EmpoWomen’s second Demo Day in Bucharest showcased 14 top women‑led deep tech startups from across Europe. With expert jury pitches and standout winners, the event highlighted female founders driving innovation and gender diversity in European tech.
Last week, at the How to Web Conference in Bucharest, the EmpoWomen programme reached a defining moment: 14 women‑led deep tech startups pitched their solutions to a jury, and four emerged as winners in a competitive final. Sploro was honoured to participate alongside Europe’s innovation ecosystem in this celebration of female entrepreneurship.
🎯 Pitch Day & Jury Deliberation: The Road to Demo Day
Three days before the main event, the 14 finalist startups took the stage to deliver their pitch presentations live before a panel of expert judges. Afterward, the jury entered a deliberation period to assess performance, market potential, team strength, and innovation impact. The audience used this time to network and engage one‑on‑one with founders.
The jury members included:
- Kristiana Kuneva, Chief Business Development Officer at The Recursive
- Bogdan Pasca, Investor at Early Game Ventures
- Raluca Negrea, Founder & Angel Investor at Bravva Angels
- Mārtiņš Pjalkovskis, Investor at BADideas.fund
This structure ensured that the winners were not chosen by popularity but by a rigorous evaluation process across predefined criteria.
🌍 Showcased Startups: A Pan‑European Deep Tech Cohort
Cascade Funding Hub: Empowering Startups and Spotlighting Innovation
The 14 startups came from nine countries and spanned diverse deep tech domains including AI, biotech, sustainability, robotics, health, and more. Founders hailed from Portugal, Greece, Armenia, Estonia, Slovenia, Poland, Turkey, Serbia, and Latvia.
Some of the innovators included:
- eDynamics Technologies (Portugal): AI‑driven musculoskeletal fatigue monitoring
- PURR.AI (Portugal): AI platform for drug discovery in neurological diseases
- Enhanced Fertility (Portugal): AI diagnostics to improve fertility treatment outcomes
- Corium Biotech (Portugal): Sustainable cellular leather for eco‑luxury fashion
- AlongRoute Data (Greece): AI‑enhanced marine weather forecasting for cleaner shipping
- Wasit (Estonia): Fintech for connecting small farmers with retail investors
- Centrum Cognitio (Slovenia): Predictive AI in mental health therapy
- Shin Rai Robotics (Poland): Robotics + XR for manufacturing efficiency
- AMYGDALA HEALTH (Estonia): Digital lifestyle interventions for heart health
- Helios (Turkey): Nanotech for CO₂ capture and recovery
- Veles Sense (Serbia): Drone + AI vineyard stress detection
- SkinFuture (Latvia): Advanced materials for natural UV protection
- TAY Yazilim Teknolojileri (Turkey): AI radar sensors for low‑energy health applications
- W2W – Wearify (Armenia): 3D virtual fitting rooms powered by AI and AR for enhanced online shopping experiences.
These founders represent a truly pan‑European deep tech ecosystem, each bringing innovation with potential global impact.
Click here to watch all the Pitch Day
🏆 Winners Unveiled: Who Took the Top Spots
At Demo Day, after jury deliberation, four startups were distinguished with awards:
- First Place / Gold: Enhanced Fertility — for advancing reproductive health through AI diagnostics
- Second Place / Silver: Corium Biotech — for sustainable biotech solutions
- Third Place / Bronze: PURR.AI — for its AI applications in drug discovery
- Fourth Place: AlongRoute — for innovation in mobility and route optimisation
The EmpoWomen programme emphasises that all 14 participants are winners, given the intensive selection and training process. Their presence on stage reflects their excellence and resilience, having being chosen from over 251 applicants.
“Every founder who took the stage is a leader in her field”
Miguel García González, CEO & Co‑Founder of Sploro and coordinating partner in EmpoWomen, remarked:
“Every founder who took the stage is a leader in her field. They represent the top tier of European deep tech, and their selection from such a competitive pool is an achievement in itself. We are incredibly proud of them all.”
About EmpoWomen
EmpoWomen is a Horizon Europe (CSA) programme running 2024–2025, dedicated to accelerating women‑led deep tech startups, especially from historically underrepresented countries. It offers equity‑free grants, mentoring, training, and access to a pan‑European innovation network. Sploro leads the coordination together with TechUkraine, Startup Wise Guys, and Business Angels Europe.
At Sploro, we remain steadfast in our commitment to uplift female founders across Europe. This Demo Day strengthens momentum for future cohorts, open calls, and new opportunities for deep tech innovators.
Stay tuned to Sploro News for upcoming announcements, founder spotlights, and ways to engage with EmpoWomen.
