Fighting crime with code: Avendar’s way to help enforce the law

Crime continues to thrive, with cybercriminals leveraging AI to commit scams and hacking attacks. Those who have to catch them are often ill-equipped to fight, relying on outdated technology if not on paper. One of this year’s G&A winners is helping change that. 

Avendar is helping public organizations, such as the police and municipalities, investigate crime, fraud, and risks using AI. The company has developed a system that helps investigators connect the dots by making sense of the vast amount of information public servants have at their disposal, enabling them to act more quickly. 

Helping investigators make better decisions

The problem the startup is trying to solve is very tangible. Nowadays, investigators still work with legacy systems comprising large PDF files, public registers, and spreadsheets, in which information can’t be found immediately. As a result, investigations go more slowly, some cases are dropped, and signals are missed. In other words, investigators can’t be as proactive as they should. 

“Police detectives can only pick one in five cases due to a lack of capacity. We aim not to replace investigators, but to help them spend less time on manual work and more time on making good decisions,” highlights Marijn van Aerle, one of Avendar's co-founders. 

The system collects information from sources such as documents, case files, and public registers. It reads and structures this data, finding people, companies, and transactions, and shows how different individuals or entities are connected. At the same time, the platform highlights what is missing or unusual, maintaining an overview of what has been found. 

Operating with sensitive information calls for rigorous data privacy standards. “The platform is built for sensitive public-sector work. Data stays in a secure European environment, AI models run locally, and every finding is traceable and reviewable,” he explains. 

Early validation from the public sector

Avendar’s platform is already making an impact. Although the startup was founded in January 2025, it has already secured key customers, including the National Police and the municipalities of Amsterdam and The Hague. 

“These are exactly the kind of organizations Avendar is built for. They have strict requirements around security, reliability, and trust. Winning these first customers shows that the problem is real and that Avendar’s solution is relevant,” states Van Aerle proudly. 

As a small company that has public bodies as clients, meeting the security requirements has been challenging, as has been gaining their trust. More importantly, investigators need to feel at ease when using AI to conduct sensitive work. 

Series

G&A Awards 2026

Every year, we award 10 rising startups based in the Brainport region. In this series, you can get to know this year's winners better.

View series

Built for investigators

However, having a background in fintech, the founding team have been aware of the compliance challenge from the start. Regulations and the case law being created now will help create the clarity needed to move forward, and a platform that already checks all those boxes is simply easier for institutions to adopt than one that doesn't.

The founder highlights three aspects that set Avendar apart from the rest. “First, the product is made for real investigation workflows, not generic office work. Second, we are built in compliance with European data protection standards and to cater to public sector needs. Third, we offer a platform that can be used in pilots and then scaled, with several investigations workflows built in.”

Dealing with compliance

In May, the company secured a €2.2 million seed funding round, securing backing from venture capital firm LUMO Labs and the North Brabant Development Agency (BOM). This funding round and securing the first customers have been important milestones in the very first months since founding.

Despite the early engagement with the public sector, the startup aims to better connect with the government. “There are a lot of networks we are not part of yet,” underlines Van Aerle. Avendar aims to onboard every Dutch municipality onto its platform, as well as all government agencies that tackle subversive crime.

Expanding this network is crucial for the startup, which is also working to enter other European countries. Scaling will be the next chapter. Avendar is ready for it, aiming to offer investigators a powerful tool to tackle crime and fraud.