A total of 8 women innovators from the EIC Women Leadership Programme (WLP) and WomenTechEU recently pitched their European Innovation Council (EIC)-backed solutions in the fields of biotech and healthcare in front of an international jury. The pitch fell in the context of the Startup Spotlight session scheduled as part of the Gender Gap in Investments event held in Berlin on 26 November 2024.
The Startup Spotlight was a special initiative aimed at showcasing the exceptional women entrepreneurs who are transforming industries, breaking barriers, and leading by example in sectors that have traditionally been less welcoming to women.
Most of the founders featured at the pitch were alumni of the EIC Women Leadership Programme (WLP), a dedicated EIC leadership-skills and networking enhancement programme for female researchers and entrepreneurs, and/or beneficiaries of the WomenTech EU, a funding scheme for women-led ventures. They traveled all the way from the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey to showcase their cutting-edge innovations. These remarkable women embody the progress women make in the healthtech and biotech sectors. While gender equality in investment is a work in progress, meaningful strides are being made.
The competition proved to be tough with breakthrough innovations sharing the spotlight, from revolutonising infusion and catheter industry to developing preventative and curative solutions for severe wound care.
On behalf of the EIC Community, we want to recognise each of the pitching companies and thank them for their dedication, continuously bringing in innovations in sectors as crucial as healthcare and biotech.
Hülya Dagöttüren, CEO of Umayana (Turkey), is developing preventative and curative solutions for severe wound care.