This Amsterdam Startup Just Raised $1.6M to Fix a $50K Problem

Jan de Vries · 2026-09-24

### The Invoice Problem That's Costing You Thousands You've done the work. You've sent the invoice. Now you wait. And wait. Meanwhile, payroll is due, your inventory needs restocking, and that new hire starts Monday. It's a cash flow nightmare that nearly half of B2B invoices in Western Europe know all too well—47% of them are overdue. That's exactly the problem Duqu, an Amsterdam-based FinTech, is tackling. And they've just raised €1.5 million (about $1.6 million) in pre-Seed funding from Curiosity VC and No Such Ventures to scale their solution. ### What Duqu Actually Does Duqu gives businesses immediate access to money tied up in unpaid invoices. But unlike factoring, you don't sell your invoices. You keep control of your customer relationships. There's no minimum or maximum amount, and you only pay a fee when you use an advance. Here's how it works: - You issue an invoice. - Duqu assesses it using their AI underwriting engine. - Once approved, the money hits your account within 24 hours—often within an hour. It's a short-term advance, not a loan. You're essentially unlocking cash you've already earned. ### The AI Engine That's Automating 95% of Credit Decisions What's really interesting here is the technology behind the scenes. Duqu has built a proprietary AI underwriting engine that automates about 95% of the credit assessment process. That's huge because traditional lenders often struggle to profitably process smaller credit applications—they're just too labor-intensive. > "Small applications are relatively expensive for traditional lenders to assess and process," said Herman Kienhuis of Curiosity. "Duqu has built a fully AI-driven credit assessment and processing stack. As a result, businesses with smaller credit or working capital needs can be better served." And it's not just for Duqu's own platform. The technology is modular and can be offered as a white-label solution to banks, lenders, and leasing companies. That means lenders can use Duqu's engine to assess applications according to their own credit policies—without hiring an army of analysts. ### Why This Matters Beyond Invoices Thijn van Helvoirt of No Such Ventures points out that credit assessment is still a labor-intensive process for many providers. More applications often mean more people. Duqu flips that. "The same technology can also be applied to areas such as leasing, mortgages, and buy now, pay later," van Helvoirt said. "This means that alongside its solution for businesses, Duqu is building technology that can be applied across a much broader part of the credit market." So while the company starts with invoices, the potential is much bigger. ### The Traction So Far Duqu was founded in October 2025 by Maas de Goede, Victor Brouwer, and Diederik Nassenstein. Since launch, the platform has attracted almost 1,500 users and processed €4.6 million (about $5 million) in applications, with more than €1.2 million (roughly $1.3 million) advanced. That's a solid start for a company that's only a few months old. The fresh capital will be used to grow both sides of the business: the direct platform for businesses and the white-label solution for lenders. ### The Bottom Line If you're running a business, you know the frustration of waiting to get paid. Duqu's approach—keeping control of your invoices while getting cash fast—could be a game-changer. And for lenders, their AI engine offers a way to serve smaller clients profitably. It's a win-win. And with $1.6 million in fresh funding, Duqu is just getting started.