• Women4Tech is an initiative of the Finnova Foundation to support innovation, disruptive projects and public-private partnerships for women.
• The Finnova Foundation collaborates in several projects aimed at promoting female entrepreneurship.
Empowering women in the technology and business sector, fostering an egalitarian environment that allows their talent and creativity to flourish. This is the main objective of Women4Tech, an initiative of the Finnova Foundation to support innovation, disruptive projects and public-private partnerships for women. On this International Women’s Day, Women4Tech is proud to reaffirm its commitment to promoting innovation from a gender perspective.
The latest edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report highlights that in Spain 6% of the population has started a business in the last three and a half years, 5.9% of which are women and 6% men. This result underlines the importance of a joint effort towards economic recovery, prioritising the strengthening of women’s skills and professional development at all stages, from education to the growth of their projects.
In line with the report, which reflects a growing female entrepreneurial spirit in Spain, Women4Tech initiatives seek to respond to this dynamism by providing the support and tools necessary for women to lead and innovate in all fields.
Female entrepreneurship is one of the priorities of the Finnova Foundation, which collaborates in several projects aimed at this end, and which are included in Women4Tech, Some of these flagship projects that are making a difference are:
- Technovation Girls – Finnova Challenges: these challenges, aimed at solving concrete problems and open to participants of any gender with teams led by girls, promote their active inclusion in technology and business. The aim is to inspire and empower young women in STEAM fields, preparing them for future technological challenges.
- Girls4Tech: under the umbrella of the Erasmus+ programme and with a budget of €29,914, the project brings together a total of 60 young people aged between 13 and 18 divided into groups from the municipalities of Benaguasil, Puçol and Albal, with a predominance of girls who will make up at least 60% of the participating youth. With the support of the Youth Councils of the participating municipalities, and through learning STEAM subjects, Girl4Tech aims to develop technical skills and build confidence and leadership, preparing young women for meaningful future roles.
- 100 Women Plus: The project aims to strengthen the ecosystem of women entrepreneurs in Europe and Africa, fostering cooperation and mutual learning. With a budget of €60,000 funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus programme, the project aims to increase the visibility and participation of women in the economic and business sector, and to promote gender equality. +. Led by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with the Cabildo of Fuerteventura and the Founders Association, 100 Women Plus has a duration of 10 months.
- WomenEquity: with a budget of €137,435, the project of the programme “Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values” (CERV) seeks to overcome labour barriers for women, targeting vulnerable groups and promoting their inclusion in the labour market. It is led by Benaguasil Town Council in a consortium with six other organisations from Italy, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Slovenia and Belgium.
- Women Startup Europe Awards: within the framework of the Startup Europe Awards (SEUA), sponsored by the European Commission, promoted by the Finnova Foundation and supported by institutions such as the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament, the Women Startup Europe Awards encourage collaboration between the public and private sectors, and support women entrepreneurs so that their innovations reach a European level.
- Textile4All Opportunities in the textile sector for people and the planet is a European project that aims to provide training and job opportunities to people with more difficulties in accessing a job, with a special focus on women in San Cristobal de los Angeles in Madrid (Spain) and Thessaloniki (Greece). Funded by the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE) through the ERASMUS+ programme, with a budget of 60,000 euros and a duration of 19 months, the project is led by the Spanish non-profit association Educación, Cultura y Solidaridad, and formed by a consortium between the Greek entity Envolve and the Finnova Foundation from Belgium.
International Women’s Day is a key day to recognise the advances and pending challenges in gender equality, especially in sectors such as technology and entrepreneurship. Finnova Foundation’s initiatives within the framework of Women4Tech, resonate deeply with this day, highlighting the importance of encouraging female participation from an early age to the professional sphere. These projects are vital to building a more inclusive future, where women have the same opportunities to innovate, lead and succeed.
About Technovation Girls – Finnova Challenges
Technovation Girls is an entrepreneurship and technology programme that aims to inspire girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 18 to become leaders and innovators. Led in Valencia by María José Valero, CEO of Talent Growth Management and ambassador of Technovation Girls Comunidad Valenciana, the programme aims to reduce the technological gender gap that currently exists. The aim of this competition is to create groups of girls and young women who, with the help of a mentor, develop a mobile application (app) that helps to solve a social problem that is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. In this way, in a fun and didactic way, the girls learn about programming concepts, app development, the development of a marketing plan and market research, in addition to learning about the social problems that affect their communities.
About Women Startup Europe Awards
Women Startup Europe Awards is one of the categories within the Startup Europe Awards focused on supporting women with disruptive ideas to elevate their business ideas to the European level. Startup Europe Awards (SEUA) is an initiative promoted by the European Commission, supported by the Committee of the Regions and the European Parliament and implemented by the Finnova Foundation in collaboration with StartUp Europe. It is an open innovation tool that allows companies to identify talented startups capable of solving current challenges in multiple areas. Its mission is to help Startups and Scaleups become more efficient, smarter and more successful. These awards are a useful tool to promote knowledge sharing, add value to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and help startups to grow and position themselves in the market.
About Girls4tech
The GIRLS4TECH project is presented as an opportunity to encourage the participation of young people in the development of their own municipalities through the identification of the challenges they face and the search for solutions based on innovation and technology. With a total budget of 29.914 EUR, which includes the cost of the project, event grants and mobility activities, Girls4Tech brings together a total of 60 young people between 13 and 18 years old divided into groups from the municipalities of Benaguasil, Puçol and Albal, with the predominant participation of girls who will be at least 60% of the participating youth, with the support of the Youth Councils of the participating municipalities and Finnova experts, through a full and active participation as they will work together with the young people in the project.
About 100 Women Plus
100 Women Plus: Cooperation and understanding to promote women’s entrepreneurship and leadership, co-funded by the EU Erasmus+ programme and led by Finnova, in collaboration with the Cabildo de Fuerteventura and the Asociación Fundadoras, is a project in favour of cooperation and understanding to promote women’s entrepreneurship and leadership.
100 Women Plus, which has been designed to improve the channels of collaboration and dialogue, proposes a series of learning activities, exchange of experiences and transfer of results that will contribute to establish new mechanisms for female participation, strengthen the ecosystem of women entrepreneurs in the participating countries and create networks and generate alliances between institutions.
About Women Equity
With a budget of €137,435, the project is led by Benaguasil Town Council in a consortium with six other organisations from Italy, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Slovenia and Belgium.
WOMENEQUITY is part of the Networks of Cities call of the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV), and seeks to address women’s access to the labour market from a European perspective, thanks to the collaboration between municipalities such as Benaguasil, Botosani, Lourinha or Guardistalo in cooperation with private entities such as Finnova or Fifty-Fifty. Through this public-private partnership, the aim is to raise awareness and seek solutions to reduce these barriers and improve their conditions. The project also aims to raise awareness and involve all citizens in this reality, as well as public and private entities, offering work tools based on equality to achieve greater inclusion of women in the labour market.
About Textil4all
TEXTIL4ALL “Opportunities in the textile sector for people and for the planet” is a European project which aims to offer training and job opportunities to people facing greater difficulties in entering the labour market, with a special focus on women in San Cristobal de los Angeles in Madrid (Spain) and Thessaloniki (Greece). Funded by the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE) through the ERASMUS+ programme, with a budget of 60,000 euros and a duration of 19 months, the project is led by the Spanish non-profit association Educación, Cultura y Solidaridad, and formed by a consortium including the Greek entity Envolve and the Finnova Foundation from Belgium.
The initiative has two main objectives: to provide access to training and employment and to promote a more sustainable textile industry committed to current environmental challenges, tackling issues such as “fast fashion” and its negative consequences.
About Erasmus+
Erasmus+ is the programme to facilitate student mobility between EU countries, helping to create a sense of unity and shared values, while promoting educational immersion in another country. For the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) period 2021-2027, the European Commission has decided to increase the Erasmus budget by €28 billion. Thanks to this initiative, one of the most successful in the European Union, young people from all over Europe have the opportunity to continue their education and even start their professional careers, extolling the European vision of no borders, promoting the learning of other official languages and allowing beneficiaries to broaden their future opportunities through a unique experience.
About Finnova Foundation
Finnova is a Spanish-Belgian non-profit foundation working for the promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship at EU level. Based in Brussels, it operates through collaborations and partnerships in all EU countries. Finnova’s expertise in leading European project communication and dissemination activities is combined with a strong proven track record in start-ups and business support programmes, such as accelerators, incubators and ceremonial event selection and awarding.