Women TechEU 2 EIC – Equity-Free Funding and Business Support for Women-Led Deep-Tech Startups

About

Women TechEU 2 EIC awards €75,000 equity-free grants and a six-month business-support package to early-stage, women-led deep-tech startups registered in eligible EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Benefits

• 💰Financial Support
  €75,000 in non-dilutive, equity-free funding per selected startup, awarded to the company; the programme plans to allocate €12 million to 160 startups between 2026 and 2028
• 🤝Mentoring Support
  Personalised one-to-one mentoring from an expert as part of the business-development programme
• 🎓Training and Coaching
  Tailored training, coaching and expert guidance through a six-month support programme co-designed with the entrepreneur and programme team
• 🌐Matchmaking and Networking
  Matchmaking with investors and corporates, networking opportunities, and support in accessing EIC funding and support schemes

Eligibility Criteria

• 👩‍💼 Women Founders
• Mandatory: A woman must be a legally recognised founder or co-founder and actively participate in the programme if selected
• 👩‍💻 Women in Leadership and Ownership
• Mandatory: At least one woman founder or co-founder must currently hold a top management position, such as CEO, CTO, CSO or equivalent, and women must own at least 25% of the company’s shares at submission
• 🇪🇺 Geographic and Company Age Eligibility
• Mandatory: The applicant company must be registered and established in an eligible EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country for at least six months and no more than five years at the eligibility cut-off
• 🏢 Company Type and SME Status
• Mandatory: The applicant must be a private commercial entity, not a foundation, association, federation or NGO, and must qualify as an autonomous SME with fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover not exceeding €50 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million
• 💶 Equity Funding Limit
• Mandatory: The startup must have raised less than €1 million in equity
• 🔬 Deep-Tech Innovation Stage
• Mandatory: The startup must be developing deep-tech innovation at TRL 4–6 inclusive, before a high-fidelity MVP. AI-based innovations must have progressed beyond the concept, dataset-collection and algorithm-development stages
• 🚫 Previous Funding Restrictions
• Mandatory: The application must not have already received funding for the same activities from a previous Women TechEU initiative or the EIC Accelerator
• ⚖️ Conflict of Interest
• Mandatory: Women TechEU 2 EIC consortium partners, their affiliated entities, employees and subcontractors are not eligible
• 📝 Application Process
• Mandatory: Applications must be submitted in English through the official Sploro platform, and only one application per company is allowed
• ⭐ Preferred Criteria
• No preferred eligibility criteria are publicly stated

Participation Commitments

If selected, the woman founder or co-founder must actively participate in the Women TechEU programme. The selected startup participates in a six-month support programme co-designed with the programme team and individualised development KPIs. The €75,000 grant is explicitly non-dilutive and equity-free.

Target Sector

Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other

Target Location

EU Member State, including its outermost regions, or a Horizon Europe Associated Country and EU countries