A programme to open the access to women-led digital & deep tech startups to new opportunities under the umbrella of corporations in Europe

A recent study indicates that women raise funding receive significantly less—a disparity that averages more than $1 million—than men. Corporates are different players compared to Venture Capital firms.

Even their investment arms, CVCs do have a different approach to the investment policies.Specifically targeting women-led companies to collaborate with corporates under a “paid-pilot” scheme that can really take women-led startups and corporate collaboration to the next level.

Open Horizons proposes a novel approach towards covering the women-led companies funding and corporate network gap, by creating a full programme, from scratch, that relies in the work done by other initiatives (Women TechEU or Empowomen)The consortium aims to invest 1.2M€ in startups and is comprised by an experienced consortium of partners as PEDAL (Reputed consultancy in EU projects also specialised in public procurement), SPLORO (experts on cascade funding) and INNOVX (EIC Partner and leading Accelerator).Corporates are also linked to the proposal as partners like Migros (retail) or associated partners like Siemens Industry Software, Repsol (energy) and Stahl (Manufacturing) and planning to expand up to 10.The project’s structured approach includes identifying and formulating corporate challenges, inclusive talent scouting across Europe, and facilitating the funding and implementation of pilot projects within real-world corporate settings.

Post-pilot, the programme focuses on expanding growth opportunities for startups by connecting them with investment channels and helping negotiate commercial agreements for long-term collaborations.This comprehensive strategy not only provides a platform for women-led startups to showcase their innovations within major corporations but also integrates them into a broader corporate and innovation ecosystem, ensuring sustained growth and significant market presence.