“EXIST Women 2025” – A joint initiative for women founders from academia
With the “Female Founders” programme, Technische Universität (TU) Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt and Hochschule Darmstadt (h_da) implemented a joint accompanying programme to EXIST Women for the first time in 2025. The initiative supported women in strengthening their entrepreneurial mindset, developing ideas and opening up new perspectives for their studies and careers.
A programme that opens up new perspectives
While 2025 was shaped by numerous developments in the regional start-up ecosystem, the newly launched “Female Founders” programme set a particularly strong accent. TU Darmstadt, Goethe University Frankfurt and h_da joined forces to support women at a very early stage of a potential start-up – long before business plans or founding teams were in place.
Around 24 women took part, eight of them via HIGHEST at TU Darmstadt. Led by start-up adviser Simone Lühl, the programme began in April with a joint kick-off. It included several workshops, mentoring sessions and cross-university exchange formats and concluded in December.
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Empowering women, shaping ideas
The programme was aimed at female students, graduates and researchers who were looking for orientation or wanted to find out whether entrepreneurship could be a path for them. A concrete business idea was not required. More important was the willingness to explore their potential role as a founder, develop new skills and build connections with other women.
Participants received one-to-one mentoring, took part in workshops on topics such as entrepreneurial thinking, self-perception, team leadership and pitching, and were able to use the universities’ infrastructure. This included, among other things, prototyping labs and 3D printing facilities. Events such as “Female Founders Day” as part of “INNODAY25” further strengthened networking across institutional boundaries.
When a programme changes personal direction
The lasting impact of “Female Founders” became particularly clear in the final feedback discussions. One participant reported that she had been on the verge of dropping out of her degree. She no longer saw any purpose in it, did not know how to move forward and felt she had no perspective. It was only through the programme that she realised her studies could provide a foundation – and that founding a start-up was a real option for her.
“The programme gave me a goal,” she said. “I now want to complete my degree as quickly as possible because I want to start a business.” She explained that, for the first time, she had developed an idea she truly wanted to pursue and that she was planning to apply for an EXIST start-up grant. Her experience was representative of the orientation the programme provided for many participants.
A network that carries weight
Other participants also described how much they had benefited from the community. Many joined without clear expectations and left with an understanding of how an idea can grow and which paths are open to them. One participant summed it up as follows: “I came in without a concrete idea, but I’m leaving with clarity and a network.” The exchange between TU Darmstadt, Goethe University and h_da proved to be a key driver – both professionally and personally.
Easy entry – and lasting impact
The application process was deliberately low-threshold: a letter of motivation was sufficient, and a jury selected up to ten participants per university. The women also took part in nationwide EXIST events, gaining insights into start-up ecosystems beyond the region. The application phase for the next cohort will start again in 2026.
By the end of the year one thing was clear: Female Founders was far more than a qualification programme. It provided orientation, strengthened self-confidence and opened doors. For some participants it also set the course for a path they had not previously considered for themselves. One of them put it in a way that speaks for many: “I have a goal now.”
Foto und Text: Heike Jüngst
