bankrupt. For this 2027 edition we checked each company on its own website or official app store listing on 3 November 2026: that it still operates, that its address is in Groningen, what it sells and what it publishes about its funding. What happened to the old names is listed near the end.

Quick answer: the Groningen startups to watch in 2027 are Chordify (chords for any song), Payt (software that gets invoices paid), Enatom (3D anatomy education), Ancora Health (digital lifestyle care), Reyedar (eye-tracking diagnostics), Protyon (cancer mutation modelling), QT Sense (quantum sensing for cell research), VRelax (virtual reality relaxation for care), SeaQurrent (tidal energy kites) and BioBTX (chemicals from plastic waste). Reyedar's SONDA test got its CE mark as a Class IIa medical device in October 2026, and BioBTX took the final investment decision on its first commercial plant in July 2026. For support, start with Innokite, the University of Groningen's incubator, and NOM, the investment agency for the northern Netherlands.

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Why Groningen Matters for Founders in 2027

Groningen gives founders a compact student city with a university hospital, a technical university campus and a regional investment agency within a few kilometres of each other. Most companies on this list started from research at the UMCG or the University of Groningen, or settled on the Zernike Campus, and several are backed by NOM and regional funds. Campus Groningen says 243 companies and startups have joined its campus community, which spans the Zernike Campus and the Healthy Ageing Campus around the UMCG.

If you plan to visit, our guides to startup events in the Netherlands and startup events in Amsterdam list where founders and investors meet, and our overview of business conferences in Europe covers the big flagship events. For other Dutch and European cities, compare our lists for Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Aachen, Malmö, Zurich and Innsbruck.

Groningen Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared

Company	What it does	Groningen base	Latest funding we cite
Chordify	App and website that show the chords of a song in sync with the music	Stationsweg 3G	Not published
Payt	Accounts receivable software that automates invoice follow-up and payments	Waagstraat 4 (HQ)	Not published
Enatom	3D models of real anatomical specimens for medical education	Atoomweg 2H	Not published
Ancora Health	Digital platform for lifestyle treatment, including a reimbursed lifestyle programme	Lübeckweg 2	Not published
Reyedar	SONDA eye-tracking test for glaucoma diagnosis and staging	L.J. Zielstraweg 2	Investors named, no amount
Protyon	3D models of cancer mutations to predict how targeted drugs work	Winschoterdiep 50	Not published
QT Sense	Quantum Nuova platform that detects free radicals in live cells	Blauwborgje 31	Not published
VRelax	Virtual reality relaxation app for hospitals and care	Groningen (site footer)	Not published
SeaQurrent	TidalKite system that turns tidal currents into electricity	Rozenburglaan 3	Not published
BioBTX	Technology that turns plastic waste and biomass into aromatic chemicals	Zernikelaan 17	Over €80M raised, June 2024

Sources: each company's official website, legal footer or official app store listing, checked 3 November 2026.

The Groningen Startups to Watch in 2027

1. Chordify: the chords of any song, in sync

Chordify recognises the chords in a song's audio and shows them in an animated display that runs in sync with the music, so people can play along on guitar, piano or ukulele. Its official App Store listing names the developer as Chordify BV at Stationsweg 3G in Groningen. The app is free to download, and Premium subscriptions add tools such as transposing, a capo view, slowing songs down, looping parts, offline mode and MIDI or PDF export. The app was updated shortly before we checked, and its listing in the Dutch store shows a 4.7-star rating. Chordify does not publish funding or user figures that we could check, so we removed the old article's user number.

Lesson for founders: Chordify turned automatic chord recognition into a simple consumer product with a free tier and paid extras. A free tool that solves one clear problem can become the top of a subscription funnel.

Best for: founders in music tech, edtech and consumer apps.

2. Payt: getting invoices paid faster

Payt sells accounts receivable software: it automates reminders and follow-up on unpaid invoices, adds payment links such as iDEAL and shows the payment status of every invoice on one dashboard, now with AI features. Its homepage says more than 17,000 users rely on the platform every day, across more than 50 industries, and it shows integrations with accounting and ERP systems. Its contact page gives its headquarters at Waagstraat 4 in Groningen and a second office in Wormerveer near Amsterdam, and its site serves customers in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: Payt picked a boring but universal pain, late payment, and built its product around the accounting tools companies already use. Integrations can be a stronger sales argument than new features.

Best for: founders in fintech, B2B SaaS and finance automation.

3. Enatom: 3D anatomy for medical education

Enatom calls itself the smart dissection room: students, teachers and medical professionals study 3D scans of real anatomical specimens on phones, tablets, laptops and in virtual or augmented reality, with an AI assistant called Ask ENA. Its site says it is made in Groningen, gives its headquarters at Atoomweg 2H, shows client logos including UMCG, Amsterdam UMC, Maastricht University and MedUni Wien, and offers a free trial with more than 300 3D scans. Its homepage also shows that it was a finalist for the Prix Galien MedTech Award. It does not publish prices for institutions or funding figures.

Lesson for founders: Enatom built its content with universities and hospitals, which then became its customers. Co-creating with your first buyers gives you both a better product and reference clients.

Best for: founders in edtech, medtech and 3D or XR content.

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4. Ancora Health: digital lifestyle care

Ancora Health runs a digital platform that helps patients and care teams work on lifestyle changes together. Its programmes include SLIMMER Online, a combined lifestyle intervention (GLI) that its site describes as evidence-based and reimbursed, plus versions for people trying to get pregnant, after pregnancy and on weight-loss medication, and remote care. Its site gives Ancora Health BV at Lübeckweg 2 in Groningen and names research work with LUMC, UMCG, Wageningen, UMC Utrecht and TNO. According to the City of Groningen, it was founded in 2018 and has its headquarters in the city. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: Ancora went after reimbursement, so patients do not pay out of pocket. In Dutch health care, fitting into an existing payment route is often the difference between a pilot and a business.

Best for: founders in digital health, prevention and health insurance tech.

5. Reyedar: eye movements as a diagnostic test

Reyedar makes SONDA, an eye-tracking test that measures visual function by recording how the eyes follow a moving target on a screen, with no calibration, pupil dilation, dark room or button presses. Its site says SONDA is cleared for the diagnosis and staging of glaucoma, and a news post dated 13 October 2026 says SONDA is CE-marked as a Class IIa medical device under the EU MDR. It is aimed at hospitals, clinics, optometrists and optical retailers. Reyedar started as a spin-off from the UMCG, has its office at L.J. Zielstraweg 2 in Groningen and names Blue Sparrows MedTech Fund, Cottonwood Technology Fund, NOM, Pupil Labs, UNETI Ventures and SNN as backers, without amounts.

Lesson for founders: Reyedar started with one approved use, glaucoma, and lists further applications as in development. In medtech, a narrow first claim gets you to market and paying customers sooner.

Best for: founders in medtech, diagnostics and eye care.

6. Protyon: modelling cancer mutations

Protyon builds a 3D digital model from the genetic code of a cancer mutation and uses molecular modelling to predict how targeted cancer drugs may work against it, to support treatment decisions. For life science companies, it predicts how small molecules may interact with drug targets and their mutations, and for clinicians it runs a course on molecular modelling in cancer treatment that its site says is accredited by four Dutch medical associations. Its site gives Protyon BV at Winschoterdiep 50 in Groningen. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: Protyon sells to two groups, clinicians and drug developers, with the same core technology. Teaching your future users through an accredited course is also a way to build trust in a new method.

Best for: founders in biotech, precision medicine and scientific software.

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7. QT Sense: quantum sensing for cell research

QT Sense makes Quantum Nuova, a biosensing platform that uses fluorescent nanodiamonds to detect free radicals inside live cells in real time, so researchers can see cellular stress as it happens. Its site gives QT Sense BV at Blauwborgje 31 in Groningen and invites labs to book a demo. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: QT Sense took a deep tech idea, quantum sensing, and packaged it as a lab instrument for a specific measurement. Deep tech sells when buyers can see exactly which question it answers.

Best for: founders in deep tech, life science tools and quantum technology.

8. VRelax: virtual reality relaxation for care

VRelax is a virtual reality app with virtual worlds and exercises meant to reduce stress, anxiety and physical discomfort. It runs on stand-alone headsets without controllers, and its site has sections for hospitals, disability care and mental health care. Its site says the software is CE and MDR certified, links a published study on virtual reality relaxation for patients with a psychiatric disorder and a workplace study run with UMCG, insurer Zilveren Kruis and Shared Ambition, and says it is made in Groningen. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: VRelax used research to move a consumer technology into care settings. Evidence and certification turn a nice gadget into something a hospital can buy.

Best for: founders in mental health tech, XR and care innovation.

9. SeaQurrent: tidal energy from underwater kites

SeaQurrent develops the TidalKite, an underwater kite tethered to a hydraulic converter that flies a figure-eight path in tidal currents and drives a generator; a subsea cable brings the power to shore. Its site gives each kite a capacity of 0.5 MW and a size of 9 by 12 metres, for water 20 to 75 metres deep, and says it secured permits for a test site in the Dutch Wadden Sea. Its news page reported freshwater trials in September 2025 and the return of Youri Wentzel as CEO in August 2025. Its visiting address is Rozenburglaan 3 in Groningen, with a goods address in Drachten. It does not publish funding figures.

Lesson for founders: SeaQurrent targets a gap in the energy transition, predictable tidal power, and tests step by step before going to sea. Hardware climate tech needs patience and staged proof.

Best for: founders in renewable energy, offshore tech and climate hardware.

10. BioBTX: chemicals from plastic waste

BioBTX has developed a technology it calls ICCP that turns end-of-life plastic waste and biomass into circular aromatics (benzene, toluene and xylenes), building blocks for PET bottles, coatings and many other materials. Its timeline traces the idea back to 2012 and says it raised over €80 million in June 2024 to build its first commercial plant, launched a €23 million Circular Aromatics project in April 2025, and took a positive final investment decision for the PETRA plant in Delfzijl in July 2026. PETRA is planned to produce about 10,000 tonnes of renewable aromatic oil a year, with construction set to start in early 2027 and start-up expected in mid-2028. BioBTX's office is at Zernikelaan 17 on the Zernike Campus in Groningen.

Lesson for founders: BioBTX spent more than a decade moving from lab to pilot to a commercial plant, financed step by step with grants, projects and investors. In industrial climate tech, the road is long, so plan your funding in stages.

Best for: founders in circular chemistry, cleantech and industrial deep tech.

Where Groningen Startups Get Support

Innokite: the University of Groningen's incubator for knowledge-intensive startups. It runs an Incubation tier with workshops on idea validation and team building, an Acceleration tier with sector modules for digital and deep tech, medtech and health tech, and energy transition and cleantech, and an Innokite Weekend hackathon. Access lasts one year; it does not fund founders itself but opens its investor network after the Accelerate tier.
Business Generator Groningen: helps researchers at the University of Groningen and the UMCG turn research into companies and other innovations, and runs the Biotech Booster programme, whose 2027 round its homepage lists as open.
Campus Groningen: the community of the Zernike Campus and the Healthy Ageing Campus, with help to start and grow, find space on campus and find financing. It says 243 companies and startups have joined.
Hanze Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship: Hanze students can take entrepreneurship minors and graduate with their own company. Start-up City at Kadijk 2 is the campus hub, and the yearly Take Your Business to the Stage event awards the Rabo Entrepreneurship Award and the Anner Award, each worth €10,000.
NOM: the investment and development agency for the northern Netherlands, based in Groningen. It invests in companies, runs programmes for startups and scale-ups, including an Investor Readiness Program, and hosts Angel Club North.
Investeringsfonds Groningen: the province's fund invests in private venture funds that back startups and scale-ups, such as Arches Capital, Cottonwood Technology Fund and the Circular Plastics Fund. It reports 76 financed companies and 679 jobs.

Two names from older guides have changed: the University of Groningen says VentureLab North no longer exists and sends founders to Innokite, and the Founded in Groningen website no longer loads. For energy startups, also see our guide to EIT InnoEnergy for startups.

Groningen Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified

The 2026 version of this article listed ten names. Here is what we found when we checked each one in November 2026:

Kept: Chordify still operates from Groningen.
Klippa: the Groningen document-processing company was acquired by SER Group of Bonn, announced on 18 March 2025, and its website now reads Doxis (ex-Klippa). Its Groningen office continues as part of Doxis, so it is no longer an independent startup.
Soly: the Groningen solar and home battery company was declared bankrupt by the Noord-Nederland district court, according to Solar Magazine (27 November 2025).
LionVolt: its site gives its headquarters on the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, not Groningen.
DataSnipper: its contact page gives its Dutch office in Amsterdam.
AM-Pharma: a Utrecht-based biotech, and its own site says it has been acquired by Ambrose Healthcare (announced 20 October 2026).
Mews: the hotel software company lists offices in Amsterdam and other cities, but none in Groningen.
Flowbeams and Silverflow: neither site shows a Groningen base, so we removed them.
Buddi: we could not find a Groningen company by this name, so we removed it.

We also removed the old article's revenue, funding and user figures that had no source, its third-party ranking claim and its links to third-party startup lists.

Which Groningen Startup Should You Learn From?

You build health tech or medtech: study Reyedar for a narrow first regulatory claim, Ancora Health for fitting into reimbursement and VRelax for using research to sell to care providers.
You build biotech or deep tech: study Protyon for serving clinicians and drug developers with one technology and QT Sense for packaging quantum sensing as a lab tool.
You build energy or climate tech: study SeaQurrent for staged testing and BioBTX for financing a long road from lab to plant.
You build B2B software: study Payt for solving a universal pain with deep integrations.
You build consumer or education apps: study Chordify for a free tier that feeds paid plans and Enatom for co-creating with the institutions that buy.
You are just starting: if you study or research at the University of Groningen, start with Innokite; at Hanze, start with its Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship; for money, talk to NOM.

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How Founders Use Groningen's Startup Scene

Notice the pattern: many companies here came out of the UMCG or the University of Groningen, stayed close to the campus, raised money from NOM and regional funds first, and then sold across Europe. Compare programmes in our guides to startup incubators in Europe and deep tech incubators in Europe, and see where research-heavy companies cluster in our guide to deep tech cities in Europe. For money, see grants for early-stage startups in Europe, angel investors for early-stage startups in Europe and grants for female entrepreneurs in Europe.

If you are still choosing a base, compare the Netherlands with other options in our guide to the best countries for startups in Europe, read about the Dutch unrealized gains tax and what it means for startups, and if you are moving to the city, see our list of real estate agents in Groningen.

Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. Buyers and investors research you long before they call, so you need to be easy to find online: list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release, and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool so customers, investors and AI assistants can find you.

FAQ About Groningen Startups to Watch in 2027

Which Groningen startups should I watch in 2027?

Our verified list: Chordify, Payt, Enatom, Ancora Health, Reyedar, Protyon, QT Sense, VRelax, SeaQurrent and BioBTX. Each still operates and shows a Groningen base on its own site or official app store listing, checked in November 2026.

Which Groningen startup has raised the most money?

Of the figures the companies publish themselves, BioBTX's is the largest: it says it raised over €80 million in June 2024 to build its first commercial plant. Reyedar names its investors but not amounts, and the other companies do not publish funding totals on their sites.

Are there health tech startups in Groningen?

Yes, many. Reyedar's SONDA eye-tracking test got a CE mark as a Class IIa medical device in October 2026, Ancora Health runs a reimbursed digital lifestyle programme, Protyon models cancer mutations, VRelax brings virtual reality relaxation to care, and Enatom teaches anatomy in 3D.

Are there energy and climate startups in Groningen?

Yes. SeaQurrent develops TidalKite underwater kites for tidal power, and BioBTX turns plastic waste and biomass into aromatic chemicals, with its first commercial plant planned in Delfzijl.

Where can founders in Groningen get support?

Innokite for University of Groningen students and researchers, Business Generator Groningen for research valorisation, Campus Groningen for space and networks, Hanze's Centre of Expertise Entrepreneurship for Hanze students, and NOM and Investeringsfonds Groningen for funding.

Does VentureLab North still exist?

No. The University of Groningen says VentureLab North no longer exists and points founders to Innokite, its incubator.

What happened to Klippa?

Klippa was acquired by SER Group in March 2025 and now trades as Doxis. Its Groningen office continues as part of that company.

What happened to the other startups on the old list?

Chordify stays. Soly went bankrupt in November 2025, and LionVolt, DataSnipper, AM-Pharma, Mews, Flowbeams and Silverflow are not based in Groningen. We could not find Buddi.

What can founders learn from Groningen startups?

Use the research next door, start with one narrow use or regulatory claim, fit into how customers already pay, and plan funding in stages, especially in hardware and climate tech.

Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?

You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta Bonenkamp

2026-11-03 01:53 Best Startups