NOM
NOM is the regional development agency for the northern Netherlands, a government and province backed investor based in Groningen. Water technology is one sector it funds: NOM has invested in five northern-Dutch water companies, from greywater recycling to blue-energy membranes, and led one of those rounds. As of June 2026 it is led by new director Netty Wakker.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
NOM is the regional development agency for the three northern Dutch provinces, Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, owned by the Dutch state and those provinces and charged since 1975 with growing the regional economy. Water technology is one slice of a far wider book that also covers IT, energy, life sciences and agri-food. As of June 2026 NOM is run by a new director, Netty Wakker, who took over from Dina Boonstra after her seven-year tenure.
NOM did not arrive at water through a thesis; it arrived through geography. The northern Netherlands is the country's water-technology heartland, anchored by the WaterCampus in Leeuwarden, and that is where NOM's water names cluster too. Three of its five water companies sit in Friesland: REDstack in Heerenveen, building reverse-electrodialysis membranes that turn the meeting of fresh and salt water into blue energy, and Hydraloop in Leeuwarden, whose compact recyclers cut household water use, alongside SolarDew, Paques Biomaterials and Termanox.
NOM invests the way a development agency does, with patient public money meant to keep clever companies rooted in the north rather than chase the fastest exit. It leads only about one water round in five, and otherwise rides alongside specialists such as PureTerra Ventures and AMAVI Capital. For a newcomer, NOM reads as the regional anchor in northern-Dutch water, the cheque that helps a local water spin-out scale at home before the bigger water funds arrive.
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
How they invest
Portfolio · 5 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What does NOM invest in?
- NOM is the regional development agency for the northern Netherlands, investing across IT, energy, life sciences, agri-food and water technology to grow the economy of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. In water it has backed five companies, from greywater recycling to membrane and bioplastic technologies.
- Is NOM a water-focused fund?
- No. NOM is a generalist regional development agency owned by the Dutch state and the three northern provinces, not a water specialist. Water technology is one of several sectors NOM backs; it has invested in five northern-Dutch water companies, a small part of a portfolio that spans many industries.
- Who runs NOM?
- NOM is led by director Netty Wakker, who took over in June 2026 from Dina Boonstra after her seven-year tenure. Its investment arm is run by Marco de Jong, with Sjouke Mulder leading the water-technology and green-chemistry team and Betty Postma covering water-tech investments.
- Where is NOM based?
- NOM is based in Groningen, in the northern Netherlands, and invests across the three northern provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. Founded in 1975 and owned by the Dutch government and those provinces, NOM focuses on companies that grow or settle in the region.
- Is NOM the same as Nom Nom or NOM dairy?
- No. This NOM is the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands (Investerings- en Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij voor Noord-Nederland), a Dutch regional investor in Groningen. It is unrelated to Nom Nom, the US pet-food brand, or NOM, the Austrian dairy company.