Deadline:2nd February 2026
The Female Founder Award celebrates women leading innovative startups that are driving the disruptive technologies shaping the future.
The Female Founder Challenge was created 8 years ago to empower women entrepreneurs by facilitating networking opportunities, raising brand awareness, and providing access to funding.
The five finalists will be invited to pitch in June at VivaTech 2026.
The winner will be announced alongside the other award winners during the VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony, gaining significant visibility and a prominent spotlight during the event.
Benefits
- For the Top 30 Female Founders – One VivaTech Startup Pass
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For the 5 finalists
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Pitch your solution in front of a jury of top decision makers and investors
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One-to-one meetings with VCs
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Strong visibility across VivaTech’s communication channels
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Two VivaTech Startup Passes
3. For the Winner
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Pitch your solution during the VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony
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Fundraising coaching by IRIS (from pitch deck revamp to intros to VCs)
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Extensive visibility
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A free Startup Corner at 2026 VivaTech
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A 5-month business development mentoring program with Forvis Mazars XFactory
Selection Criteria
- Innovation – Level of relevance, originality and innovation demonstrated by the tech solution
- Team Profile – Profile of the female founder(s) and co-founder(s), ability to lead the project to success, hard and soft skills of the operational team
- Impact – Solutions that contribute to improving environmental and social impact
- Scalability & Viability – Ability of the solution to scale while remaining technically, economically and environmentally viable
- Business Model – Your business model demonstrated traction and product/market fit
For more information and application.
