Women TechEU pilot draws 391 applications from 37 countries; 50 women-led deep-tech start-ups to receive €75,000 and mentoring

Brussels, November 11th 2021

Summary

›The Women TechEU pilot attracted 391 applications by the 10 November 2021 deadline from 37 Member States and Associated Countries.
›Top applicant countries were Spain, Germany, France and the Netherlands, with Norway and Israel prominent among associated countries.
›Proposals concentrated in AI, health tech and clean tech.
›Fifty women-led early stage deep-tech start-ups will be selected to receive a grant of EUR 75,000 plus coaching through the EIC Women Leadership Programme.
›Independent experts will evaluate submissions and results were scheduled for announcement in the first quarter of 2022.
›The initiative targets the underrepresentation of women in deep tech but the grant size and pilot scale leave open questions about long term impact.

Women TechEU pilot attracts strong demand but raises questions about scale and impact

By the submission deadline of 10 November 2021 the European Commission had received 391 applications to the Women TechEU pilot call. The scheme aims to back women founders of early stage deep-tech start-ups with targeted seed grants and a leadership coaching track. The initial pilot will award financial support and mentoring to 50 selected companies. Independent experts will now evaluate the proposals and the Commission planned to announce results in the first quarter of 2022.

Applications by numbers and geography

Applications arrived from 37 countries including EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Spanish women-led start-ups submitted the largest number of proposals, followed by Germany, France and the Netherlands. The call also drew applicants from associated countries. Most associated-country proposals came from Norway and Israel, and submissions also arrived from Morocco, Armenia and Serbia.

Metric	Detail
Total applications	391
Countries represented	37 Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries
Top EU applicant countries	Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands
Top Associated Countries	Norway, Israel
Other associated country applicants	Morocco, Armenia, Serbia
Most common technology areas	AI, health tech, clean tech
Number of winners in pilot	50 start-ups
Grant per beneficiary	EUR 75,000
Deadline	10 November 2021

What Women TechEU offers and who is eligible

Core offer:Selected beneficiaries will receive an individual grant of EUR 75,000 plus first-class coaching and mentoring through the EIC’s Women Leadership Programme. The offer also includes access to dedicated networking and pitching events and the possibility to join complementary activities organised by InvestEU and the Enterprise Europe Network.

Eligibility requirements:Applicants must have founded or co-founded an early-stage deep-tech start-up and hold a top management position in the company such as CEO or CTO or an equivalent role. The company needs to be registered and established in an EU Member State or Associated Country for at least six months at the time of submission.

Selection and next steps

Proposals submitted to the pilot will be evaluated by independent experts. The Commission planned to announce the results during the first quarter of 2022. Successful shortlisted applicants can expect to be invited to further stages in the selection process and to receive coaching through the EIC Business Acceleration Services. For questions the announced contact point was EISMEA-WOMENTECHEU@ec.europa.eu.

EIC Business Acceleration Services:The EIC Business Acceleration Services, or BAS, is the EIC’s support framework that provides mentoring, coaching, networking and investor readiness activities. Under Women TechEU these services are channelled through a Women Leadership Programme intended to address leadership, pitching and market access skills for women founders.

Why the Commission launched Women TechEU

The Commission framed Women TechEU as a response to an uneven distribution of innovative talent. The argument is that novel technologies and disruptive innovation will drive Europe’s recovery, and that leaving half the population underrepresented risks losing economic opportunity and competitiveness. The pilot is explicitly intended to improve the pipeline of women-led companies in deep tech where they remain underrepresented.

Deep tech defined:Deep tech refers to start-ups whose value proposition depends on scientific discovery or advanced engineering. Typical areas include artificial intelligence, advanced materials, biotechnology and cleantech. These firms usually have longer research and development timelines and require more specialised capital before product market fit can be reached.

The Commission highlighted the size of Europe’s deep-tech segment and cited a combined valuation of around €700 billion for European deep-tech companies. It also set the measure within its broader policy priority of promoting gender equality and supporting women in leadership across technology and innovation domains.

Context and critical perspective

The pilot’s strong application numbers indicate clear demand for targeted support for women founders in deep tech. The fact that proposals clustered in AI, health tech and clean tech mirrors wider investment trends in European innovation. At the same time the pilot raises realistic questions about scale and the mechanisms needed to shift systemic imbalances.

Scale of funding versus deep-tech needs:A EUR 75,000 grant is useful for early validation work, prototyping and coaching. However deep-tech ventures often need substantially more capital for extended R&D and regulatory pathways. The pilot will therefore be valuable as pipeline support but it is not sufficient on its own to close funding gaps that emerge later in a start-up lifecycle.

Selection rate and transparency:If 50 companies are chosen from 391 applicants the implied selection rate is about 13 percent. The Commission has said independent experts will evaluate proposals. For credibility and learning it will be important that the process, selection criteria and follow-up performance metrics are transparent and that the Commission publish outcomes on how selected start-ups progressed in fundraising and scaling.

Systemic barriers remain:Grants and coaching address some barriers to female entrepreneurship. They do not remove structural issues such as investor bias, slower network access and limited representation in later stage venture rounds. If Women TechEU is to translate into durable change the pilot must link to follow-on financing, investor engagement and wider ecosystem reforms.

Policy links and ecosystem actors

Women TechEU sits inside the European Innovation Council framework and was implemented by the Commission. The EIC and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency manage various tools from grants to the EIC Fund which can mobilise blended financing. The pilot also signals coordination with national actors, for example Horizon Europe National Contact Points and the Enterprise Europe Network, which can be used to broaden support beyond the initial grant.

Why collaboration matters:Linking EU funding with national and regional instruments increases the chance that early wins lead to longer term investment. Networks such as InvestEU can be important for attracting co-investment and for scaling companies beyond initial EU seed support.

What to watch next

Key follow up items are the published list of selected beneficiaries, the evaluation criteria used by independent experts and any public reporting on how winners use the grants and coaching. Observers should look for whether the pilot stimulates measurable improvements in women founders ability to raise subsequent rounds and expand internationally.

Contact and further information

For more details the Commission indicated the contact email EISMEA-WOMENTECHEU@ec.europa.eu. The Women TechEU pilot is part of wider EIC activity which is managed through the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency.

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