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Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland (INH) announced that it has invested in three Amsterdam-based startups, including Phosphoenix BV, a medtech startup, Amplio Pharma, a company developing improved versions of “already great” drugs, and Parkinnova Therapeutics, which is developing new therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
INH is a joint initiative of the Province of Noord-Holland, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, and Sanquin.
The fund supports entrepreneurs in Noord-Holland during the Proof-of-Concept phase through convertible loans. It manages two funds: one for innovative starters, supported by the RVO, and one for academic starters, supported by the ERDF.
Phosphoenix BV: Partially restoring vision in blind people
Founded in 2019, Phosphoenix BV is a company formed from research at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, which is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. It was started by Prof. Pieter Roelfsema, Dr. Bert Monna, and Prof. Xing Chen.
The company works on medical technology that aims to help people who cannot see. It is developing a type of prosthesis that connects a camera to the brain areas involved in seeing. The system uses electrodes that send signals to brain cells using a patented device.
When one electrode is used, a person can perceive a light point. When more electrodes are used, a person can perceive visual shapes.
In practice, a person using the prosthesis would wear glasses with a camera. The camera records what is in front of the person, and the system translates that information into patterns of electrical signals that the brain can detect. This allows the person to perceive a simplified image of the surroundings. Research supporting this method was published in the journal Science.
Ludolf Stavenga, fund manager of INH, says, “Phosphoenix has a unique neurotech solution to (partially) restore the vision of blind people. With this financing from Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, Phosphoenix can further develop the technology and take preparatory steps for the First‐in‐human study.”
Phosphoenix team | Image credit: Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland
Before this loan, the Dutch company received pre-seed funding in 2022 from TTT Medtech, FIRST Fund, and INH. And in January 2025, Phosphoenix received a €2.5M EIC Transition grant for its neural prosthesis project, SIGHTED. The funding supported the development and commercialisation of a brain implant aimed at vision restoration.
Hans Brons, CEO of Phosphoenix, adds, “This financing is an important milestone in our mission to make an innovative medical solution available worldwide for patients suffering from blindness.”
“Thanks in part to the support of Innovatiefonds, we are able to pre-clinically validate our technology and prepare for a clinical study. We look forward to further collaborating with partners who share our vision for impactful, patient-centric innovation.”
Amplio Pharma: A women-founded pharmaceutical company
Amplio Pharma has secured a €350K convertible loan from the INH. The funding will support the company in preparing for its first clinical study with NovoBioJect, a candidate drug product intended for individuals with inflammatory autoimmune diseases, including rheumatism.
According to an article from Lancet in 2023, one in ten people will experience a chronic autoimmune disease, with some affected by multiple conditions. Common examples include rheumatism and psoriasis, as well as rarer diseases like sarcoidosis and systemic sclerosis. These diseases occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, leading to pain, fatigue, and long-term organ damage.
Methotrexate is a common treatment, effective for about one-third of patients on its own. However, most patients require additional medications, which increase treatment costs and side effects. Finding the right combination of drugs can take time, often affecting patients’ ability to work.
This is where Amplio Pharma looks to make a difference. Founded by pharmacist Marguerite Mensonides, immunologist Karin von Wachenfeldt, and pharmacologist Charlott Brunmark, the company has developed a candidate product called NovoBioJect.
It believes the limited effect of methotrexate alone is due to a transport protein called ABCG2, which removes the drug from cells. NovoBioJect combines methotrexate with a natural substance that temporarily blocks this process, giving the drug more time to act within the cell. The goal is to achieve improved results in more patients with a lower dosage.
Amplio Pharma co-founders | Image credit: INH
Amplio Pharma is collaborating with the clinical chemistry laboratory of Professor Robert de Jonge at Amsterdam UMC and is working with rheumatologists in various locations. A study in patients with rheumatism is planned for this year to assess the effect of NovoBioJect.
Co-founder, Mensonides, says, “Thanks to the support of the Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, we at Amplio Pharma can start the clinical validation of NovoBioJect. We are convinced that NovoBioJect will have a major impact on the quality of life of rheumatoid arthritis patients. We are proud and grateful that the Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland recognises and supports this.”
Ludolf Stavenga, fund manager at Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, adds, “This approach has great potential to be widely applicable, not only for rheumatism patients, but also for patients with other autoimmune diseases, which is why we at Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland are happy to support this.”
Parkinnova Therapeutics: Transforming Parkinson’s care
Parkinnova Therapeutics has received a €350K convertible loan from INH to advance the development of a new therapy for Parkinson’s disease that aims to both relieve symptoms and slow disease progression.
Current treatments often lose their effectiveness over time and do not address the root causes of the disease. The Dutch company is working on a new class of PDE inhibitors designed to impact both symptoms and progression.
With support from INH, Parkinnova Therapeutics is optimising molecular properties and conducting preclinical studies to evaluate efficacy and safety. These steps are intended to prepare a drug candidate for clinical development. Parkinnova’s approach aims to reduce the overall burden of the disease and improve treatment options.
The company was founded by Prof. Dr. Marten P. Smidt and Dr. Lars P. van der Heide as a biotech spin-off from the University of Amsterdam.
Parkinnova Therapeutics co-founders | Image credit: INH
Speaking on the development, co-founder Dr. Lars van der Heide, says, “We believe that this new generation of PDE inhibitors offers a promising and targeted approach for the treatment of Parkinson’s. With this financing, we can take crucial steps in the development of a new therapy that can have a real impact on patients.”
Ludolf Stavenga, fund manager at INH, adds, “Parkinnova Therapeutics is developing a medicine that has the potential to not only combat the symptoms but to actually combat the disease, for which there is a huge need among patients.”
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