From construction robots to climate capital: Amsterdam’s investment story is broadening
At first glance, an investment in autonomous construction robots and the arrival of a European pre-seed fund appear to be separate stories. One concerns an Amsterdam company scaling technology already operating on construction sites. The other involves an international investor establishing a permanent base in the city. Together, however, Monumental’s $32 million Series B and Norrsken Evolve’s €62 million fund close offer a more revealing picture of Amsterdam’s changing investment proposition.
Building for real-world conditions
Amsterdam-based Monumental develops autonomous robots for the construction industry. Founded in 2021 by Salar al Khafaji and Sebastiaan Visser, the company operates as an autonomous subcontractor. Its robots work directly on active construction sites, carrying materials and completing brickwork alongside existing construction teams.
Monumental now has a fleet of more than 100 robots and has completed over 40 projects in the Netherlands. Its $32 million funding round was led by Khosla Ventures, with continued backing from investors including Plural and Hummingbird. The company plans to expand its fleet and engineering team, increase the range of construction tasks its robots can perform and enter the US market.
The significance of the round lies in more than its size.
Construction is difficult to automate. Sites change constantly, conditions vary from one project to another, and robots must operate safely alongside people in environments that were not designed around them.
Monumental’s achievement is therefore not simply that it has built autonomous robots, but that it is deploying them commercially on active construction sites. The company is bringing robotics into an industry facing labour shortages, rising costs and pressure to deliver more housing and infrastructure. It is one example of capital reaching technologies designed to address challenges with direct economic consequences.
International capital establishes local roots
A second development reinforcing this shift comes fromNorrsken Evolve, a European pre-seed investor focused on companies working across climate, health and resilience. The fund has closed at €62 million, exceeding its initial €40 million target. It invests in areas including renewable energy, health technology, robotics, AI infrastructure, biotechnology and next-generation materials.
From 1 September 2026, Norrsken Evolve will establish a permanent presence atNorrsken House Amsterdamin the Van Gendt Hallen on Oostenburg. Amsterdam will become the fund’s second operational base after Stockholm.
That decision may prove more important to Amsterdam than the headline fund size.
Norrsken Evolve is not a fund created exclusively for Dutch companies. It invests across Europe. Choosing Amsterdam as a permanent base therefore positions the city as a place from which international investors can identify, support and finance companies across the continent.
Norrsken House Amsterdam is designed to bring companies, investors and other organisations working on climate, energy and health into the same physical community. Norrsken Evolve’s presence means that early-stage capital will operate from within that environment rather than engaging with it only through occasional events or investment rounds.
The fund has already invested in Amsterdam-basedNew Dawn Bio, which is developing alternatives to wood grown without trees, andSpiral Hydrogen, an Estonian-founded company building green-hydrogen infrastructure at the Port of Rotterdam. It expects to make further Dutch investments, with approximately €3 million intended for between five and eight companies over the fund’s lifetime.
Investment is reaching a wider range of technologies
Norrsken Evolve’s arrival comes at an interesting moment for Dutch technology investment.The State of Dutch Tech 2026reported that Dutch technology companies raised €2.64 billion in venture capital in 2025, while the number of deals declined. Capital is increasingly concentrated among a smaller group of companies, underlining the continuing challenge of financing growth across the wider market.
These companies operate in very different fields, but each is developing technology intended for commercial use beyond the laboratory.
Norrsken Evolve adds an earlier-stage investor to that landscape. Its focus on climate, health, robotics, biotechnology and advanced materials brings additional capital closer to companies working in these areas in Amsterdam.
A more tangible investment proposition
The result is a more distinctive proposition than the familiar description of Amsterdam as a vibrant scaleup hub.
Monumental, Inbiome and Carbeau operate in very different markets, but each is moving from technical development towards wider commercial use. Norrsken Evolve’s decision to establish a permanent Amsterdam base adds an investor focused on finding and supporting companies earlier in that journey.
Amsterdam’s investment story is becoming more concrete. It can be seen in robots laying bricks, diagnostics being introduced into hospitals and technology turning CO₂ into a raw material—as well as in the capital being assembled around them.
Explore Amsterdam’s deep-tech landscape
The Amsterdam Deep Tech 2026 report, produced byAmsterdam Trade & InvestandStartupAmsterdamin collaboration with Dealroom, maps more than 120 deep-tech companies across computing, life sciences and sustainable systems. It values the ecosystem at $8.8 billion, more than double its value five years ago.
Read the full report or explore the companies, research institutions and investors through the interactive Amsterdam ecosystem map.