WE-RISE 2nd Call for Women Entrepreneurs Is Open!
Last Application: 12 February 2026
The WE-RISE (Women Entrepreneurs in Renewable, Innovative, and Sustainable Enterprises) programme, supported by the European Commission and EISMEA, is awaiting your new applications with WE-RISE Open Call 2!
As is known, WE-RISE is a European innovation initiative that aims to support women-led, technology-driven startups operating in the fields of GreenTech, AgriTech and ClimateTech.
Through this call, women-led enterprises focused on sustainability and innovation will be prepared for growth, and their potential to secure investment will be increased as a result of their integration into the European innovation ecosystem.
Call Details
Total Call Budget: EUR 600,000. Number of Startups to Be Selected: 20 women-led startups.
Eligibility Conditions: Applicant startups must have a woman leader (CEO/CTO/CSO), and they are expected to offer deep-tech-focused solutions. The date of legal incorporation must be before 1 January 2025. In addition, since diversity criteria are observed so that at least 60% of the startups supported come from moderate/emerging innovator countries, startups from Türkiye may be evaluated more favourably.
In addition, the applicant startup must meet at least one of the following criteria:
a) Maturity Level:
The startup's product/service must have reached product–market fit; its Technology Readiness Level (TRL) must be in the range of 6–8; and the solution must have been validated by first customers within the scope of pilot implementations.b) Funding Stage:
The startup must have received investment or grant support from public or private sources totalling at least EUR 300,000.Deadline: 12 February 2026, 17:00 CET
Structure of the Support Programme
Phase 1 – Nurture
The 20 selected startups will take part in an intensive 3-month support programme,
Each startup will be able to receive a EUR 5,000 grant,
Strategic business plan development, training, mentoring and market access activities will be supported.
Phase 2 – Bloom
Up to 10 startups that successfully complete Phase 1 will move on to the acceleration stage,
Each will be provided with a EUR 50,000 grant to support activities such as product development, market expansion and investor matchmaking.
Application Process and Information
Applications will be submitted in English on the relevant platform (EuroQuity) via the WE-RISE Greenhouse community. You can find detailed information and application requirements on the official application page.
Information Days
In Phase 1 of WE-RISE Open Call 1, launched last year, Türkiye was the country with the most applications, with 34. In this process, four startups led by Turkish women entrepreneurs — Algbio Enerji Arıtım ve Mühendislik A.Ş., Simbio Endüstriyel Geri Kazanım Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. Şti., As Biyoteknoloji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. and Ion Membran Teknolojileri A.Ş. — qualified for support. Following the successful completion of the first phase, which focused on developing Strategic Action Plans, 10 women-led startups that qualified to proceed to Phase 2 of the WE-RISE Programme were identified. As a result of this evaluation, Selen ŞENAL (Algbio) was selected from our country and qualified to participate in Phase 2.
WE-RISE Social Media Account: WE-RISE | LinkedIn
Frequently Asked Questions: (FAQ)
CLICK THE LINK FOR CURRENT EU PROJECT CALLS SPECIFICALLY FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS. ( https://ufukavrupa.org.tr/tr/kadin-girisimciler )