European Institute of Innovation and Technology programme chooses 10 companies for support to expand internationally
Ten startups led by women have been selected for an EU-funded programme to help them expand internationally.
The Rocket Up programme—run by the food, manufacturing and urban mobility arms of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology—aims to have more women-led companies growing and getting funded.
Celeste Reglá, Rocket Up programme officer, said that international expansion is “vital” for European startups but varying regulations, languages and cultures across the continent pose challenges, and women-led ventures “are often held back by additional barriers” compared with male-led counterparts.
“With the programme, startups will define a successful expansion strategy,” Reglá said, when the 10 candidates for the 2023 programme were announced last week.
The startups will take part in a 15-week initiative, running from September to December. The initiative includes mentoring on market expansion and strategy development, guidance from industry experts, and introduction to key stakeholders and potential collaboration partners.
Among the winning companies were ProperGate, a Poland-based logistics platform for construction sites, and BitaGreen, which is based in Belgium and helps direct environmentally sustainable investment.