How We Work
We turn research from the University of Groningen into companies that can stand on their own. Since 1996 we have backed more than 80 researchers, and we stay with each one from the first conversation until the business is ready to grow without us. Here is how that partnership works.
We back you, not just your idea
We are not a fund that signs a cheque and waits. We sit between the research world you come from and the market you are heading into, and we work as your partner the whole way.
A partner, not a boss
After we invest, we act as advisor and shareholder. We help you weigh the options, but the decisions stay yours. The goal is to guide you toward independence.
A bridge between two worlds
We know the university, and we know the market. So we understand where your idea comes from and what it takes to turn it into a real business.
In it for the long run
Our involvement does not end when the money arrives. We stay until you can grow on your own, and help you find follow-on funding when you need it.
Where we fit in
A scientific idea passes through a few hands before it becomes a business. Each step adds something, and RUG Ventures is where investment and venture building come in.
IP Services
SBGG
Innokite
RUG Ventures
IP Services protects the patents and intellectual property. SBGG handles business development and licensing. Innokite incubates the young company. Then RUG Ventures invests and helps build the venture.
How we work with you
Every startup is different, but the way we work follows the same path.
Get to know you
We start with you, your team and your idea. Before anything else, we want to understand what you are building and where you want to take it.
Shape the funding strategy
Together we set up a funding approach that suits your needs, not a fixed template. Finding the right funding to get you started is our core job.
Invest
We put in the capital to get your company off the ground, through equity or a convertible loan. Both routes are explained below.
Build alongside you
You get hands-on mentorship from our team, plus experienced mentors, industry experts and advisors, and access to our network inside and outside the university.
Grow toward independence
As advisor and shareholder we help you hit your milestones, find follow-on funding, and move toward a successful exit, standing on your own two feet.
Two ways we can fund your startup
Investment on equity
We invest in exchange for shares, and as a shareholder we stay involved in what comes next. Because it is almost impossible to reliably value a company in its early days, we set the share ratio together with you. Both sides make a proposal, and we agree on a fair split.
Convertible loan
A standard loan that can convert into equity later. The benefit for you is that you keep full ownership in the early stages, with less accountability to an investor. The right to convert sits with us, and whether it happens depends on how the startup develops. If it converts, we become a shareholder and stay involved.
We invest in ideas from the University of Groningen
We do not back just any idea. Every proposal is evaluated carefully, and we only move forward with the ones that add real value to the world. We look for:
Scalable ideas. A business that can keep growing and keep improving society, not one that stops at its first version.
Passionate, dedicated people. In the end, the team makes the business. We back founders who have what it takes.
State-of-the-art technology. We leave traditional thinking behind and invest in people willing to do the same.
Six areas we know best
Our close ties with the University of Groningen give us broad expertise, so we invest across six fields:
Life Science & Health. Increasing health and quality of life through prevention and care.
Agri-Food. Improving the food system from start to finish, with a focus on sustainability and health.
IT & Digital. Digital initiatives that build a better society and a sustainable future.
Chemistry & Energy. Supporting the shift to green chemistry and a circular economy.
Water. Ensuring water safety and regulating fresh water supplies for nature and agriculture.
High tech systems & materials. Enabling the technologies, materials and machinery of the future.
Turning research into business since
Researchers backed
Investment areas
Ready to take the first step?
Tell us about your idea and your team. Send us an email and we will get back to you to talk it through.