Edition 2026

On Tuesday, 19 May, the 21st Philips Innovation Award (PHIA) Grand Final brought together some of the most promising emerging entrepreneurs and innovators for an inspiring evening celebrating innovation, entrepreneurship and impact.

After a journey filled with ambitious ideas, challenging pitches and valuable learning moments, the evening culminated in the announcement of this year’s winners. Gateway Bio, represented by Mark ter Heide, took home both the Rough Diamond Award and the People’s Choice Award, while HaptonTech B.V., represented by Mert Orhan Astam, PhD, was awarded the Innovator Award. Congratulations to all the winners on this well-deserved recognition.

The Grand Final also showcased the exceptional quality and diversity of this year’s finalists: Fermentify, Spiral Hydrogen, Gloovy, Eco Gloves, The Vydar Group and Aetheria. Each team demonstrated a strong entrepreneurial spirit and presented innovative solutions with the potential to make a real impact. Their passion, ambition and quality of their pitches made the competition especially memorable.

The evening was further enriched by an inspiring jury and a series of engaging conversations. We would like to thank our jury members Roy Jakobs, Marit van Egmond, Rinke Zonneveld, Ingrid Thijssen, Thomas Vles and Selma Ozkan for sharing their expertise, perspectives and valuable feedback with the finalists. We are also grateful to our guest speakers Simone Smit and Peter Wennink for their inspiring contributions to the evening.

A special thank you goes to Lars Crama, who led an insightful conversation with Peter Wennink, and to our host Irene Rompa, whose energy and enthusiasm helped bring the evening to life.

The 21st PHIA Grand Final would not have been possible without the support of our partners Philips, Equinix, Greenchoice, Rabobank, Monta and Gemeente Rotterdam. Their continued commitment makes it possible for PHIA to support and connect the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs.

With another successful Grand Final behind us, we look back on an evening filled with inspiring ideas, meaningful conversations and entrepreneurial ambition — and look forward to seeing what the next generation of innovators will achieve.

On 23 April, the Maassilo Rotterdam came alive for the PHIA 2026 Semi-Final, bringing together ambitious startups, investors, partners, and innovation enthusiasts for an afternoon filled with bold ideas and inspiring pitches.

Startups from both the Innovator League and Rough Diamond League took the stage to pitch their businesses and compete for a spot in the Grand Final. Alongside the pitches, our Innovation Market created a vibrant space for startups, partners, and visitors to connect, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities.

The Semi-Final welcomed a record number of visitors, making it one of the most successful Semi-Finals in PHIA history. For the first time, visitors also had the opportunity to vote for their favorite startup. With an absolute majority of the votes, NIXUS Sports took home the People’s Choice Award for their innovative solution for more sustainable tennis and padel balls.

After an exciting round of pitches, our jury selected eight finalists who went on to compete for the PHIA 2026 awards:

Innovator League

• Aetheria
• Fluxthor
• Gloovy Eco Gloves
• HaptonTech B.V.
• The Vydar Group

Rough Diamond League

• Fermentify
• Gateway Bio
• Spiral Hydrogen

A huge thank you to all participating startups for their inspiring pitches, our jury members for their time and expertise, and our partners Philips, Equinix, Greenchoice, Gemeente Rotterdam, Rabobank, and Monta for their continued support. We would also like to thank our hosts Marte Schuurmans and Frank de Rooij, as well as everyone who joined us at the Maassilo and helped make this day such a success.

The Semi-Final was a celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the next generation of ambitious founders — and we couldn’t be more excited to see what comes next.

On 9 April, Investor Day 2026 brought together ambitious startups and a strong network of early-stage investors for an inspiring day of connection, feedback, and funding opportunities.

Through a series of curated speed dating sessions, startups had the opportunity to pitch their ideas directly to investors and gain valuable insights on their businesses, funding strategies, and next steps. This year’s investor partners included Slingshot, Rockstart, Graduate Entrepreneur, InnovationQuarter, Rabobank, No Such Ventures, NextGen Ventures, Health~Holland, BOM, LUMO Labs, Forward.one, Arches Capital, BPx, Eyvestor, Innovation Fund North-Holland, and Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO).

It was a day full of energy, valuable conversations, and new connections — bringing promising startups one step closer to turning their ambitions into impact.

Recap Coaching Day | February 5

On February 5, our startups came together for the first moment of the Philips Innovation Award journey: Coaching Day.

A full day dedicated to learning, sharing, and growth, with hands-on workshops led by our partners, who generously shared their expertise and insights to help founders take the next steps in their entrepreneurial journey.

We would like to sincerely thank our workshop partners:
Philips, Equinix, Rabobank, Arnold & Siedsma, SparkOptimus, Plus Projects, Generative AI Strategy and Unknown Group.

We wrapped up the day with a networking drink, a valuable moment for founders and partners to connect, exchange ideas, and strengthen the ecosystem around innovation.🩵

A special thank you to Unknown Group and Unknown University of Applied Sciences for hosting this inspiring day.

Thank you to all partners for your continued support and commitment, together, we are building the future of innovation💡

Recap Platinum Partner Dinner | 29 January

On January 29, we had the pleasure of welcoming our Platinum Partners for an intimate dinner at Fyr Amsterdam 🤩

A big thank you to Philips, Equinix, Greenchoice, Gemeente Rotterdam, Rabobank and Monta, for your continued support and commitment to innovation 🩵

The night was made even more special by a motivational talk on the Philips Innovation Award by PHIA 2024 finalist Meinke van Oenen from Algaenius, who reminded us exactly why we do what we do.

Here’s to meaningful conversations, strong partnerships, and empowering the innovators of tomorrow💡

On Thursday, January 15, we officially kicked off the 21st edition of the Philips Innovation Award with our Business Panel Drinks! A big thank you to all Business Panel members for their valuable contributions to PHIA, and a warm welcome to all participating startups. The evening was filled with inspiring conversations about innovation, highlighted by valuable insights from Naud of Leafy, finalist of PHIA 2024.

Thank you all for a wonderful evening!