Women Driving Innovation: Meet the Nine Finalists of the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators
EITThe nine finalists for the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators have been announced.
The European Prize for Women Innovators is jointly awarded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC). Through this collaboration, the EIT and EIC are showcasing a large pool of women innovators, offering more opportunities for trailblazers, and providing inspiring role models for women and girls everywhere.
As the competition reaches its final stage, anticipation builds to see which of the finalists will rise to the top. The winners of the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators will be revealed at the EIC Summit on 3 April 2025.
Categories
The finalists competed in three categories:
Women Innovators: Open to women founders and co-founders across the EU and Associated Countries. The winner will receive EUR 100,000, and two runners-up will receive EUR 70,000 and EUR 50,000, respectively.
Rising Innovators: For promising young women innovators under the age of 35. The winner will receive EUR 50,000, and two runners-up will receive EUR 30,000 and EUR 20,000, respectively.
EIT Women Leadership: For exceptional members of the EIT Community. The winner will receive EUR 50,000, and two runners-up will receive EUR 30,000 and EUR 20,000, respectively.
Eligible applications have been evaluated on three criteria: breakthrough innovation, where the applicant's company leads disruptive advancements in deep-tech and STEM fields within the EU or Horizon Europe-associated countries; impact, as the innovation addresses significant challenges with benefits for people and the planet; and inspiration, with the applicant serving as a pivotal leader and role model, empowering women and girls.
Meet the Finalists
Rising Innovators Category
Camille Bouget (France) – Co-founder of Scienta Lab, an AI-powered platform developed to address the therapeutic needs of immuno-inflammatory diseases.
Claudine Adeyemi-Adams (United Kingdom) – Founder of Earlybird, an AI-powered platform that enhances employment support by engaging participants in voice-powered conversations, providing advisors with insights and recommendations to deliver more personalised assistance.
Héloïse Mailhac (France) – Co-founder of STH BIOTECH, a company that has developed SATIVITRO®, an in vitro bio-production platform that enhances the yield and accessibility of rare cannabinoids for pharmaceutical research through controlled bioreactor cultivation.
Women Innovators Category
Agnès Arbat (Spain) – Co-founder of Oxolife, a company developing innovative drugs to enhance fertility, with a focus on improving embryo implantation and simplifying infertility treatments.
Fanny Bardé (France) – Founder of SOLiTHOR, that develops next-generation solid-state batteries using a non-flammable, environmentally-friendly solid electrolyte.
Rhona Togher (Ireland) – Co-founder with Eimear O’Carroll of Lios, a company that has developed SoundBounce, a smart acoustic material that offers up to 4 times more effective noise reduction in less space, being 40% lighter and 4 times thinner, with versatile applications across industries like construction, automotive, aerospace, and home appliances.
EIT Women Leadership Category
Débora Andreia Campelo Campos (Portugal) – Founder and CEO of AgroGrin Tech, which developed an innovative and eco-friendly process to transform industrial fruit waste into functional food ingredients.
Elizabeth McGloughlin (Ireland) – Co-founder and CEO of Tympany Medical, whose variable angle endoscopy technology improves patient and healthcare system outcomes.
Olesja Bondarenko (Estonia) – Co-founder and CEO of Nanordica Medical, which develops nanotechnology-based wound care products that help prevent infections and promote wound healing.
EIT powering Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership
Women are a vital source of talent, yet too often discouraged or excluded from the tech industry. A study by the EIT, in collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB), highlights the growing impact and potential of women in Europe's deep tech sector, underscoring the importance of fostering inclusive innovation. However, the report also sheds light on the significant challenges women face in this field. For example, women-led deep tech startups not only receive lower initial valuations but also continue to face valuation disparities throughout their growth stages, making it challenging to reach valuations above EUR 20 million.
Excluding women from innovation is a risk that the tech world cannot afford. Studies show that without women’s perspectives, in sectors like AI may fail to address real needs and could perpetuate existing inequalities. The European Prize for Women Innovators is part of a broader initiative by the EIC and EIT to foster inclusive innovation. This prize not only highlights the achievements of these women but also facilitates networking, community-building, and supports the future increase of women in leadership roles.
The EIT Community empowers women to pursue entrepreneurship and early-stage funding, creating vital role models. EIT Supernovas, a programme jointly run by EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, and EIT Urban Mobility, for instance, supports women-led start-ups through its Rocket Up initiative, helping them enter new European markets with tailored strategies and local validation of their product and service. Additionally, it offers mentoring, coaching, and training opportunities to help women take their managerial and leadership skills to the next levels. These initiatives, in addition to gender mainstreaming, have played a key role in meeting or exceeding the gender equality targets outlined in the EIT Gender Equality Plan 2022-2024. Notably, over 45% of graduates from EIT-labelled education programs are women, and more than 40% of decision-making roles across the EIT Community are held by women. The EIT remains committed to fostering inclusive innovation by setting ambitious new targets for the participation of women in its programmes and by incorporating a gender dimension into innovation and education content through its plan for 2025-2027.
First launched in 2011, the European Prize for Women Innovators celebrates the women behind groundbreaking innovations. Over the years, more than 30 women scientists and entrepreneurs have been awarded, with over 100 shortlisted for the final. These women serve as role models, breaking barriers and shifting the narrative around women in leadership.
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