When we think of terms like “ceo” and “leadership,” the first image that often comes to mind is that of a man. Unjustifiably, because in Europe there are many female pioneers who are making a difference in the world of innovation. Recently, a number of promising women were in the spotlight during the presentation of the European Prize for Women Innovators. We list them for you.
The numbers
In Europe, women innovators are making great strides. Yet there is significant underrepresentation in the startup ecosystem. Only 10 percent of founders in Europe are women. So there is still much work to be done.
Smart medicine
Rana Sanyal from Turkey won in the Women Innovators category. This award goes to the most talented innovator in Europe. With her company RS Research, Sanyal is making remarkable progress in the field of smart nanomedicines for chemotherapy. Sanyal focuses on targeted drug delivery for cancer treatment. Traditional chemotherapy often harms both cancer cells and healthy dividing cells, leading to serious side effects. By “directing” drugs only to tumors, damage in the rest of the body is limited.
Empathetic AI
María González Manso of Spain won in the Rising Innovators category. This award goes to women under 35. She heads Tucuvi, a company that automates medical phone consultations using empathetic artificial intelligence. The platform is an answer to staffing shortages, deploying virtual assistant Lola for conversations with patients about their pathologies. The call data is analyzed and structured for review by the medical team. This allows the company to provide optimal care.
Sustainable packaging
Yuliia Bialetska from Ukraine won in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Women Leadership category. This award is for women leaders from the EIT Community. Bialetska has developed a sustainable alternative to plastic packaging with her company S.lab. The company produces biodegradable packaging from two plant components – agricultural waste and mushroom roots. Within a month, the packaging fully composts.
Zooming in on the Netherlands
Although no women from the Netherlands were in the prizes this year, they were in previous years. In 2021, Merel Boers won. She is co-founder and ceo of NICO-LAB. The company develops algorithms that analyze radiological images of patients with acute strokes. Using these tools, doctors can interpret medical scans quickly and objectively, allowing them to make thoughtful decisions about a patient’s treatment.
These stories show that while challenges remain, women entrepreneurs are having a significant impact on the innovation ecosystem in Europe. So, the next time you think of a ceo, maybe consider a woman?