Supporting women leading deep tech startups from Europe
to grow into tomorrow’s tech leaders
and putting women at the forefront of deep tech in Europe
We are investing €12 million in equity-free grants, which will support 160 women-led deep tech companies. We also provide business support services to each grantee.
About the scheme
Women TechEU is a 2-year EU-funded project supporting women leading deep tech startup companies from Europe.
Our mission is to create a more gender-balanced entrepreneurship ecosystem. We believe that diversity drives innovation, and we are here to provide women in deep tech with more opportunities, resources, and support to thrive.
The project consortium is launching 4 calls for applications over the span of 2 years which, following a rigorous evaluation process, will result in a total of 160 beneficiaries. Each beneficiary will receive €75k grants (non-dilutive finance) as well as a personalised business development programme which includes mentoring, coaching and targeted training among other options.
About the team
Taking over from the sterling work carried out in the past by the European Commission, The Women TechEU project is currently being run by a consortium of partners from 8 countries across Europe with the EISMEA remaining its granting authority.
The consortium partners cover all the expertise and geographies needed to reach over 15000 women entrepreneurs in deep tech from all over Europe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Women TechEU targets early-stage deep tech start-ups founded, or co-founded, by women holding a top management position (CEO, CTO or equivalent). Women should hold at least 25% of the shares in the company at the time of submission. The company must be registered and established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country for at least six months prior to the deadline of the submission date and a maximum of eight years.
The company must be a SME according to the European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC and must be at a stage before reaching a high fidelity Minimum Viable Product1 as well as having raised less than 1M€ in equity.
Neither the application as a whole nor any parts of it should have already benefitted from any other similar EU programme before e.g. Women TechEU initiative, EmpoWomen etc.
The eligibility check is done via a self-assessment questionnaire in the application form. If selected for funding, a legal validation will take place. These will require some documents that may take some time to collect, please take that into consideration. The requested elements for validation are:
• To validate the identity and the power of attorney of the person who will sign the sub-grantee, Women TechEU will ask for the ID number and an ID scanned copy of the signatory. On the scanned copy, personal information included on the ID card could be covered if not relevant for the contract signature such as religion, ethnicity and/or personal address. The picture, expiry date, name, surname, gender, number of the document and nationality should be visible without exception. Women TechEU will also ask for the power of attorney of the person who will sign the Sub-grantee agreement.
• SME declaration (see Annex 2): form based on the standard templates by the EC in which Women TechEU can verify the ownership structure and financial figures to verify the size of the company.
• Balance Sheet and P&L accounts for the last two closed years (if applicable) and the most recent CAP table (shareholding distribution). In companies with linked or associated entities, additional information (accounts for mother companies, group trees, etc.) could be requested.
For entities that are already validated by the European Commission’s Funding and Tenders Portal that count with a registered and validated PIC Number, we will request:
• The PIC Number and a screenshot of the Funding and Tenders portal in which it’s evidenced the type of organisation which has been selected as a beneficiary is required.
For entities without a validated PIC number OR without a validated status (like self- declared SMEs), we will request:
• Legal entity form. The Legal Entity form for private companies, and public law bodies necessary for the awarding of EU funding. Company Register, Official Journal and so forth, showing the name of the organisation, the legal address and registration number and public law bodies necessary for the awarding of EU funding. Company Register, Official Journal and so forth, showing the name of the organisation, the legal address and registration number and
• VAT Number registration (if applicable), a copy of a document proving VAT registration (in case the VAT number does not show on the registration extract or its equivalent).
A legal entity that does not provide the requested data and documents in due time will not be awarded.
Taking into account your particular needs and requirements it is up to you (the applicant) to choose how you plan to allocate funds towards activities that will accelerate the development, growth and sustainability of your business. For example, you can spend this grant on business model upgrade, update and consolidation of business plan and growth strategy, business model validation, update of financial plan, certifications, IP strategy and freedom to operate, commercial plan, market analysis, customer validation and technical/clinical assessment, finding partners and investors, etc. Independent expert (s) will assess whether the proposed activities are most appropriate and required to support your company’s growth and development .