HerTechVenture press release

The HerTechVenture project, funded by the European Union to empower women in tech innovation and entrepreneurship, marks its first successful year of implementation with significant milestones achieved throughout 2023-2024.

The journey began with a productive kick-off meeting in Poland, which proved instrumental in strengthening consortium relationships and establishing guidelines for the project's foundational research. The meeting laid the groundwork for comprehensive data collection and interviews that informed the Theory of Change and needs analysis, now available on the project website (here). These initial steps were made possible through the valuable contribution of women entrepreneurs and startup founders who shared their experiences and insights, helping to shape the project's understanding of current challenges and opportunities in the field.

A major achievement has been the development and pilot implementation of "The GenderWise training program for Higher Education Institutions educators." The pilot session, hosted at the University of Guarda in November, showcased innovative approaches to fostering gender inclusivity in entrepreneurship education. The Politecnico team made a notable contribution by introducing role-playing activities designed to enhance institutional support for women's entrepreneurship, providing educators with practical tools to create more inclusive learning environments. The interview of our colleague Prof. Mauro Tortello is available here.
The project's theoretical framework and initial findings were presented at the TEEM24 Conference in Alicante, as part of Track 10: Bridging the Diversity Gap in STEM. The presentation, titled "HerTechVenture, empowering women in tech innovation and entrepreneurship in Higher Education institutions," generated valuable discussions on strategies to increase women's participation in technology and entrepreneurship within higher education settings.