May 10, 2025
Rabobank launches Innovation Contribution for South Holland startups at Upstream Festival
Rabobank is launching the Innovation Contribution at Upstream Festival 2025 – offering early-stage startups in South Holland a financial boost to turn bold ideas into working prototypes. Learn how to access it and why it matters now.
A fresh boost for early-stage innovation: from idea to prototype
At this year’s Upstream Festival in Rotterdam, Rabobank is launching a powerful new incentive for startups: the Innovation Contribution. This financial boost is aimed at companies in the earliest stage of innovation – before they have revenue, paying customers or a proven business model forthat specific innovation. Even if they generate revenue with other projects. With this initiative, the cooperative bank aims to lower the barriers for entrepreneurs whose ideas contribute to the transition toward a future-proof economy.
The Innovation Contribution is funded through Rabobank’s cooperative dividend and is specifically intended to support the very first steps of innovation – such as building a prototype or running a pilot. “It’s precisely in this vulnerable early phase that financing is often hard to come by. The Innovation Contribution can make the difference between a promising idea on paper and a working first concept”, says Robin Hempel, Startup & Scale-up Banker at Rabobank South Holland. “We’re launching the Innovation Contribution for South Holland during Upstream Festival 2025 in Rotterdam – the go-to event for startups in the region and beyond. It’s also where we’ll speak directly with entrepreneurs about their ambitions and how we can help them make those ambitions a reality.”
The contribution is part of Rabobank’s broader approach, in which funding is combined with knowledge, advice and active use of the bank’s network. Rabobank’s Startup & Scale-up Bankers operate from various regions and have access to an extensive (inter)national network of accelerators, incubators and other innovation partners.
The eligibility criteria and application form for the Innovation Contribution will be available via Rabobank’s website from the moment of launch at Upstream Festival. Similar initiatives have already been successfully rolled out in other regions, such as the Rabo Impact Fund in the Leiden-The Hague area.
The startup CIWI, developing an on-site technology to produce water treatment agents, founded by Erik Kraaijeveld and Jasper Schakel, benefited from one such initiative – the Rabo Impact Fund. “As a young company, we’re not yet ready for loans or external investors”, explains Jasper Schakel. Their startup received a donation. “That allowed us to fully focus on making the technology work.” Erik Kraaijeveld adds: “It’s also a huge recognition of our work. As a startup, you still need to prove yourself. But when we mention the support of Rabobank in conversations, it opens doors. It is a tremendous help.”
“Rotterdam is known for its entrepreneurial spirit and innovative strength. We wholeheartedly welcome Rabobank’s Innovation Contribution. It gives startups the opportunity to move more quickly from idea to impact – and that aligns perfectly with our ambition to establish Rotterdam as a leading startup ecosystem”, says vice-mayor Robert Simons, Municipality of Rotterdam.
Visit Rabobank at Upstream Festival 2025 to learn more about the Innovation Contribution and the opportunities for your startup.