Women TechEU

What Women TechEU does

Women TechEU is an EU-funded grant and support programme dedicated to accelerating early-stage, women-led deep tech startups across Europe. It operates as a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) project funded under Horizon Europe Pillar III (EIC Work Programme), with the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) acting as the granting authority. Each selected beneficiary receives a €75,000 non-dilutive grant together with a personalised package of mentorship, training, investor readiness coaching, leadership development, go-to-market support, environmental impact assessment, access to European events, and participation in the alumni community and local chapter network. The programme targets startups where women hold top management positions and at least 25% of shares, registered in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country for between six months and five years, operating between TRL4 and TRL6, and having raised less than €1 million in equity.

Name

Women TechEU

Legal name

Women TechEU

Website

https://womentecheurope.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women TechEU is an EU-funded programme that awards €75,000 non-dilutive grants and business support services to early-stage women-led deep tech startups across Europe, distributing €12 million to 160 beneficiaries per two-year cycle under Horizon Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Grants & Startup Support Programme

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Deep tech grants
• Women founder support
• Equity-free funding
• Startup mentorship programmes
• EU innovation funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Grant Funding: Women TechEU receives EU funding to distribute equity-free grants to women-led deep tech startups. The programme (2026-2028) has €12 million to invest across 160 beneficiaries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Women TechEU is an EU-funded programme that provides €75,000 non-dilutive grants and a holistic business development package (mentorship, training, expert guidance, networking, and matchmaking) to early-stage women-led deep tech startups registered in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The current 2026-2028 edition is delivering €12 million in equity-free grants to 160 beneficiaries selected through a continuous open call.

Product overview

Women TechEU is a funding and support programme (not a conventional product company) offering an EU-funded initiative that provides €75,000 non-dilutive grants and a holistic business development programme to women-led deep tech startups across Europe. The programme operates through a two-phase application process (Eligibility Check and Full Proposal) via the Sploro Platform, supplemented by services including mentorship, investor readiness training, leadership development, go-to-market support, environmental impact assessment, access to European tech events, local chapters, and an alumni community. The current edition (2026-2028) is led by a 15-organisation consortium with €12 million in total grant funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Women TechEU Programme (2026-2028) EU-funded support programme providing €75,000 equity-free grants and a personalised business development package (mentorship, training, expert guidance, networking, matchmaking, and access to high-impact European events) to early-stage women-led deep tech startups registered in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 344 women-led companies supported since 2021
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• EIT ManufacturingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Knowledge and innovation community supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Leads the consortium as coordinator, leveraging its network and landmark events. EITM West (San Sebastian, Spain) is the coordinator, with EITM South (Italy) and EITM East (Austria) as affiliated partners.
• SplorocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Innovation advisory firm from Spain with long experience in managing open innovation programmes and cascade funding. Leads Women TechEU 2 EIC (2026-2028) consortium as the primary coordinator.
• AwakenHubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026All-female team from Ireland enhancing opportunities, access, and connectivity for female founders. Coordinates effort to evaluate applicants and provides community and investment access support.
• AcrossLimitscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Dynamic company based in Malta offering European solutions for technology, innovation, and funding. Guides communication and dissemination activities and links service delivery.
• European Business Angels Network (EBAN)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Pan-European representative for early stage investor community, gathering over 100 member organizations in more than 50 countries. Estimated to invest €11.4 billion annually.
• Finance InnovationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Global competitiveness cluster created by the French government in 2007. Special focus on women in Fintech with vast network of valuable members and partners.
• AFAEMME (Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Federation of Businesswomen Associations in the Mediterranean launched in 2002 in Barcelona. Comprises 65 businesswomen organisations from 24 Mediterranean countries.
• EIT Food SouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Part of Europe's largest food innovation community, working to build a future-fit food system. Supports the Women TechEU consortium with their network and expertise.
• EIT Health SpainsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Network of best-in-class health innovators with approximately 120 partners. Brings together relevant players of the health innovation value chain in Spain.
• EIT Climate-KICsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Europe's leading climate innovation agency and community. Uses a systems approach to shape innovation supporting cities, regions, countries and industries meet climate ambitions.
• WA4STEAM (Women Angels For STEAM)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Growing international community of women angel investors seeking to expand women entrepreneurial presence in STEAM fields. Provides seed capital and strategic partnership nurturing women future leaders.
• European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)coreOthers · 1 January 2026Granting authority for the Women TechEU programme. Managed the pilot scheme directly in 2021 and continues as granting authority for the externalised consortium projects.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator: EIC Accelerator is the downstream EU funding mechanism that Women TechEU alumni are explicitly bridged into. Same granting authority (EISMEA), same Horizon Europe Pillar III umbrella, same target (deep tech SMEs), and complementary grant + equity structure.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC and accelerator with strong European presence, actively investing in and supporting founders at pre-seed and seed stages. Comparable in combining non-dilutive/equity-light support with structured founder development, though it takes equity and is not women-specific.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator running structured founder-development programmes with mentorship, training, and investor access. Comparable in delivering early-stage startup education and structured curriculum, though it operates for equity and is not women- or deep tech-focused.
• MassChallenge: Global non-equity accelerator that provides equity-free cash prizes, mentorship, and corporate connections to early-stage startups. Closely comparable to Women TechEU in its equity-free grant model and startup support services, though not women- or deep tech-specific.
• EU Prize for Women Innovators: Also an EU Commission initiative focused on recognising and supporting women-led deep tech and science-based innovators across Europe. Comparable in mission, target audience (women founders in deep tech), and EU institutional backing.
• SoGal Foundation: Global community and venture platform dedicated to supporting diverse and women founders. Comparable in mission (women in tech entrepreneurship), community-led GTM, and offering of educational + capital-access programmes, though operates more as a network than a grantmaking institution.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: The world's most prominent startup accelerator, offering seed funding, mentorship, and demo days. Comparable as a benchmark for early-stage accelerator outcomes, but operates at much larger scale, takes equity, and is not focused exclusively on women or deep tech.
• Techstars: A leading global accelerator network offering mentorship-driven programmes for early-stage startups. Comparable in delivering structured mentorship and investor introductions, though operates a for-profit model with equity stakes across a broader startup portfolio, not women-only deep tech.

Regional players

• TechWomen: U.S. State Department initiative supporting women in STEM from Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East through mentorship and exchange programmes. Comparable in mission (women in STEM/tech leadership) and structured mentorship model, but operates in different geographies.

Others

• Female Founders Fund: A US-based early-stage venture fund explicitly backing women-led companies, including in tech and deep tech. Comparable in its mission-aligned capital allocation to women founders, though it operates as a for-profit VC taking equity rather than as a grantmaking programme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WomenTechEU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/womentecheu
• Instagraminstagram.com/womentecheu
• Xx.com/womentecheurope

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments8 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women TechEU