Is access to funding becoming more equitable?
Because in European deep tech, the numbers remain stark:
At the same time, when at least one woman is present in the founding or leadership team, representation increases to 22% (GENDEX Gender & Diversity Index, 2025).
This contrast reveals something critical.
The challenge is not competence. Women founders in deep tech are, on average, more academically qualified than their male counterparts — 14.1% hold a PhD compared to 11.6% of men. The challenge is structural access to capital.
So where does Cascade Funding fit into this equation?
According to the Women Founders in European Deep-Tech Startups (2024) report, 33% of total funding accessed by women-led deep-tech startups comes from public sources, including grants and EU-supported programmes.
This is a significant figure.
It suggests that public funding mechanisms are already functioning as a corrective channel where private markets fall short.
Cascade Funding sits precisely within this space.
Cascade Funding mechanisms target startups and SMEs directly. They operate through open calls with predefined criteria, distributing funding across multiple countries and widening regions. And they apply transparent scoring and external evaluation processes.
These characteristics reduce several common structural barriers:
Applications are submitted through open calls rather than through investor introductions.
Transparent criteria minimise ambiguity and reduce subjective decision-making.
Funding is distributed across EU member states, not concentrated in a handful of ecosystems.
Given the documented geographical disparities — from 27% women-led deep-tech companies in Estonia to 14% in Croatia and Czechia — decentralised funding mechanisms help broaden participation beyond dominant innovation hubs.
No single funding instrument can eliminate systemic inequality.
However, based on the data, we can observe that:
In that sense, Cascade Funding does not solve the gender gap —
but it actively addresses several of its structural drivers.
It lowers entry barriers.
It democratises access.
It provides first funding opportunities.
And first funding matters. Early public support often acts as validation, enabling startups to attract follow-on investment, build credibility and scale.
Funding mechanisms alone are not enough. How they are communicated, promoted and managed directly influences who applies.
At Sploro, managing Cascade Funding means:
An inclusive funding instrument must be matched with inclusive outreach.
While data helps us understand the structural dynamics shaping European innovation, numbers alone do not tell the whole story.
Behind every funded project, every open call and every successful application, there are people navigating the system, building collaborations and driving innovation forward.
At Sploro, many of those people are women.
Our project managers work daily within the European innovation ecosystem — managing Horizon Europe projects, coordinating partners across countries and supporting organisations as they access Cascade Funding opportunities. Their role offers a unique perspective on how the ecosystem is evolving and how inclusion is (or is not) progressing in practice.
To mark International Women’s Day, we asked some of our female project managers two simple questions:
Their reflections move beyond statistics and offer something equally valuable: experience, perspective and advice for the next generation of innovators.
Watch the video below to hear their insights
Building a more inclusive European innovation ecosystem starts with expanding access — but it grows stronger when more women are part of shaping it. This International Women’s Day, we celebrate the voices, perspectives and contributions of women driving innovation across Europe.
