Brightlands Venture Partners

Brightlands Venture Partners is an independent venture capital fund manager located in Geleen, Netherlands, established in 2014. The firm focuses on ecosystem investments, targeting companies associated with the Brightlands campuses. It manages three primary funds: Limburg Ventures, Chemelot Ventures, and Brightlands Agrifood Fund. These funds primarily receive private financing but also seek public funding to enhance their investment capabilities. Brightlands Venture Partners specializes in sectors such as renewable chemistry, circularity, regenerative medicine, biomedical materials, agritech, food, and digital technologies, aiming to support innovative companies within these fields.

Kim de Boer

Partner & Fund Manager of the Brightlands Agrifood Fund

Casper Bruens

Founder & Managing Partner

Marcel Kloosterman

Managing Partner

Marcel Lubben Ph.D

Partner

Mary McCarthy

Partner

Emma Palmen

Associate

Luc Starmans

Partner

Lex Westbroek

Venture Partner

Marcel Zijp

Investor

Past deals in Benelux

Neuroplast

Series B in 2021
Neuroplast B.V., founded in 2013 and based in Geleen, the Netherlands, operates a stem cell manufacturing laboratory specializing in the development of low immunogenic stem cells. These innovative stem cells aim to provide therapeutic solutions for patients afflicted with neurodegenerative diseases. The company is positioned within the field of neuro-regenerative personalized medicine, which is recognized as a promising area of therapy requiring consistent standards and regulations to ensure effective treatment outcomes.

Qorium

Venture Round in 2021
Qorium is a biotech company that provides premium, cell-cultured collagen-based leather.

Black Bear Carbon

Venture Round in 2021
Black Bear Carbon BV specializes in converting waste tires into carbon black and green energy, operating primarily in the Netherlands and internationally. Founded in 2010 and based in Nederweert, the company utilizes a circular economy model to transform end-of-life tires into sustainable products. Its carbon black, a form of elemental carbon produced through controlled pyrolysis and partial combustion, is employed in various applications, including tires, technical rubber products, plastics, and paints. Additionally, Black Bear Carbon powers its tire shredding operations with electricity generated on-site, while also supplying excess energy to local industries and grids. By providing a renewable resource that reduces reliance on oil and lowers carbon dioxide emissions, the company promotes environmentally friendly practices in the manufacturing sector.

Neuroplast

Funding Round in 2020
Neuroplast B.V., founded in 2013 and based in Geleen, the Netherlands, operates a stem cell manufacturing laboratory specializing in the development of low immunogenic stem cells. These innovative stem cells aim to provide therapeutic solutions for patients afflicted with neurodegenerative diseases. The company is positioned within the field of neuro-regenerative personalized medicine, which is recognized as a promising area of therapy requiring consistent standards and regulations to ensure effective treatment outcomes.

Vacis

Venture Round in 2019
VACIS is the leading tissue engineering company for body-own blood vessels.VACIS develops in situ tissue engineered blood vessels providing novel therapeutic options for vascular surgery. Prosthetic vascular graft failure is a frequent complication in vascular surgery with substantial morbidity and health care costs. VACIS provides patients autologous graft vessels, with sustained patency and fewer complications requiring less corrective interventions.

Grassa

Series A in 2019
Grassa B.V., founded in 2014 and headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands, specializes in upgrading grass and crops through a process known as bio refining. The company focuses on maximizing the value of plant materials by extracting proteins, fibers, and minerals from grass and vegetable waste to create high-quality animal feed and protein supplements. Utilizing a mobile refining machine, Grassa processes fresh grass from pastures, agricultural by-products, invasive aquatic plants from rivers, and natural grass from protected areas. The bio refining process results in four key products: fibers, protein, phosphate, and sap.

Hy2Care

Series A in 2019
Hy2Care BV is a business start-up of the University of Twente, the Netherlands. It is Hy2Care’s ambition to introduce into the market the first cure for Osteoarthritis, the injectable hydrogel. Osteoarthritis is the 4th leading cause of mobility associated disability and affects more than 100 million patients in the Western world, who are all in need for an effective treatment. It is the aim of Hy2Care to change the future for patients suffering from osteoarthritis.