Call for Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) Advance Programme 2026

The EWA Advance Programme 2026 aims to select female founders of agrifood startups with market traction to participate in a pan-European scaling programme focused on accelerating commercial growth and investment readiness.

The Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) Advance Programme is a new module within the EWA programme, launched by EIT Food to support female founders of agrifood startups that have already demonstrated market traction and are ready to scale. As part of the expanded EWA programme structure, EWA Advance focuses on accelerating advanced-stage women-led ventures by strengthening their commercial readiness, investor readiness, corporate partnerships, and scaling capabilities.

What’s in The Programme

Through this pan-European programme, up to 10 selected female entrepreneurs will participate in a cohort running between September and December 2026. Participants will benefit from tailored support including expert-led training, personalised one-to-one mentoring, networking opportunities, and direct connections with investors, corporates, and ecosystem stakeholders. The programme includes structured sessions covering commercial strategy, investment readiness, corporate engagement, and scaling, alongside dedicated mentoring to support participants in refining their growth plans and preparing for expansion.

Participants will also have the opportunity to present their ventures at the final Demo Day, where winners may receive prizes of up to €20 000 to further accelerate business growth. The programme supports innovative agrifood startups aligned with EIT Food’s strategic priorities, including resilient agriculture, biotechnology and protein diversification, while contributing to improved access to funding, networks, and growth opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Apply now!