European Women Innovation Ecosystem Workshop: Supporting Female Entrepreneurs
UASEEDs offers various Non-Financial Support Services, including the FEL — Female Entrepreneurship & Leadership Program, aimed at helping female founders navigate challenges in their entrepreneurial journeys. One of its key goals is to increase the visibility and participation of women in the UA and EU Innovation Ecosystems.
In line with this mission, the UASEEDs team organized an online workshop on the European Women Innovation Ecosystem, bringing together female innovators. The event provided a safe space for networking, knowledge-sharing, and learning about programs supporting women entrepreneurs. Participants exchanged valuable insights on application processes, funding opportunities, and strategic approaches for growth. The workshop was inspired by the positive feedback from female innovators at an onsite event in Luxembourg. More details are available here: Luxembourg Venture Days Key Results.
The event began with an inspiring testimonial from Julia Bialetska, Co-founder and CEO of S.Lab. She shared her experience with key EU support programs, including Women Tech EU and the EIT Women Leadership Prize, highlighting their importance in her journey. Julia emphasized the role of feedback from mentors in shaping her business decisions and accelerating growth.
“I’d like to live in a world where additional support for female founders is unnecessary and equality is the norm. However, the gender gap remains significant. As a mother of two daughters, I want them to grow up in a society where equal opportunities are a reality.”
Currently, only 2% of venture investments go to female-founded startups, while 12% are directed towards mixed-founder teams. This underscores the critical role of grants, matchmaking initiatives, and funding programs in supporting female entrepreneurs. Julia also highlighted the power of female communities, noting that women often demonstrate self-awareness, resilience, proactivity, and strong collaboration skills, which contribute to more inclusive and supportive business environments.
She shared key tips for applying to EU support programs, emphasizing the importance of:
- Carefully studying program requirements to ensure alignment with project goals.
- Structuring applications to highlight elements that match the initiative’s priorities.
- Dedicating sufficient time and resources to prepare high-quality applications, including pitch decks and video submissions.
- Seeking advice from previous program participants for deeper insights.
- Attending webinars and information sessions to clarify application processes.
Following Julia’s testimonial, the Luxinnovation team shared various EU Open calls and support programs that support female innovators, including WomenTechEU, the EIC Women Leadership Programme, and the EIT HealthWomen Entrepreneurship Bootcamp.
For each program, they provided the application deadlines, info session dates, short descriptions, and conditions to apply. This section was particularly valuable for participants who were not aware of all the support available to them, and it served as a reminder for others to apply soon.
The workshop continued with the introduction of two interesting tools to support startups grow and integrate into the European innovation ecosystem by finding relevant organizations:
- Mapping of European Innovation Ecosystem Players – Innovation Ecosystem – Seeds Of Bravery. This PowerBI report highlights the main supporting entities for startups in 15 European countries. Thanks to filters, it allows startups to search for different types of stakeholders such as Accelerators, Research and Technology Organisations, Angel Groups, etc. Startups can also refine their results depending on the type of support they are looking for, such as funding, skills, internationalization, etc. This tool also offers a page dedicated to Women Support, which contains over 100 supporting entities focused on women entrepreneurs, helping them engage with the right partner to broaden their activities in Europe.
- European diversity and inclusion initiatives – European diversity and inclusion initiatives – Startup Luxembourg. Developed by the Startup Luxembourg team of our consortium partner Luxinnovation, this tool is free to access. The directory highlights upcoming diversity, and inclusion calls for applications in Europe, as well as events and workshops. It provides the call deadlines, event dates, and locations. It was built for women innovators eager to expand their horizons in Europe and connect with new partners and support entities.
The workshop concluded with an open discussion about women support entities in Ukraine and across Europe. Participants exchanged experiences with organizations like WTech and explored additional corporate initiatives such as those by Cartier and L’Oréal.
Attendees also shared their LinkedIn profiles to stay connected and foster future collaboration. While many valuable insights were exchanged, we’ve chosen not to disclose them in this article, respecting the closed-community nature of the discussion. If you’re a woman innovator, stay tuned for updates via our announcements on LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
Participants were encouraged to share their feedback via online short survey as we prepare for the next workshop edition, scheduled for Spring 2025!
Summing up the discussion, Julia Bialetska emphasized the importance of leveraging available support structures for female entrepreneurs and shared her final thoughts:
“Programs like UASEEDs and the FEL Initiative provide more than just funding. They offer a community, mentorship, and access to global networks. I strongly recommend that female entrepreneurs take advantage of these opportunities.”
Workshops like Women Innovation Ecosystem by Luxinnovation serve as powerful platforms for women to connect, learn, and grow together. These initiatives remind us that innovation thrives in collaboration, where diverse voices inspire groundbreaking ideas and inclusive solutions.