EWA programme with a festive opening in Lithuania

The wish to participate in the five month length EWA project has been expressed by twenty women, who had a business idea or not later than two years ago began to develop a start-up. The competent board received a difficult task to select ten the most worthy innovators to participate further in the programme. Women who passed the selection procedure were invited to participate in the opening event in “Courtyard by Marriott“ hotel restaurant in Vilnius. 

After a lengthy anticipation of live events during quarantine, many of the participants felt extremely festive at the opening. The coordinator of EIT Food centre in Lithuania, AgriFood Lithuania DIH, Kristina Sermuksnyte-Alesiuniene has presented the EIT Food organisation, introduced mentors to participants, and the fruitful individual consultations with experts were successfully started.

The Mentors – experienced experts

The EWA programme mentors has been selected according to the skills and needs required by the selected participants. The organisers were pleased that experienced leaders of the sector has been put together for this inspiring project. The experts accepted the offer with positivity and were ready to assist female participants to develop their ideas.

The expert team: coordinator of AgriFood Lithuania DIH Kristina Sermuksnyte-Alesiuniene, coordinator of Lithuanian Food Exporters Association (LitMEA) Giedrius Bagusinskas, director of Lithuanian Innovation Centre Mantas Vilys, founder and leader of agri-food digital innovation hub Augustas Alesiunas, fundraising experts Gytis Junevicius and Ignas Slapkauskas, “ART21” R&D manager Laurynas Jukna, communication manager of AgriFood Lithuania DIH Giedrius Leskauskas, expert of innovation support services Arturas Jakubavicius and consultant of the Chamber of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania Rita Latvyte.

Participants from all over Lithuania

Aistė Miliute, Giedre Kesiunaite, Milda Sniukaite, Edita Radziukyniene, Lina Putriute, Jolita Bernotiene, Milda Savickaite, Milita Zygyte, Beata Czaplinska and Birute Slyziene all have come to transform their ideas into business, which would positively affect the food system, improve people quality of life and contribute to more sustainable and effective use of the recourses of our planet.

During the final event in November these participants will have to pitch their ideas and present the achieved progress while implementing the EWA project.

The best performed female innovators will be granted 10 and 5 thousand euros vouchers!