For the third consecutive year, Supernovas is hosting the Rocket Up programme to accelerate the international expansion of 12 women-led tech start-ups.
The programme is gaining momentum, with more applications and an increasingly higher level of competition each year. The 12 start-ups selected for 2024 come from 9 different countries within the European Union, with 25 per cent of them being part of the countries part of the Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS). Four of these start-ups are focused on mobility, four on food and agri-tech, and four on manufacturing-tech. All of them are working to grow their businesses beyond their local markets.
Preparing for international expansion
The Rocket Up programme provides start-ups with the necessary services and support to define a clear strategy for expanding their operations into another European region. Internationalisation is essential for a start-up aiming to become a scale-up. Expanding into a new market requires not only a clear strategy but also a network. The programme offers all of this.
The primary reasons for failure in expansion are moving too quickly or choosing the wrong location, often due to insufficient preliminary research. This is what these start-ups have been focusing on during the first three months of the Rocket Up programme. Now, at the halfway point of the programme, the start-ups have chosen a target market and are taking their first steps toward expansion, with personalised guidance and mentorship. With EIT’s extensive network across the EU, the Rocket Up programme connects them with local contacts, fosters collaboration and ensures a successful market entry.
Every year, I’m prouder of our cohort. These companies have products capable of making a significant positive impact, whether in the environment or in society. The programme is becoming more robust each year, with a clear methodology, sector experts as external guests, and personalised mentoring from a long list of committed experts. The goal of the programme is to see more successful companies led by women, more role models. We want to accelerate the virtuous circle and finally have products and services that benefit all of society, making life happier and more sustainable.
Celeste Reglá, Start-up Programmes Officer for Impact Ventures
Pioneering women: driving innovation and investment in Europe
The six-month Rocket Up programme will conclude with an in-person meeting in Helsinki on 19 November just before the EIT INNOVEIT. The event is organised by the EIT Community as part of the EIT’s flagship INNOVEIT event series and notably aligns with the SLUSH festival that takes place in Helsinki that week. The conference will focus on the EIT’s role and impact in boosting female innovation and investment across Europe. It will also be possible to attend the online format. For more information and registration: Pioneering women: driving innovation and investment in Europe – Info (b2match.io)
Selected start-ups
Mobility start-ups:
- Dreamwaves – Spatial audio navigation
- On Time – Platform for community-driven logistics
- UNIO – Smart switch binding 5G with space connectivity
- Hergele– Micro-mobility solution designed for logistics
Food start-ups:
- Biopols– Bio-based food storage tech for packaging and coatings
- Vini Mini– Easy and safe way to prevent food allergies in babies
- Raw Edge– Fermented soft drink made from local vegetables
- Sabi Agri– Design and manufacture of lightweight & electric tractors
Manufacturing start-ups:
- Circonomit– Collection and aggregation of corporate environmental data
- FABBRIC– Digitised and automated fashion creation process
- Exomatter– Personalised shortlists of optimal materials for manufacturing
- Grayn– Data analytics and IoT for optimising manufacturing resources