The proportion of women in business and startup ventures in Germany is significantly lower than their share of the population. As a result, a substantial portion of the entrepreneurial potential in Germany remains untapped. For this reason, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) launched the EXIST-Women program in 2024.

EXIST-Women is a program for women with a university affiliation who are interested in or inclined toward entrepreneurship. It is offered alongside studies or employment. The main goal is to foster and develop an entrepreneurial mindset and to support the creation of (social) business ideas.

The funding and qualification program includes various events and advisory services, as well as a 1:1 mentoring program with experienced female entrepreneurs. In addition, the selected participants receive financial support of €2,000 for material expenses and an optional 3-month scholarship (ranging from €1,000 to €3,000/month), should they have no income or work less than 20 hours per week.

Our one-year program at ASH Berlin started in November 2023 as a pilot with 10 participants. It is not yet known whether the program will continue after this pilot phase.

Infoblatt herunterladen (Stand 06.10.23)

For more information on EXIST-Women, please visit: exist.de or refer to the document "EXIST-Women kompakt für Gründerinnen"

Current participants are students and graduates from the following programs:

• Social Work (Bachelor)
• Early Childhood Education (Bachelor)
• Health and Nursing Management (Bachelor)
• Management and Care in Healthcare (Bachelor)
• Physiotherapy / Occupational Therapy (Bachelor)
• Biographical and Creative Writing (Master)
• Management and Quality Development in Healthcare (Master)

You can learn more about them and the mentors on our "Community" page.

The EXIST Startup Grant supports diverse startup teams for 12 months as they develop a business plan and, with the assistance of their university or research institution, prepare to launch their business or social enterprice. The key requirement is that the proposed business/ social enterprice idea must be an innovative, technology-oriented, or knowledge-based innovation with unique selling points and strong economic potential. Services can also be supported under these conditions.

You will find more information here: exist.de.