SheEIC #5: Women leaders on balancing innovation and risk — lessons from the EIC Women Leadership Programme
- ›The EIC Women Leadership Programme released SheEIC episode 5 on decision making and balancing innovation and risk.
- ›Episode guests include Kaija Pöysti, an EIC coach with extensive industry experience, and Cristina Corchero, founder and EIC awardee.
- ›The podcast forms part of a broader EIC effort to boost women-led deep tech through training, mentorship and ecosystem services.
- ›EIC Business Acceleration Services report sizeable activity metrics but programme support is mainly nonfinancial and limited to EIC and EIT beneficiaries.
- ›Practical details on programme eligibility, attendance rules and how to follow future calls are included, with a measured view on gaps and limits.
SheEIC #5 and the question every founder faces: how much risk is wise when you are trying to innovate
The EIC Women Leadership Programme has published the fifth episode of SheEIC, the podcast series intended to amplify women’s voices in deep tech and innovation. Episode 5 focuses on decision making in tech leadership and balancing innovation and risk. The host Oana Popescu talks with Kaija Pöysti, an EIC Coach and CEO of Aldanella Oy with over 40 years of industry experience, and Cristina Corchero, Founder and CTO of Bamboo Energy, an EIC awardee and alumna of the EIC Women Leadership Programme. The episode is available now and listeners are invited to subscribe via the EIC YouTube channel.
What the episode covers and why it matters
The conversation frames decision making as a practical skill for founders and senior leaders rather than as a rhetorical ideal. Guests discuss concrete trade offs between pursuing high risk disruptive research and protecting organisational runway. Topics include how to make faster operational decisions, when to pilot in the market, how to structure teams so that innovation can survive scrutiny, and how mentors and coaches can help founders test assumptions without exposing the company to catastrophic failure.
Who is speaking on SheEIC #5
Host Oana Popescu leads the discussion with two contributors chosen for both operational and technical credibility. Kaija Pöysti brings decades of experience in founding and coaching companies and serves as an EIC Coach. Cristina Corchero is an EIC awardee and the founder and CTO of Bamboo Energy. Her presence illustrates the programme’s focus on practitioners who have navigated the boundary between research and marketable products.
The EIC Women Leadership Programme in context
SheEIC is produced within the EIC Women Leadership Programme which itself sits under the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The programme provides a package of training, mentoring and business coaching to women researchers and entrepreneurs in the EIC and EIT communities. It is designed to improve leadership and pitching skills, public speaking and negotiation, and to expand networks inside the European innovation ecosystem.
Practical programme details and timelines to note
The EIC Women Leadership Programme runs cohorts that combine online sessions with an in-person kick-off or bootcamp. The programme maintains an alumni network on LinkedIn and offers visibility opportunities, such as pitching at events. Applications for the programme are cyclical. At the time SheEIC #5 was published, applications were closed and the next call was expected in early spring 2026, according to the EIC Community announcements.
| Item | Detail | Notes |
| SheEIC episode | Episode 5: Decision-making in tech leadership | Available on EIC YouTube |
| Key guests | Kaija Pöysti and Cristina Corchero | Kaija is an EIC Coach and CEO of Aldanella Oy. Cristina is Founder and CTO of Bamboo Energy and an EIC awardee |
| Programme eligibility | Women in EIC or EIT supported organisations, founders and leaders | Researchers aspiring to lead can be included in specific cohorts |
| Financial support | No direct funding for participants | Travel and accommodation costs are not covered |
| Next application window | Expected early spring 2026 | Subscribe to the EIC BAS newsletter for updates |
Where the Women Leadership Programme sits inside EIC Business Acceleration Services
The Women Leadership Programme is one pillar of the EIC Business Acceleration Services which aim to help EIC awardees go to market, find partners and raise investment. EIC BAS groups its offer into three pillars: Contracts, Contacts and Skills. The services include corporate partnership days, global expansion programmes, procurement matchmaking, investor readiness training and coaching schemes.
| Metric | Reported figure | Context or time frame |
| One-on-one meetings facilitated | More than 20,000 | Since 2021 |
| Deals reported | 595 | Since 2021 |
| Capital raised through investor outreach | EUR 350 million | Since 2021 |
| Capital raised by EIC Scaling Club members | EUR 1.2 billion | Since joining the club |
| Turnover from trade fairs | EUR 42 million | Reported since 2024 |
| Innovation procurement value raised | EUR 7.7 million | Out of EUR 28.4 million in tenders submitted since March 2024 |
| Pilots supported | 22 ongoing and 16 completed | Supported with EUR 1.93 million |
| People coached across EIC BAS | Over 2,400 awardees and applicants | Since 2021 |
| WLP alumnae reporting skill increase | About 90% | Self reported |
Application mechanics and participation obligations
Past cohorts detail the practical application process. Applicants needed to demonstrate involvement in an EIC or EIT funded project by providing project identifiers and a short CV. The programme requires substantial engagement. Participants in the 9th cohort were expected to attend at least 85 percent of sessions and to join an in-person kick-off bootcamp. Missing two consecutive sessions without justification could lead to removal from the cohort.
A critical view: what the programmes do and where questions remain
The EIC’s investment in skills and networks is an important complement to direct funding. Training and mentoring can increase founders’ capability to pitch, to recruit and to run commercial pilots. The metrics published by EIC BAS show activity at scale but do not by themselves prove long term impact. Much of the programme value is measured through self reported improvements and short term outputs such as meetings and pilot projects. Longer term independent evaluation would be needed to demonstrate durable increases in funding outcomes, company survival and scaling particularly in widening countries that historically lag behind core innovation hubs.
How to follow up and where to get more information
Listeners who want to engage can tune into SheEIC via the EIC YouTube channel and subscribe to the EIC Business Acceleration Services newsletter for updates on calls and events. For questions about the EIC Women Leadership Programme contact the EIC Community through the contact page and select the 'EIC Women Leadership Programme' category. Frequently asked questions and past cohort details are available on the EIC Community platform.
Bottom line
SheEIC #5 is a pragmatic episode aimed at practitioners who need tested approaches to decision making under uncertainty. The EIC Women Leadership Programme provides access to coaches, mentors and peers that can sharpen those approaches. The programme’s value is real for participants who can access it. At the same time policy watchers and participants should press for clearer, longer term evaluation of outcomes and for widened access beyond existing EIC and EIT funding networks so that support reaches a broader cross section of European women innovators.