Women Building the Future of Tech
Award by Viva Technology
The Female Founder Challenge, celebrates the women leading innovative startups that are driving the disruptive technologies shaping the future.
Our main objective is to empower women entrepreneurs by facilitating networking opportunities and access to funding through experience-sharing and connecting them with venture capitalists.
Join us for the eighth edition of VivaTech 11-14 June 2025, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
The Award
Our long-term goal is to increase the representation of women at all levels within the tech industry, improve women's access to leadership roles, and showcase the unique value that diverse, female-led teams bring to innovation. We are also committed to raising awareness of the ongoing underrepresentation of women in access to VC funding:
• Only 2%* of global VC funding went to all-female founding teams vs 15% mixed-gender founding teams in 2022
• 94% of female fundraisings were below €15M vs €215M for men in 2022
Don’t miss your chance!
*Source : Baromètre SISTA 2023
Selection criteria
★ Innovation:
Level of relevance, originality, and innovation demonstrated by the tech solution
★ Scalability:
Feasibility, practicality, and viability (technical, economic, and environmental) of implementing the solution
★ Team:
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
★ Business:
Your business model demonstrated traction and product/market fit
★ Impact:
Solutions that contribute to improving environmental and social impact
Rewards
The Top 30 Female Founders
★ Two 4-day passes to attend the 2025 edition of VivaTech
The 5 finalists
★ Pitch your solution in front of a jury of top decision makers and investors
★ One-to-one meetings booked with VCs during Office Hours
★ Visibility on VivaTech website
★ Two 4-day passes to attend the 2025 edition of VivaTech
The Grand Prize Winner
★ Pitch your solution during the grand Award ceremony on VivaTech main stage
★ Fundraising coaching by IRIS (from pitch deck revamp to intros to VCs)
★ High visibility during VivaTech
★ A private meeting with the high-level jury
★ A free Startup Corner at the 2026 edition of VivaTech
★ A 3-month business development mentoring program with Forvis Mazars XFactory
Our Timeline
- 1
January 8
Launch of the
Challenge
- 2
February 23
End of the
applications
- 3
April 7
Official announcement
of the Top 30
- 4
April 25
Official release of
the 5 finalists
- 5
June 12
Final on stage at VivaTech and Awards ceremony
2025 Partners
Back to the 2024 edition
Albane Dersy - CEO and Co-founder of Inbolt
Winner of the Female Founder 2024.
“I think the Female Founder Challenge is one of the best platforms we have in France in terms of marketing, communication, and visibility for female founders,”INBOLT raised a total of €15 million in Series A funding in September 2024. Find more details on our dedicated article.2024 Finalists
- Daria StepanovaCo-founder & CEOAIRMO
- Pamela PardiniBIONIRS
- Alyssa EmmungilCo-founder & CEOHappyPal
- Albane DersyCo-founder & COOinbolt
- Flore LestradeCo-founder & CEOVeeton