Norrsken Foundation to open impact startup hub in Amsterdam
From industrial heritage to a hub for sustainable innovation
Amsterdam is set to gain one of its largest startup hubs to date, as the Norrsken Foundation, led by Klarna co-founder Niklas Adalberth, prepares to open Norrsken House Amsterdam in the historic Van Gendt Hallen on Oostenburg.
Located on one of Amsterdam’s eastern islands, the new hub, expected to open next year, will provide workspace for around 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem partners, with a strong focus on impact-driven startups working on sustainability, climate solutions, health innovation and social challenges. Plans also include restaurants, retail space and a museum, creating a shift from industrial heritage to a creative and technological hub.
The City of Amsterdam is a supporter and contributor to the project. Deputy mayor Sofyan Mbarki underlined the importance of mission-led technology in the city’s innovation strategy, telling Het Parool:
It’s important to us that Norrsken invests in tech companies with a mission. This will bring more innovative energy to the heart of our city from companies that use technology to solve societal problems. From poverty and access to the labour market to the weak quays and walls in the city centre.
The Norrsken Foundation currently manages around $1 billion in assets and has already invested in a number of Dutch impact startups. According to co-CEO Sara Kappelmark, the Netherlands offers fertile ground for this model. The country’s mature tech ecosystem, combined with strong policy attention to sustainability and innovation, creates ideal conditions for impact-led growth. She points to Sweden as an example, where the number of impact startups has increased significantly in recent years, partly driven by dedicated hubs and capital networks.
Norrsken House Amsterdam
Local connections creating international collaborations
Dutch investors are also backing the Amsterdam project. Among them is De Hoge Dennen, the private equity firm of the De Rijcke family behind Kruidvat, as well as Heleen Dura-van Oord, co-founder of venture capital firm Peak Capital. As with Norrsken’s other locations, the Amsterdam hub will operate with a local board and domestic investors alongside the foundation.
In addition to providing space for startups, Norrsken House Amsterdam will host investors, events and international collaborations. Across its global network, the foundation connects more than 50,000 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem partners, aiming to accelerate capital flows into impact-driven business models.
For the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, the arrival of Norrsken House signals a broader shift towards purpose-led entrepreneurship. It reinforces the city’s ambition to be a European leader in sustainable innovation, impact investment and technology for social good.