Aepa

What Aepa does

AEPA (Asociación de Empresarias, Profesionales y Directivas de la Provincia de Alicante) is a non-profit professional and business association founded in 1996 and headquartered at C/ Orense n.º 10, 03003 in Alicante, Spain. It represents and serves female entrepreneurs, professionals, executives, and businesswomen across the Alicante province and the broader Valencian Community, positioning itself as the leading voice for women in business in the region. The organization is member-based, governed by a Junta Directiva (Marcela Fernández is identified as President in 2026; Mª José Bernabéu Santonja is also referenced as President in a prior period), and operates under Spanish tax identification CIF G-53151023 with no parent company or external equity ownership.

AEPA's product and service portfolio centers on the Sello de Igualdad AEPA (gender equality certification seal), professional networking through Red AEPA (redaepa.es), training and events (Píldoras Formativas, leadership jornadas, the annual Premios AEPA awards), entrepreneurship support, innovation and emerging-technology information, sustainability advisory, and corporate social responsibility programming. It also operates a mobile application (APP Aepa), the international short-film festival Cortesinafest (Certamen Internacional de Cortometrajes Helena Cortesina, V edition in 2026), and a Book Club under its Mujeres por la Igualdad program. Distribution is primarily through association membership, in-person events, the website (aepalicante.net), social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify), and email newsletters.

Revenue is generated through membership dues (not publicly disclosed), event fees (small-ticket, e.g., €20 per person for a 2017 networking lunch), and project-based public institutional grants, notably from the Agencia Valenciana de la Innovación (AVI) for the Visibilización de Empresarias program. AEPA holds strategic partnerships with the Universidad de Alicante, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, COEPA, Asociación Mujeres por la Igualdad, and various regional government bodies (Diputación de Alicante, IMPULSALICANTE, Instituto de las Mujeres), forming an integrated ecosystem rather than a traditional technology product stack.

Name

Aepa

Legal name

Asociación de Empresarias, Profesionales y Directivas de la Provincia de Alicante (AEPA)

Website

https://aepalicante.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AEPA is a non-profit professional and business association founded in 1996 in Alicante, Spain, serving female entrepreneurs, professionals, executives, and businesswomen in the Alicante province through networking, training, events, and a gender-equality certification seal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alicante

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AEPA is a non-profit professional and business association serving women entrepreneurs, professionals, executives, and businesswomen in the province of Alicante. It delivers membership-based services including a proprietary gender equality certification (Sello de Igualdad AEPA), professional networking (Networking/Red AEPA), training and events (Formación y Eventos), entrepreneurship support (Emprendimiento), innovation and technology advisory, sustainability guidance, corporate social responsibility programs, and a member mobile application (APP Aepa). The association also runs the annual Premios AEPA awards and co-organizes the international Cortesinafest short film festival.

Product overview

AEPA (Asociación de Empresarias, Profesionales y Directivas de la provincia de Alicante) is a professional and business association for women, founded in 1996. Rather than a unified technology product, AEPA offers a portfolio of services including the Sello de Igualdad (equality certification), professional networking programs, training and events, entrepreneurship support, innovation and technology services, sustainability initiatives, and corporate social responsibility programs. The association also operates a mobile app (APP Aepa), maintains the Red AEPA professional network, runs the Mujeres por la Igualdad program including the Cortesinafest international short film festival, and hosts the annual Premios AEPA awards ceremony. Additional offerings include video-based educational content (Píldoras Formativas) and a book club. The organization serves as a professional network representing women entrepreneurs, professionals, executives, and businesswomen in Alicante province.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sello de Igualdad AEPA Proprietary certification seal recognizing companies and organizations for their commitment to gender equality in the workplace. Awarded to member companies that meet AEPA's equality criteria.
• Networking (Red AEPA) Professional networking service enabling strategic connections, experience sharing, and business opportunities among women business owners, professionals, and executives in the Alicante region. Includes access to the Red AEPA member network.
• Formación y Eventos (Training and Events) Training programs and events designed to strengthen leadership, business management, personal development, social responsibility, and emerging-technology competencies for women members.
• Emprendimiento (Entrepreneurship Support) Support services for women entrepreneurs, including guidance for starting and consolidating business projects, with access to AEPA's network of businesswomen and professionals.
• APP Aepa Mobile Application Mobile application for AEPA members to access association services, content, and networking features on iOS and Android devices.
• Red AEPA Network Platform AEPA's dedicated online network of associated companies (redaepa.es) where member companies can promote their services, find business partners, and strengthen the ecosystem of female entrepreneurship in the province of Alicante.

Quantifiable outcome

• 13 company visits coordinated and 35 associates participated in the Visibilización de Empresarias program
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NazaretminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2017AEPA signed a collaboration agreement with Nazaret, a center providing education and support to children, adolescents, and youth up to 24 years at risk of social exclusion. AEPA committed to disseminating Nazaret's needs among its members and encouraging participation from associated companies. Nazaret was founded in 1957 and works with local businesses for support.
• Universidad de Alicante (UA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA and the Universidad de Alicante signed a collaboration agreement for the delivery of the 'Curso de Especialización en Igualdad de Género en la Empresa' (Specialization Course in Gender Equality in Business), contributing to the academic and professional development of women in the region.
• Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA and Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche signed a framework convention to jointly combat the digital gender gap, supporting women's access to technology and digital skills development.
• COEPA (Confederación Empresarial de la Provincia de Alicante)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA collaborates with COEPA and participates in joint networking events. The President of COEPA (Francisco Gómez) has attended AEPA networking events, and both organizations work to showcase the potential of female businesswomen and professionals in the province of Alicante.
• Vissum / Fundación Jorge AlióminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA signed a collaboration agreement with Vissum and Fundación Jorge Alió, expanding its network of institutional partners and cross-promoting activities between organizations.
• JovempaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA signed a collaboration agreement with Jovempa (the young entrepreneurs association), recognizing Almudena Gonzalo, managing director of Jovempa, with the AEPA Asociada 2018 award, demonstrating the inter-associative collaboration between youth entrepreneurship and female business organizations.
• Asociación Mujeres por la Igualdad (Cortesina Fest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAEPA co-organizes the Certamen Internacional de Cortometrajes Helena Cortesina with the Asociación Mujeres por la Igualdad de Alicante. The festival, now in its V edition, promotes gender equality through cinema and is supported by multiple institutions including the Instituto de las Mujeres del Ministerio de Igualdad, the Diputación de Alicante, IMPULSALICANTE, and others. Marcela Fernández is President of both AEPA and Mujeres por la Igualdad.
• Red AEPAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRed AEPA (redaepa.es) is the network of AEPA-associated companies, functioning as a channel through which member companies can promote their services, find business partners, and strengthen the ecosystem of female entrepreneurship in the province.
• Instituto de las Mujeres — Ministerio de IgualdadminorOthersThe Instituto de las Mujeres del Ministerio de Igualdad is listed as a supporting institution for the Cortesina Fest film festival co-organized by AEPA, indicating a financial and institutional support relationship.
• Diputación de AlicanteminorOthersThe provincial government of Alicante (Diputación de Alicante) is listed as a supporting institution for the Cortesina Fest film festival, indicating financial and institutional backing for AEPA's cultural and equality initiatives.
• IMPULSALICANTEminorOthersIMPULSALICANTE is listed as an institutional supporter of the Cortesina Fest festival, working alongside AEPA to promote gender equality and cultural initiatives in the province.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• BPW International - Business and Professional Women: BPW International is a global federation of business and professional women's associations with chapters in over 100 countries, advancing women's representation in business and policy through training and advocacy. AEPA's positioning as an institutional voice for female professionals in Alicante mirrors BPW's local-chapter model of women-professionals associations delivering training and advocacy.

Direct peers

• EVAP - Empresarial Valenciana de Mujeres Directivas y Profesionales: EVAP is the closest functional peer to AEPA: a Spanish women-business and professional association serving executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals in the neighboring Valencia province, with the same membership, networking, training, and visibility mandate. The two operate as sister associations within the broader Comunitat Valenciana region and serve an overlapping member profile of female business leaders.
• FEDEPE - Federación Española de Mujeres Directivas, Ejecutivas, Profesionales y Empresarias: FEDEPE is the national Spanish federation grouping associations of female executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals. It represents the same institutional category as AEPA (women's professional/business associations) but operates at national scope, providing AEPA with a natural umbrella/peer relationship and a potential channel to scale beyond Alicante.

Others

• Jovempa - Asociación de Jóvenes Empresarios de la Provincia de Alicante: Jovempa is the young entrepreneurs association of Alicante province and a formal collaboration partner of AEPA (joint awards and inter-associative activities, including the AEPA Asociada 2018 award to Jovempa's managing director). It is adjacent to AEPA because it serves a different demographic (young entrepreneurs regardless of gender) but shares overlapping networking and training infrastructure in the same Alicante market.
• COEPA - Confederació Empresarial de la Província d'Alacant: COEPA is the broader Alicante provincial employers' confederation and an active institutional partner of AEPA (joint networking events, attendance by COEPA President). It is adjacent rather than directly competitive: COEPA represents the overall Alicante business community, while AEPA focuses specifically on female entrepreneurs and professionals within that same provincial business ecosystem.

Regional players

• AMMME - Asociación Malagueña de Mujeres Empresarias: AMMME is a Spanish women-business association operating in Málaga/Andalucía, sharing AEPA's regional association model: networking events, training, awards, and representation of female entrepreneurs in a specific Spanish province. It is a comparable template for how a Spanish provincial women's business association is structured and monetized, though in a different region.
• NAWBO - National Association of Women Business Owners: NAWBO is the largest US-based membership organization for women business owners, performing the same functions as AEPA at a much larger scale: networking, advocacy, training, certification, and policy influence for female entrepreneurs and executives. It is structurally analogous even though it operates in a different national market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aepa1
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@eventosaepa
• Facebookfacebook.com/AEPAlicante
• Instagraminstagram.com/aepa.alicante
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aepa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aepa