Eindhoven, March 31 2021. ECFG has realized a new participation through Eindhoven Venture Capital Fund II (EVCF II). It is the seventh investment of this fund. This concerns Qlayers Holding B.V., in which the fund has acquired a minority interest. It concerns a co-investment with AkzoNobel as a strategic partner.

 

About Qlayers

Qlayers is a young company from Delft, founded in 2017 by Josefien Groot and Ruben Geutjens. Qlayers is specialized in the robotic application of coating, for example for tank applications and wind turbine blade applications.

 

Innovative scale-up

Qlayers’ proposition is unique because of the way of coating. This application makes it safer (no people at height), more efficient (machine can coat continuously) and more sustainable (less paint wasted). The market is characterized by the fact that few players are active, which is partly why there is already a lot of traction from the market in a relatively short time. We expect this company to undergo enormous growth in the coming years.

 

Investment objective

With the investment, Qlayers aims to boost sales and business development. In the coming years, Qlayers will grow into a major player in innovative coating application on the international market, where coating application without overspray will become the norm. We are proud that we can contribute to this.

 

Cooperation

‘We’re thrilled that ECFG and AkzoNobel have decided to make this investment in our company,’ says Josefien Groot, co-founder and CEO of Qlayers. ‘Our solution radically changes the way coatings are applied in industry. This investment brings us closer to our dream of a future in which every surface is multifunctional, just like in nature. Our robots allow us to coat surfaces automatically in an efficient and sustainable way and add functionalities to surfaces in the future.’

Hans Bloemen, managing director at ECFG: ‘We are impressed and have full confidence in the company, the technique, the progressive entrepreneurs and the management team. The product offered is unique and uses an innovative technique. The current phase of Qlayers fits the investment scope of Eindhoven Venture Capital Fund II (EVCF II). This fund aims to facilitate accelerated company growth in the technological ecosystem, in which we operate ‘side by side’ with the entrepreneurs and other shareholders. I am therefore particularly pleased that we can invest in Qlayers together with AkzoNobel, and that we can bundle our strengths to help Qlayers reach their next level in sales and business development. It’s not only about money, but also about knowledge and experience. This is how we realize real added value, together.’

‘This collaboration with Qlayers is not only a strategic investment for AkzoNobel and our co-investor ECFG, it’s a win-win-win for us all,’ says Menno van der Zalm, Global Director Innovation at AkzoNobel. ‘It fits our vision to make the paints and coatings value chain more sustainable and efficient with innovative products and solutions for our customers. ECFG is adding another promising enterprise to their portfolio. And Qlayers is now ready to scale up and accelerate their growth. Working together, we’re going to make progress and be successful.’