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.
Meet them!
The winner of the competition, Niamh Donelly, is the co-founder of Akara Robotics. Their company, based in Ireland, is advancing robotic automation to shorten cleaning times in the healthcare sector, and introducing an AI powered alerting system that notifies staff when they are needed in the operating room of hospitals. Niamh has previously won the Top Rising Innovator Award by the European Commission, and is a 2022 EU Prize winner for Women Innovators.
Paulina Mazurek, CEO of BEIT (Poland) is bringing quantum advantage forward by delivering software methods in the areas of drug discovery or energy efficiency.
Kerstin von Diemar, CFO and co-founder of cureVision (Germany), is revolutionising the analysis, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic wounds by combining cutting-edge optical sensors with computer vision technology.
Ana-Teresa Maia, CEO and co-founder of expressTEC (Portugal), is making personalised cancer treatment more accessible through advanced RNA diagnostics.
Katarina Hedbeck CEO of Interlinked (Sweden), is revolutionising the infusion and catheter industry with its patented innovation ReLink.
Julia Eschenbrenner, CEO of Porous GmbH (Germany), is developing an ultrasound solution for early and accurate osteoporosis diagnostic.
Hülya Dagöttüren, CEO of Umayana (Turkey), is developing preventative and curative solutions for severe wound care.
Irina Kavonouvski, CEO and co-founder of Vigor Medical (Israel/Czech Republic), is developing a C-Lant life saving drainage port and STADI application for effective treatment and diagnosis of chest trauma and post operative drainage.
The Gender Gap in Investments project
The event came as part of the Gender Gap in Investments project, an initiative managed by the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA) aimed at addressing gender disparities in the investment landscape. With a focus on women-led companies and women-led funds, the project seeks to uncover and analyse the root causes of the gender investment gap.
To achieve this, the project will develop a comprehensive study, using a harmonised methodology for robust and systematic data collection. This approach will allow for accurate assessments of investment disparities, and the development of suitable data analytics techniques to identify and address the gap effectively.
The event was the second in a series of local events to be held in 10 countries across Europe between September 2024 and June 2025. These events are a critical component of the project, serving as platforms for direct engagement with key stakeholders. The success of this project relies heavily on the valuable feedback and expertise gathered during these events, which bring together a diverse group of stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, academics, and community leaders.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.