A sense of community and practical support: one founder’s experience with the EIC Women Leadership Programme

The EIC Women Leadership Programme, run by the European Innovation Council Business Acceleration Services in partnership with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, aims to develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills among women researchers and founders across the EIC and EIT communities. Participants receive tailored training, one to one mentoring and business coaching and they take part in networking events. For Foody co-founder and CEO Sissi Simeonova the programme offered a combination of practical learning and emotional support that helped her address growth challenges and plan international expansion.

From discovery to application: why a founder joined the WLP

Sissi discovered the programme via LinkedIn after seeing a post by a fellow Bulgarian entrepreneur who had previously participated. She says the eligibility criteria and the promise of training and mentorship encouraged her to apply. Her immediate goal was to meet peers across Europe and to get training aligned with Foody’s growth stage. She explained that her motivation was to meet other female peers who run research teams or companies across Europe and to gain training and mentorship needed for her company’s current stage.

What Foody does and the leadership challenge

Foody is a Bulgarian web application aimed at reducing food waste by connecting food producers and retailers with customers for short dated quality food at a discount. The service was started during the COVID 19 pandemic and positions sustainable eating as an easier choice for consumers. As CEO Sissi has taken responsibility across functions from marketing to sales while drawing on her background in engineering and process optimisation. Growth and scaling beyond national borders were presented as the primary business challenges she faced.

What the Women Leadership Programme delivered for Sissi

Sissi highlights three concrete returns from participation. First she values the mentorship she received. She was matched with Martin Desmaras whose guidance she says built her confidence and practical skills. The mentee and mentor decided to continue their relationship beyond the end of the cohort. Second she appreciated the focused sessions on scaling and cross border expansion where peers shared real world experiences. Third she found the in person meeting at the EIC Summit in Brussels useful for networking and idea exchange with participants and stakeholders.

Peer network and community effects

A recurring theme in Sissi’s account is community. She says the cohort revealed shared struggles among female founders from different countries and sectors. That recognition provided both emotional reassurance and practical avenues for solving problems together. The programme aims to convert these cohort bonds into longer term alumni networks and visibility in the European innovation ecosystem.

Skills and persistent value

Participants report improvements in leadership, communication and negotiation. Sissi says her perspective on challenges has changed and that she now knows different ways to overcome them. She expects the insights to be important throughout her career and plans to keep engaging with her mentor and the cohort community.

Programme schedule and next cohorts

At the time of Sissi’s interview the WLP had completed its fourth cohort for women entrepreneurs. The fifth cohort, oriented to female researchers, began in April 2024. Applications for the sixth cohort were set to open at the end of June 2024 with the programme due to start in October 2024. The upcoming cohort was planned to target women entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders within the EIC beneficiary ecosystem.

How the WLP fits into EIC strategy and related initiatives

Support to women innovators is positioned by the EIC as a strategic priority for 2021 to 2027. The agency points to several complementary actions intended to narrow the gender gap in research and business. These include targeted selection practices for Accelerator interviews, the Women TechEU initiative for early stage women led deep tech start ups and the European Prize for Women Innovators which recognises high impact female led innovations.

A measured view: benefits and caveats

Personal accounts like Sissi’s show clear short term benefits in confidence building, expanded networks and practical advice on scaling. These are valuable outcomes for individual founders. At the same time the broader claim that programmes such as the WLP will materially alter structural gender imbalances in innovation deserves scrutiny. Selection bias is a factor because these cohorts typically attract motivated, already connected candidates. Long term impact on funding outcomes, market scale up and exits is harder to prove and requires systematic follow up and independent evaluation. Public bodies increasingly publish participation statistics. However causation between participation and business success is not straightforward and depends on many variables including market fit, capital access and ecosystem support in founders’ home countries.

How to follow up or apply

The EIC encourages interested candidates to bookmark the programme page on the EIC Community platform and to monitor open calls through the EIC BAS newsletter. For specific enquiries participants are directed to the EIC Community contact page and to choose 'EIC Women Leadership Programme' as the subject for helpdesk queries. At the time of the article applications were closed but an early spring 2026 call window was also referenced for future cohorts in other EIC pages. Prospective applicants should check the EIC Community for the latest calls and eligibility details.

Final note from a founder

Sissi described the programme as changing how she approaches challenges and giving her tools to overcome them. She values the mentor match and the cohort bond that reassured her she is not alone in tackling scale up problems. She remains committed to staying in touch with her mentor and expects the experience to deliver benefits over time.