ACCELERATING WOMEN-LED DIGITAL AND DEEP-TECH STARTUPS THROUGH OPEN INNOVATION PARTNERSHIPS AND EQUITY-FREE FUNDING
Open Horizons is more than just funding. We identify key industry challenges, scout groundbreaking women-led startups, and facilitate collaboration with corporate partners. Through real-world pilots and strategic support, we accelerate startup growth and drive lasting impact in the European deep tech landscape.
Grant agreement: Nº 101193231
Duration
2025 –
2027
Programme badge
Horizon Europe
Project Budget
€2M
The Challenge: Women-led digital and deep-tech startups continue to face barriers to funding, market validation and corporate collaboration, limiting their ability to scale innovative solutions and compete in the European innovation ecosystem.
Our Objective: To accelerate women-led startups by connecting them with leading European corporations through an open innovation programme that provides equity-free funding, mentoring and real-world opportunities to validate and commercialise innovative solutions.
Innovation & Impact: Open Horizons strengthens corporate-startup collaboration by helping women-led deep-tech ventures validate technologies, increase investment readiness and scale innovative solutions, contributing to a more inclusive and competitive European innovation ecosystem.
Sploro plays a key role in the strategic execution of the project, leveraging its expertise in:
FSTP Management
Managing the full open call process, including eligibility checks, proposal evaluation and legal validation for selected startups.
Clustering Activities
Leading collaboration with European initiatives and innovation ecosystem stakeholders to strengthen project synergies, increase visibility and maximise the long-term impact of Open Horizons.
Economic Impact
Accelerating the growth of women-led digital and deep-tech startups through equity-free funding, mentoring and opportunities to attract further investment.
Market Impact
Helping startups validate innovative solutions with leading corporations, accelerating commercialisation and creating long-term business partnerships.
Ecosystem Impact
Strengthening Europe’s innovation ecosystem by connecting startups, corporates, investors and innovation organisations through open innovation and cross-project collaboration.
Societal Impact
Promoting a more inclusive innovation ecosystem by increasing opportunities for women entrepreneurs to access funding, partnerships and business growth.
Tech Impact
Advancing the development and market adoption of digital and deep-tech solutions through real-world pilots and corporate co-creation.
Open Innovation & Capacity Building
Building a scalable model for corporate-startup collaboration that strengthens innovation capacity and fosters lasting partnerships across Europe.
The Open Horizons consortium brings together 4 partners from 4 European countries
PEDAL Consulting
Sploro
InnovX
MIGROS
