Does the female founder need majority shares?

No. The requirement is operational leadership (CEO/CTO/equivalent), not ownership. Cap-table structure is reviewed only for normal Horizon eligibility (not state-owned, not VC-controlled to the point of losing SME status).

Can the same company apply more than once?

Each year is a new call. If you weren't funded last year, the same company can apply again with a refreshed proposal. You can't be funded twice for the same scope.

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Women TechEU: EU support for women leading deep-tech startups

€75,000 lump-sum + 12 months of mentoring + EU-wide community. For women in CEO/CTO roles of pre-seed deep-tech companies.

Women TechEU

Deep tech

Finn GlasCo-Founder + Engineering

·May 15, 2026·

2 min read

Key takeaways

€75,000 lump-sum grant (no co-financing required), paid in two tranches.

Required: founding team includes at least one woman in CEO, CTO, or equivalent leadership role.

Deep tech only - quantum, biotech, advanced materials, photonics, robotics, AI hardware, etc.

Who exactly is eligible

The company must be a single SME (not a consortium), incorporated in an EU member state or Horizon Europe associated country, less than 6 years old at the call deadline, with at least one female founder in CEO/CTO position. The technology must qualify as 'deep tech' per the EU definition - significant R&D content, IP-defensible, addressing one of the EIB-listed deep-tech themes.

What the application looks like

Compared to most EU grants, Women TechEU is short and operator-friendly: ~15 pages covering company, technology, market, team, gender narrative, and how the €75k will be used. The gender-narrative section is unusual - reviewers want to understand the female leadership story specifically, not just check a box. Document concrete leadership decisions, not titles. For IP-intensive deep tech companies it is worth also reviewing how to protect IP in grant applications.

Use of funds: technology validation, market entry prep, IP work, business development.

Mentoring + community = ~80% of the actual value reported by past cohorts.

Why the cohort matters more than the cash

€75k closes maybe two months of a 5-person deep-tech team. The real lift is what comes next: warm intros to EU deep-tech investors, joint procurement opportunities with other Women TechEU companies, and visibility at EIC Summit. Choose your application timing to match an investor-runway gap, not to maximise cash. The Horizon EIC Accelerator is the logical next application after Women TechEU.

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Written by

Finn Glas

Co-Founder + Engineering

Finn is one of the Co-Founders. He owns the engineering side, the infrastructure, and most of the late-night fixes that ship before anyone notices.

finn.glas at aicuflow dot comLinkedIn Website