The Women TechEU 2024-26 edition wraps-up, celebrating pioneering women-led start-ups from Europe and beyond

On 4 March, the final event of the Women TechEU 2024-26 edition, took place at the Residence Palace in Brussels, bringing together 200 attendees for a celebration of the achievements of women-led start-ups in the deep tech sector.

The EU-funded Women TechEU initiative supports early-stage start-ups where at least 25% of shareholding is held by women and where women occupy key leadership positions such as CEO or CTO. The initiative has been funded by the European Innovation Ecosystems programme (Horizon Europe) and implemented by a consortium composed of EIT Manufacturing, Sploro, AwakenHub, AcrossLimits, the European Business Angels Network, Finance Innovation, AFAEMME, EIT Food, EIT Health and Climate KIC.

THE 2024-26 PROJECT'S RESULTS

Over the course of the 2-year project, 160 women-led start-ups from across the EU and Horizon Europe associated countries received support, each benefiting from a €75 000 grant and a personalised business development programme. The programme offered workshops, mentoring, and training on crucial topics for scaling a business, including pitching to investors, selling internationally, branding and marketing, and effective communication, equipping founders with the tools they need to grow, scale their businesses, and make an impact in the deep tech sector. This support, combined with constant check-ins on Key Performance Indicators and guidance on social innovation strategies, has prepared the winners to take their ventures to the next level, including applying for European Innovation Council Accelerator funding.

SHOWCASING THE KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

The final event showcased the remarkable economic impact of the initiative. Startups from the first three cohorts alone have collectively raised over €53.8 million in private funding, advanced their products, refined their go-to-market strategies, and strengthened cross-border networks, demonstrating how Women TechEU is building interconnected, inclusive, and globally competitive innovation ecosystems while putting women at the forefront of deep tech in Europe.

Among several success stories featured during the event, four awardees from different Cohorts shared with the audience their experience with the programme: Aneta Ozierańska (Oligofeed), Ozlem Barut Selver (LimbuStem), Jekaterina Romanova (PrintyMed), Mariam Elgabry (Bronic).

Moreover, the event brought together different stakeholders of the European Innovation Ecosystem, including investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers, SMEs, service providers, as well as national and regional entities from different member states. There were also several networking moments during the day where the awardees of Women TechEU were able to showcase and demonstrate their products to the audience.

LOOKING FORWARD

Looking ahead, Women TechEU will continue to empower women entrepreneurs with additional iterations in the coming years. Stay up to date with the latest news from the programme at the EISMEA WomenTechEU webpage and keep following the beneficiaries at the Women TechEU website and the DataHub. 

MORE INFORMATION

Check the video and photos of the final event