Amsterdam, 24 September 2026 – Duqu has raised €1.5 million in a pre-seed round from Curiosity VC and No Such Ventures. The Amsterdam-based fintech gives businesses immediate access to money they have already earned but that remains tied up in outstanding invoices. The company has also developed its own AI underwriting engine, automating 95% of the credit assessment process. Duqu also offers the technology as a white-label solution to banks, lenders and leasing companies. The investment will be used to further grow both parts of the business.
Duqu co-founder Maas de Goede came up with the idea after an entrepreneur he knew approached him for a loan while waiting for a customer payment. The business was financially healthy, but its money was still tied up in an outstanding invoice with a long payment term. That experience is far from unique. Nearly half (47%) of B2B invoices in Western Europe are overdue. As a result, money that businesses have already earned can remain tied up for weeks, while employee salaries still need to be paid and investments in inventory, marketing or a new hire cannot wait. Duqu solves this with a short-term advance, giving businesses access to the money tied up in an outstanding invoice as soon as the invoice is issued.
Access to invoice value without factoring
Duqu assesses outstanding B2B invoices and, based on that assessment, advances the invoice amount to the business. Unlike factoring, businesses do not sell their invoices and retain control of the customer relationship. There is no minimum or maximum amount, and businesses only pay a fee when they actually use an advance. Once approved, the money is transferred within 24 hours, and often within an hour. “Businesses can arrange almost everything instantly today, yet after completing the work they can still wait weeks to get paid,” says De Goede. “That no longer matches the pace at which businesses operate. Growth cannot wait for an invoice to be paid.”
Crediting the uncredited
Demand for short-term working capital is high. In its first three months since going live, Duqu processed more than €4.5 million in applications and provided over €1 million in advances. According to investor Curiosity, Duqu’s technology makes it possible to process smaller credit applications profitably. “Small applications are relatively expensive for traditional lenders to assess and process,” says 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.”
White label for financial services providers
Duqu has been building its proprietary AI underwriting engine for the past year and a half, currently automating around 95% of the credit assessment process. The technology is modular and can also be deployed outside Duqu’s own platform. Lenders can use the engine as a white-label solution to automatically assess applications according to their own credit policies. “Credit assessment is still a labour-intensive process for many providers. As a result, processing more applications often means hiring more people,” says Thijn van Helvoirt of No Such Ventures. “Duqu automates a large part of that process while allowing lenders to retain their own credit policies. The same technology can also be applied to areas such as leasing, mortgages and buy now, pay later. 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.”
About Duqu
Duqu is an Amsterdam-based fintech that gives businesses immediate access to money tied up in outstanding invoices. Through its platform, businesses can apply for a short-term advance without selling their invoice and without a minimum or maximum amount. Duqu developed its own AI underwriting engine to assess applications, which is also available to financial services providers as a white-label solution. Duqu was founded in October 2025 by Maas de Goede, Victor Brouwer and Diederik Nassenstein. The platform currently has almost 1,500 users and has processed €4.6 million in applications since launch, of which more than €1,200,000 has been advanced.
