2026.04.28
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- EN
VivaTech Continues Its Commitment to Women Entrepreneurs and Unveils the 5 Finalists of the Female Founder Award
VivaTech Continues Its Commitment to Women Entrepreneurs and Unveils the 5 Finalists of the Female Founder Award
Paris, April 28, 2026 - VivaTech, Europe's largest event dedicated to startups and technology, unveils the eighth edition of the "Female Founder Award", an initiative supporting female entrepreneurship, in partnership with Forvis Mazars (Sponsor and Knowledge Partner), IRIS (Knowledge Partner), JCDecaux (Sponsor), C'est Qui La Boss? (Media Partner), and SISTA (Ambassador). On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, this initiative reaffirms VivaTech's commitment to increasing female representation in the sector.
The "Female Founder Award ", one of VivaTech's most iconic prizes, demonstrates the event's appeal to startups, with one of the most popular calls for applications. In a context where gender inequalities persist, companies founded or co-founded by women receive only 12% of venture capital funding¹. With this in mind, the Female Founder Award pursues a key objective: to amplify the visibility of innovative startup founders and contribute to fostering diversity and inclusion. VivaTech aims to provide these entrepreneurs with networking opportunities and access to funding through connections with international venture capital funds.
¹Sifted - 100 Women in Tech 2025
The 2026 Female Founder Award: A New Edition Shaped by HealthTech and DeepTech
This year, 444 female founders from 85 countries applied, with 72.9% of these startups being international. 75% of them are already in the process of raising funds.
A growing diversity of startup profiles, industries, and areas of application:
This eighth edition confirms that women-founded startups are not focused solely on FemTech. They address global challenges such as climate, mobility, health, and biotechnology.
- 12 of the 30 selected startups, nearly half, operate in the HealthTech or BioTech ;
- 6 of the selected startups operate in DeepTech , with varied areas of application including CleanTech (such as water desalination), Mobility , and Biotechnology ;
- Varying levels of maturity , bringing together early-stage startups as well as more mature ones;
- 14 selected startups are French and 16 are international.
The 2026 Finalists
Following a rigorous selection process conducted by VivaTech, Forvis Mazars, IRIS, and a panel of expert judges, five finalists have been chosen to pitch their solution during the Female Founder Award finale, which will take place on June 18 at 12pm on the Black Stage. The winner will be announced at the VivaTech Startup Prizes ceremony on June 19 at 2pm on Stage One.
The five finalists of the eighth edition of the Female Founder Award are:
- Ark Climate (Germany): Facing the climate emergency, ARK Climate tackles a concrete challenge: helping cities and municipalities achieve carbon neutrality . Its software solution centralises all of a local authority's climate actions into a single tool, enabling elected officials and public servants to manage, track, and accelerate their ecological transition without any prior technical expertise.
About the founder: Ruth Bosse , CEO & Founder, holds a master's degree in mathematics and business administration and a PhD in climate protection policy measures. She worked as a project manager at McKinsey, advising cities on climate protection and adaptation, and notably contributed to developing the 2022 climate roadmap for the city of Stuttgart.
-Endolith (USA): At the forefront of the mining industry revolution through sustainable and innovative mining solutions. Leveraging the power of microbes, synthetic biology, and cloud computing, Endolith aims to transform the way copper is extracted, reducing environmental impact and setting new standards for the sector.
About the founder: Liz Dennett , Founder and CEO, grew up in Alaska surrounded by wild landscapes and was inspired by her father's career as a geologist. She holds a PhD in geomicrobiology and astrobiology. At NASA, she studied microbes capable of oxidising sulfur and iron as part of research into life on Mars.
- ExoMatter (Germany): Revolutionising R&D in materials science. By combining deep scientific expertise with cutting-edge AI, the ExoMatter platform for materials science R&D helps scientists select inorganic crystalline materials based on their performance, durability, and cost.
About the founder: Barbara Bachus, co-founder and COO, holds degrees in economics and chemistry from the Technical University of Munich, with a specialisation in entrepreneurship. With her profile at the intersection of science and business, she supports major industrial groups such as Airbus, Audi, and BSH in identifying higher-performing, more sustainable materials.
- Revolty (France): Specialised in residential solar storage using second-life batteries. Their mission is to make solar energy storage more affordable and sustainable by reconditioning used lithium-ion batteries, particularly from electric mobility and industrial storage.
About the founder: Mathilde Janicot, co-founder and COO, is a graduate of HEC with professional experience at ENGIE and humanitarian experience in Benin. Passionate about energy and convinced of the need to transform French residential solar, she officially launched Revolty with her co-founder Valentin Heuzé at the end of her X-HEC Entrepreneurs Master's programme.
- Robeauté (France): Developing a new class of therapeutic microrobots , designed to diagnose, treat, and monitor the brain with unprecedented flexibility and precision. A key innovation for neuropathologies , enabling miniaturised devices to perform biopsies, deliver molecules, and implant electrodes.
About the founder: Joana Cartocci, co-founder and COO, has held key positions in numerous DeepTech organisations, demonstrating her expertise in coordinating complex projects. A founding member of Chirurgie 4.0 and former board member of FranceBiotech, she is deeply committed to advancing healthcare innovation.
Selection Criteria:
- Innovation: Level of relevance, originality, and innovation demonstrated by the technological solution.
- Team Profile: Profile of the founder(s) and co-founder(s), ability to drive the project to success, technical and interpersonal skills of the operational team.
- Business Model: The business model has demonstrated traction and product/market fit.
- Market Size: Potential of the targeted market.
- Product-Market Fit: The startup's ability to create and capture value in its market.
- Customer Strategy: Customer acquisition and retention.
- Impact: The solution's ability to generate a positive environmental and/or social impact.
Jury Members:
- Tatiana Jama, Founder & Managing Partner, Sista Fund
- Caroline Ramade, CEO & Founder of Q7Leader
- Sylvain Freonn, Partner and Executive Committee Member, Forvis Mazars
- Julien David Nitlech, Managing Partner, IRIS
- Isabelle Mari, Director of Strategic Projects, JCDECAUX
- Lucile Cornet, Partner, Eight Roads
Upcoming Milestones:
- May 26-27, 2026: Masterclass for VivaTech startups
- June 18, 2026: Final
- June 19, 2026: VivaTech Startup Prizes Ceremony
Paris, April 28, 2026 - VivaTech, Europe's largest event dedicated to startups and technology, unveils the eighth edition of the "Female Founder Award", an initiative supporting female entrepreneurship, in partnership with Forvis Mazars (Sponsor and Knowledge Partner), IRIS (Knowledge Partner), JCDecaux (Sponsor), C'est Qui La Boss? (Media Partner), and SISTA (Ambassador). On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, this initiative reaffirms VivaTech's commitment to increasing female representation in the sector.
The "Female Founder Award ", one of VivaTech's most iconic prizes, demonstrates the event's appeal to startups, with one of the most popular calls for applications. In a context where gender inequalities persist, companies founded or co-founded by women receive only 12% of venture capital funding¹. With this in mind, the Female Founder Award pursues a key objective: to amplify the visibility of innovative startup founders and contribute to fostering diversity and inclusion. VivaTech aims to provide these entrepreneurs with networking opportunities and access to funding through connections with international venture capital funds.
¹Sifted - 100 Women in Tech 2025
The 2026 Female Founder Award: A New Edition Shaped by HealthTech and DeepTech
This year, 444 female founders from 85 countries applied, with 72.9% of these startups being international. 75% of them are already in the process of raising funds.
A growing diversity of startup profiles, industries, and areas of application:
This eighth edition confirms that women-founded startups are not focused solely on FemTech. They address global challenges such as climate, mobility, health, and biotechnology.
- 12 of the 30 selected startups, nearly half, operate in the HealthTech or BioTech ;
- 6 of the selected startups operate in DeepTech , with varied areas of application including CleanTech (such as water desalination), Mobility , and Biotechnology ;
- Varying levels of maturity , bringing together early-stage startups as well as more mature ones;
- 14 selected startups are French and 16 are international.
The 2026 Finalists
Following a rigorous selection process conducted by VivaTech, Forvis Mazars, IRIS, and a panel of expert judges, five finalists have been chosen to pitch their solution during the Female Founder Award finale, which will take place on June 18 at 12pm on the Black Stage. The winner will be announced at the VivaTech Startup Prizes ceremony on June 19 at 2pm on Stage One.
The five finalists of the eighth edition of the Female Founder Award are:
- Ark Climate (Germany): Facing the climate emergency, ARK Climate tackles a concrete challenge: helping cities and municipalities achieve carbon neutrality . Its software solution centralises all of a local authority's climate actions into a single tool, enabling elected officials and public servants to manage, track, and accelerate their ecological transition without any prior technical expertise.
About the founder: Ruth Bosse , CEO & Founder, holds a master's degree in mathematics and business administration and a PhD in climate protection policy measures. She worked as a project manager at McKinsey, advising cities on climate protection and adaptation, and notably contributed to developing the 2022 climate roadmap for the city of Stuttgart.
-Endolith (USA): At the forefront of the mining industry revolution through sustainable and innovative mining solutions. Leveraging the power of microbes, synthetic biology, and cloud computing, Endolith aims to transform the way copper is extracted, reducing environmental impact and setting new standards for the sector.
About the founder: Liz Dennett , Founder and CEO, grew up in Alaska surrounded by wild landscapes and was inspired by her father's career as a geologist. She holds a PhD in geomicrobiology and astrobiology. At NASA, she studied microbes capable of oxidising sulfur and iron as part of research into life on Mars.
- ExoMatter (Germany): Revolutionising R&D in materials science. By combining deep scientific expertise with cutting-edge AI, the ExoMatter platform for materials science R&D helps scientists select inorganic crystalline materials based on their performance, durability, and cost.
About the founder: Barbara Bachus, co-founder and COO, holds degrees in economics and chemistry from the Technical University of Munich, with a specialisation in entrepreneurship. With her profile at the intersection of science and business, she supports major industrial groups such as Airbus, Audi, and BSH in identifying higher-performing, more sustainable materials.
- Revolty (France): Specialised in residential solar storage using second-life batteries. Their mission is to make solar energy storage more affordable and sustainable by reconditioning used lithium-ion batteries, particularly from electric mobility and industrial storage.
About the founder: Mathilde Janicot, co-founder and COO, is a graduate of HEC with professional experience at ENGIE and humanitarian experience in Benin. Passionate about energy and convinced of the need to transform French residential solar, she officially launched Revolty with her co-founder Valentin Heuzé at the end of her X-HEC Entrepreneurs Master's programme.
- Robeauté (France): Developing a new class of therapeutic microrobots , designed to diagnose, treat, and monitor the brain with unprecedented flexibility and precision. A key innovation for neuropathologies , enabling miniaturised devices to perform biopsies, deliver molecules, and implant electrodes.
About the founder: Joana Cartocci, co-founder and COO, has held key positions in numerous DeepTech organisations, demonstrating her expertise in coordinating complex projects. A founding member of Chirurgie 4.0 and former board member of FranceBiotech, she is deeply committed to advancing healthcare innovation.
Selection Criteria:
- Innovation: Level of relevance, originality, and innovation demonstrated by the technological solution.
- Team Profile: Profile of the founder(s) and co-founder(s), ability to drive the project to success, technical and interpersonal skills of the operational team.
- Business Model: The business model has demonstrated traction and product/market fit.
- Market Size: Potential of the targeted market.
- Product-Market Fit: The startup's ability to create and capture value in its market.
- Customer Strategy: Customer acquisition and retention.
- Impact: The solution's ability to generate a positive environmental and/or social impact.
Jury Members:
- Tatiana Jama, Founder & Managing Partner, Sista Fund
- Caroline Ramade, CEO & Founder of Q7Leader
- Sylvain Freonn, Partner and Executive Committee Member, Forvis Mazars
- Julien David Nitlech, Managing Partner, IRIS
- Isabelle Mari, Director of Strategic Projects, JCDECAUX
- Lucile Cornet, Partner, Eight Roads
Upcoming Milestones:
- May 26-27, 2026: Masterclass for VivaTech startups
- June 18, 2026: Final
- June 19, 2026: VivaTech Startup Prizes Ceremony