Berlin wants to improve support for women setting up businesses

At the Office Club in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, people work in a coworking space.

Berlin wants to provide better support for female founders. To this end, there is now a grant for women who set up their own business.

Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) officially launched the programme at the German Entrepreneur and Founder Days in Berlin. The pot for the funding programme contains a total of 2.3 million euros from the state and the European Union, as announced by the economic administration.

The scholarships are intended to support around 60 female founders or start-up teams led by women. They will receive funding of up to 2,200 euros per month for up to twelve months during the start-up phase. According to the economic administration, the scholarships will be selected by three incubators specialising in the promotion of female founders, who will also support them with advice. "We are investing 2.3 million euros in the programme for start-up grants and want more women to become founders," said Senator for Economic Affairs Giffey.

"After all, they are still less common than men in the start-up world - not because they have fewer business ideas or start-up spirit, but because they often have to overcome more hurdles on their start-up journey." According to the economic administration, the scholarship for female founders has already proven its worth in a pilot phase launched in 2023. Within this framework, 30 female founders have been supported.