The semi-finalists have been announced in this year’s European Prize for Women Innovators competition open to females solving some of the world’s biggest problems.
Led jointly by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and the European Innovation Council (EIC), the Prize is funded under the Horizon Europe framework programme and has three categories: Women Innovators Prize, open to women who have ‘founded a successful company’; the Rising Innovators Prize, for women under 35; and the EIT Women leadership prize, for ‘exceptional women of the EIT Community’.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Start-Ups, Research & Innovation, said: “In 1906, Finland became the first European country to grant women’s citizens the right to vote. Today it is perfectly normal for women to be executives, politicians, bank managers, founders and owners of successful businesses. My message to the inspiring women that we honor today: Be an example! Dream with ambition and lead with conviction.”
The future: Investing in Women
Writing in our recent World Future Forum digital edition, published in November 2024, Shiva Dustdar, Head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Institute said we must empower the next generation of women. Which also means inspiring them, and that is what all those involved in the Women Innovators ecosystem are doing.
Shiva writes that “if we want to have more impact on sustainability metrics, the data clearly shows us that when you have women at the table, you achieve better results.”
“We loved this article by Shiva Dustdar, and when she says the journey to equality must begin early,” ebbf – (ethical business building the future) posted on Linkedin. “Shiva emphasises the importance of financial literacy and entrepreneurial education, particularly for young girls, who remain underrepresented in these areas. We need to promote inclusive educational programs and mentoring for the next generation, ensuring that barriers of gender bias are dismantled before they solidify.”

Here are the 19 semi-finalists, all of whom are trailblazers for the next generation, in the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators:
In the Rising Innovators category:
- Aline Muylaert (Belgium), co-Founder Go Vocal, a civic tech company that modernises participatory democracy through its digital engagement platform, enabling governments and public institutions to involve citizens in decision-making processes more effectively.
- Ann-Mia Ambjerg (Denmark), co-founder of ARIS Robotics, developing an AI-powered waste sorting system that enhances efficiency and adaptability in waste management while promoting sustainability and environmental impact.
- 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 personalized 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.
- Laura Koivusalo (Finland), co-founder of StemSight, a regenerative medicine company aiming to cure blindness with off-the-shelf cell therapies
In the 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.
- Avencia Sánchez-Mejías (Spain), co-founder of Integra Therapeutics, which develops the FiCAT gene-writing platform, for integration of DNA fragments into the human genome.
- Fanny Bardé (France), founder of SOLiTHOR, that develops next-generation solid-state batteries using a non-flammable, environmentally-friendly solid electrolyte.
- Fanny Giannou (Germany), founder of Alithea Biotechnology, specialised in precision immunotherapy, using immunopeptidomics, AI, and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry to develop novel cancer drugs and companion diagnostics.
- Henriette Maass (Germany), co-founder of NanoStruct, which provides an innovative analysis system that allows to detect bacteria within minutes and has the potential to identify antimicrobial resistances at the same time.
- Irina Kavounovski (Israel), founder of Vigor Medical Technologies, developing life-saving devices and AI-driven solutions for chest trauma and thoracic/abdominal drainage.
- 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 4x 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.
In the 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 the 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.
- Megi Mejdrechova (Czechia), Co-Founder and CTO of Robo Twin, which develops innovative robot teaching tools that allow workers to directly teach robots by simple demonstration.
- 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.
- Thais Maria Glod Nuñez (Spain), Founder of Innobound, an innovation agency that supports ecological and socially innovative initiatives that help cities become greener.
- Zara Ransley (United Kingdom), Co-Founder and Co-CEO of MyPocketSkill, a platform that connects young people aged 13 to 24 with paid opportunities to earn, save and learn about money in an engaging and supportive environment.
The winners will be revealed at the European Innovation Council Summit on 3 April 2025.
__
Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from the European Prize for Women Innovators.

Susan is the co-founder of Innovators Magazine and a consultant for OnePoint5Media. Susan is also a member of the UNFCCC-led Resilience Frontiers Nexus group and the Chair of the APOPO Foundation UK board.
