Successful female entrepreneurs bucking trends: These 14 innovative startups net $113.5 million, with the United Kingdom taking the forefront.
**Female-Led European Startups Secure Significant Funding in Deep Tech and Digital Innovation**
In a notable week for European startups, several female-led companies have secured substantial funding, signifying a growing trend in support for women entrepreneurs in transformative technology sectors. Here are some key developments across various industries:
**Deep Tech and Digital Innovation**
The Horizon Europe-funded initiative Open Horizons opened its first call on July 1, 2025, offering up to €55,000 in equity-free funding, mentoring, strategic matchmaking, and pilot project opportunities to women-led startups. These startups must be involved in sectors such as AI, Green Tech, Blockchain, and Advanced Materials and be at inception or early-growth stages. This initiative underscores the strong support for female entrepreneurs in deep tech and digital innovation.
Another programme, the Women TechEU Programme, targets early-stage, female-led deep tech startups across the EU and associated countries. The fourth call, open until August 4, 2025, offers €75,000 equity-free grants and business acceleration services, focusing on frontier technologies and deep tech innovations.
**Notable Funding in Other Sectors**
While not explicitly female-led, the Greek startup Natech secured $33 million in Series B funding to accelerate growth in Europe's embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) sector. This sector is projected to reach €100 billion in annual revenue by 2030, indicating a significant opportunity zone for female-led startups.
In the life sciences sector, Adiposs, a Swiss company, closed a CHF 4 million Series A round for a novel contrast agent that enables non-invasive detection of brown adipose tissue (BAT) in cancer treatment.
The beauty-tech sector also saw investment with Facegym, a UK-based startup, securing strategic investment from Reliance Retail to expand its franchising model and open new studios worldwide.
In the logistics sector, HIVED, a UK-based startup, raised $42M in Series B funding for an all-electric, AI-powered parcel delivery network.
**Water Conservation and Sustainability**
FieldFactors, a Dutch startup, secured €1.6M in funding for their BlueBloqs system that collects, treats, and reuses rainwater for local use, promoting sustainability and water conservation.
**Marine Technology**
Cosma, a French deeptech startup, raised €2.5M for autonomous underwater robots that capture images, generate 3D models, and run AI-powered analyses of the seabed and marine species.
**Medical Technology**
CroíValve, a UK-based medtech startup, secured €2.5M in funding from the Horizon Europe EIC Accelerator for a minimally invasive treatment for tricuspid regurgitation.
Lios, an Irish healthtech startup, received €2.5M in funding for their acoustic sensing platform that can map sound environments and detect subtle variations in audio.
**Quantum Computing**
Groove Quantum, a Dutch startup, secured €10M in funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator for germanium-based quantum computing technology.
**Consumer Goods**
RedCloud, another UK-based startup, raised $13.5M for a platform facilitating the trading of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) across business supply chains.
Roomix, a UK-based startup, raised £850K for DIY home improvement kits with custom design support.
Peachies, a UK-based startup, raised £2.1M for a subscription-based service offering eco-friendly nappies.
It is noteworthy that eight of the twelve startups securing funding were headquartered in the UK.
While exact names of recent female-led startups raising large funding rounds in the past week were not identified, the presence of multiple dedicated funding calls and acceleration programmes underscores a vibrant and growing ecosystem supporting female founders in deep tech and digital innovation across Europe.
- In the realm of education-and-self-development, future Venture Capital investments could focus on female-led startups developing innovative technologies, such as AI-powered learning platforms, to promote equal opportunities in the digital world.
- Merging technology with sports, a female-led startup might pioneer wearable devices that utilize cutting-edge sensors to enhance athlete performance and provide lifestyle insights for a healthier living.
- Supporting a sustainable future, female-led startups in sports and technology could partner to create sports equipment made from recycled materials, combining environmental-friendliness with advancements in performance and design.
