Women TechEU

Women TechEU is sponsored by European Commission. Women TechEU is an EU-funded initiative supporting early-stage, women-led deep-tech startups. It provides equity-free grants, mentoring, and business coaching to help these companies grow and scale their breakthrough technologies.

Women TechEU - European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) Supporting deep-tech start-ups led by women Funded under the European Innovation Ecosystems work programme of Horizon Europe, Women TechEU is a new initiative of the European Union. The scheme offers first-class coaching and mentoring to female founders, as well as targeted funding to help take their business to the next level.

Women TechEU offers: Financial support to the company as an individual grant of EUR 75 000 to support the initial steps in the innovation process, and the growth of the company, Mentoring and coaching provided by the EIC Business Acceleration Services (BAS), under the new “Women Leadership Programme” , which include dedicated networking and pitching events, The possibility to participate in dedicated activities organised by InvestEU and Enterprise Europe Network .

As of 2023, the Women TechEU scheme and related calls are organised by an external consortium. You will find more information on the WomenTechEU consortium's website and in the Horizon Europe European Innovation Ecosystems Work Programme 2023-2024 . There are no more calls planned under the 2024-26 edition of the project.

Stay tuned to learn more about the next edition. The Women TechEU pilot scheme was launched on 13 July 2021 as a new EU scheme supporting deep-tech start-ups led by women and helping them grow into tomorrow’s deep tech champions. Under the Women TechEU pilot call, 50 promising deep-tech start-ups from the EU Member States and Associated Countries have received targeted funding and first-class coaching and mentoring.

After its successful pilot, in 2022, the Commission has launched a second WomenTechEU call, with an increased budget of 10 million euro. Another 134 deep-tech companies , founded by women, have been provided with financial support and mentoring services as a result. As of 2023, the Women TechEU scheme and related calls are organised by an external consortium.

Check the list of the 134 selected companies Meet the Women TechEU pilot beneficiaries Guidelines for applicants The Women TechEU project organised info sessions for their calls. If you have any question about the application, check the Applicant Guidelines and FAQs here .

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 initiative brought together 200 attendees for a vibrant celebration of the achievements of women-led start-ups in the deep tech sector Winners of the last Women TechEU Open Call After a thorough evaluation process 40 winners were selected, representing 20 countries, including 8 from widening countries Powering innovation & driving investment: how EU-funded start-ups are shaping Europe’s future Europe’s start-up scene is heating up thanks to smart EU backing.

From AI-powered waste tech to green farming robots, start-ups supported by the European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE) programme are scaling fast and securing millions in funding