The third edition of Women TechEU (2026-2028), an EU-funded project supporting women leading deep tech startup companies from Europe, has been launched and opened its call for applications. 

Over the next two years, 160 selected European startups will receive €75,000 in non-dilutive funding, together with a personalised business development programme including one-to-one mentoring, training, matchmaking with investors and corporates, and networking opportunities. 

At the heart of Women TechEU is the belief that diversity drives innovation, and for too long European women’s talent and potential has been hampered by structural barriers, including gender inequality and geographical resource capacity. Data shows that closing the gap between European women and men-led deep tech companies could unlock a value of €181 billion.

Women TechEU has cemented itself as one of the EU’s most impactful innovation support programmes, with its legacy beginning when it was administered directly by the European Commission in 2021. As of 2024, the Women TechEU Scheme has been externalised and run by two successive consortiums of European organisations. 

Looking forward to the next two years, Women TechEU continues its mission with critical adjustments that make it even more relevant as a vehicle for startup acceleration. Spanish SME Sploro now leads the 15-organisation consortium, and will coordinate the scheme until mid-2028. “In the last two years, we received applications of all kinds, which pushed the success rate below 4%. This edition is designed to fix that: a two-phase process with a rapid eligibility response, and 40% of funds reserved for Widening areas. The scheme goes beyond distributing funding, and builds an ecosystem in which a deep tech founder has real access to capital, markets, and support” says Virginia Gómez, Head of EU projects at Sploro. 

Since 2021, Women TechEU has supported 344 women-led companies over 6 cohorts who are pushing the boundaries of European deep tech. Angele Giuliano, Maltese entrepreneur, and one of the core managing partners, reflects: “Women TechEU has been seen by our awardees as an instrumental gamechanger for their progress in scaling up their business. We are building a real community and network of female leaders that are not only recognised as deep tech leaders, but that are able to inspire others to follow in their footsteps, thus helping the European economy to grow and thrive.”