FoundHERs Academy @ Viadrina

• 10-month program with workshops, one-on-one coaching, and networking events to optimally prepare you for self-employment
• €2,000 budget for non-cash resources to implement your startup idea
• The opportunity to receive one of five EXIST-Women scholarships for three months to cover your living expenses (€1,000–€3,000 per month depending on degree)*
• Participation in the FoundHERs Retreat Weekend
• An experienced mentor by your side
• Optional workspace in the Viadrina Coworking Space & access to our Maker Lab (from April 2026)
• A certificate upon successful completion of the program

*Individual eligibility will be assessed in accordance with the EXIST-Women guidelines and subject to the approval of funding by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

The FoundHERs Academy primarily targets women interested in founding a startup who have a connection to Europa-Universität Viadrina and who are still at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey and want to familiarize themselves early on with the topics of entrepreneurship and self-employment. The connection to the university applies if you are currently studying or working at Europa-Universität Viadrina, or have done so in the past. A limited number of places are also available to participants without a direct connection to the university.

You are international and wondering whether you can take part?

As an international founder, you can participate if you have a valid visa and are able to attend the events in person throughout the entire year. In principle, we are flexible and can run many formats—such as one-on-one coaching sessions—in English. However, some offers will also take place in German, such as the FoundHERs Retreat or talks as part of networking events. A certain basic level of German (B1) would therefore be useful in order to at least understand what is being said.

Applicants cannot be admitted

• if they are already operating a business based on the business idea submitted in the application.
• if they have already founded a corporation (capital company).
• if they are already receiving funding through the EXIST start-up grant or EXIST Research Transfer.
• if they are enrolled in a bachelor’s program and have not yet completed more than half of their coursework.
• if they do not live in the Frankfurt (Oder) area and realistically cannot participate in the program offerings.

Not sure whether you’re eligible to apply? Then join the online info session on February 10 | 3:30–4:30 via Zoom (Meeting-ID: 360 523 6514 ) or get in direct contact with us. You can find the details in the contact section below.

• No income or a maximum of 20 hours of work per week during the scholarship period.
• Combining the EXIST Women scholarship with another funding program or with payments to cover living expenses—such as BAföG, unemployment benefits, citizen’s allowance (Bürgergeld) from the Federal Employment Agency, or parental allowance—is not possible.

Good to know: Participation in the program is also possible without the scholarship.

You can still submit your application for the FoundHERs Academy online via the application form linked below. To do so, you will need a two-page motivation letter. In it, you should describe your start-up idea, your motivation for participating, and what you hope to achieve with the FoundHERs Academy.

1. Prepare your application documents

• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)
• Short presentation (either as a PDF or video, max. 2 minutes)

2. Submit your application

Submit your documents via our online portal.

The application deadline is 20 February 2026, 11:59 p.m.

3. Notification

Selected participants will be notified by early March 2026.

Apply now!

Interested? Then apply here! (Application deadline: 20/02/2025)

If you have any questions, have a look at our How-to-Guide or the EXIST Women FAQs.

The letter of motivation you submitted will be reviewed by the team at the start-up center in an initial screening round to ensure it meets the formal requirements. In the event of a very large number of incoming applications, the team will pre-select the most promising applications and choose the most promising applicants.

First impressions matter!

For this reason, we will invite the most promising applicants to a personal interview in the second stage. During the interview, applicants have the opportunity to convince the selection committee in person with a five-minute pitch. Applicants are assessed based on the following criteria:

• Motivation & commitment
• Need for support
• Communication skills
• Professional expertise
• Viability & impact of the start-up idea

Up to 10 applicants will be admitted to the FoundHERs Academy.

The program is divided into several phases

Preparation and Application (Jan – March 2026)

• Information events & consultation
• Application process and selection of participants
• Search for mentors

Program Kick-off (March 2026)

• Kick-off idea workshop and mentor matching
• Introduction to the program content

Skill Building (April – July 2026)

• Individual work on the Miro board: target group, market analysis, financial model, etc.
• Mastermind groups: monthly meetings for peer coaching

Interim Evaluation & Selection of Scholarship Holders (July 2026)

• Assessment of engagement and progress
• Selection of participants for the scholarship (3 months)

Scholarship Phase (August – Oct 2026)

• Focus on implementation and validation of the idea
• Individual support and consulting as needed

Retreat (Nov 2026)

• Interregional retreat with other universities

Conclusion and Outlook (Dec 2026)

• Reflection and future planning (e.g. EXIST concept paper, application to one of six startup centers in Brandenburg)

Ongoing Throughout the Program

• Meet-ups & cook-outs at the Viadrina Coworking Space
• Mentoring

We are looking for a strong group of aspiring female founders who are motivated to work on implementing their ideas and are eager to exchange ideas on a regular basis.

To make this possible, you should be willing to participate for the entire ten-month duration of the program and have a genuine interest in the program content as well as in exchanging ideas with other female founders. Before applying, please assess for yourself whether you can and want to integrate the program into your daily routine.

The program includes participation in the following events:

• Program kick-off // early March
• Female Founders final retreat // November, tbd
• Interregional seminar “Female Founder” in Berlin/Munich (mandatory event organized by the project sponsor), tbd
• Attendance at mandatory dates and active use of the qualification program as an opportunity to develop a business idea/start a venture
• Completion of the “Short description of the business idea” for the final report
• Completion of the ESF questionnaire
• Completion of the monitoring questionnaire
• Optional participation in workshops of your choice from the startup center’s event program
• No obligation to found a company: the startup may take place during the 10-month qualification phase, in a subsequent funding phase, or at a later point in time

The full annual schedule of workshops and networking events has not yet been finalized. The event overview, which is continuously updated, provides an initial orientation.

Further questions about participation and funding can be found on the Exist Woman website.