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Meet our EWAs

Discover their stories, learn from their experiences, and see how the EWA community has empowered them to innovate and lead in the agrifood sector.

2020
2025

Keep in touch with us and the EWA community!

Connect with a vibrant network of female agrifood entrepreneurs, mentors, and experts through our virtual community. By joining, you’ll gain access to exclusive resources, ongoing support, and endless opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Testimonials

Hear firsthand from our past participants about the impact of the EWA programme on their entrepreneurial journeys.

EWA pushed me to clarify not just what AgriCheck does, but why it matters to OEMs, dealers, and service teams. It helped me refine the message without losing the depth of our technical vision.

- Serena Fruttaldo (CEO at Genera) – EWA 2025 winner, Italy

Participating in the EWA programme has been a transformative experience for me as an entrepreneur. The mentorship and structure of the programme helped me refine my business vision and shape the FoodLovers product line with more clarity and confidence.

- Ardeta Koçi (Founder of FoodLovers) – EWA 2025 winner, Albania

Participating in EWA has been a profoundly transformative and empowering experience, giving wings not only to my idea but also to my confidence as an emerging entrepreneur. With the guidance of my mentor and the support of the programme, I turned an initial concept into a sustainable project ready for implementation.

- Sonilda Lamaj (Founder of Ferma Diellëza) – EWA 2025 winner, Albania

EWA gave me the opportunity to take a step back and look at Nula with greater strategic clarity. I refined the value proposition, validated assumptions and better understood the market I was targeting. Just as valuable was the sense of community, a safe space to share challenges, find motivation and gain momentum.

- Maria Antunes (Founder of Nula) – EWA 2025 participant, Portugal

The mentoring sessions and expert feedback allowed me to refine our business strategy and better position our innovation in the agrifood sector. It was also inspiring to connect with other women entrepreneurs working on sustainable solutions. Thanks to EWA, I feel more confident in the scalability of our biorefinery model and its potential to drive change across the agrifood value chain.

- Mariana Monteiro Fortes (CEO at Pluralgae – Pegada Distinta) – EWA 2025 participant, Portugal

EWA has been a transformative experience that helped me turn my early-stage idea into a clear, testable concept with real market potential. I gained confidence, practical tools, and the support of a community of women entrepreneurs who inspired me to move forward with courage.

- Janika Aan (Founder of FoodID) – EWA 2025 winner, Estonia

EWA was an inspiring experience that gave me clarity on the next steps for my business idea. The expert mentorship helped me find solutions to key challenges and encouraged me to think more strategically about the development and impact of my project.

- Mari Aasmäe (Founder of Meal in Hand) – EWA 2025 winner, Estonia

With the support of my mentor and the community, I learned how to communicate not just the science, but the deeper purpose behind our work, to restore animal wellbeing through intelligent, prebiotic feeding.

- Constanza Isabel Flores Urzúa (CEO at Advanced Prebiotic Nutrition for Animals) – EWA 2025 participant, Spain

EWA helped me strengthen my entrepreneurial mindset and refine my business idea in a practical, structured way. I gained clarity on my next steps, expanded my network with inspiring women innovators, and built the confidence to take my idea forward.

- Nadica Desanova (Founder of MIMIC TECH) – EWA 2025 winner, North Macedonia

EWA helped me transform my idea into a solid business plan with all the necessary projections for future development. The local incubator and my mentor guided me through every step, and I will proudly advocate for this programme to support more women building impactful enterprises.

- Simona Vasileva Petrova (Founder of AMBROSIAA) – EWA 2025 winner, North Macedonia

Turning my idea into a clear, structured plan gave me the confidence to move forward with purpose. The guidance of my mentor and the support of a community of women entrepreneurs reminded me that I’m not alone on this journey and strengthened my belief in my own potential.

- Anna Ierodiakonou (Co-owner at Bites of Greece) – EWA 2025 participant, Greece

The mentoring journey through EWA gave me the structure and confidence I needed to move from concept to concrete plan. I gained clarity on the market, refined my idea step by step, and discovered that even early-stage projects can grow with the right support. This experience turned uncertainty into motivation.

- Chrysi Papagiannaki (Agronomist, Founder of PestAgroFoodNIR) – EWA 2025 participant, Greece

EWA gave a strong boost to both areas of my work, biodegradable biocomposites and functional teas from sunflower root. It helped me sharpen the strategy, clarify priorities, and prepare for conversations with partners and investors. The programme strengthened my confidence as a founder in plant-based deep tech.

- Katarzyna Jaworska (Founder of Bloomen) – EWA 2025 winner, Poland

Beyond the formal training, the programme opened doors to the EIT Food ecosystem where I’ve established great contacts and even started direct collaborations with two innovative farmers I met through the initiative. EWA has truly reinforced my belief that connecting with other professionals in agritech is one of the most important things a founder can do.

- Nina Bazela (Founder of Antyszpak) – EWA 2025 winner, Poland

EWA was a transformative milestone that gave me the confidence to believe in my vision and push my dessert concept further. The mentorship offered objective guidance that reshaped my business model and empowered me to pursue growth with clarity and ambition.

- Ioana Mihai (Founder of MORI) – EWA 2025 winner, Romania

Through EWA, I found the courage to follow my dream, grow PasiSera with the support of my mentor and international trainers, and join a global community of inspiring women. This experience gave me the motivation to keep building a sustainable, eco-friendly greenhouse aligned with ESG and SDG principles.

- Nona Rotariu (Founder of PasiSera) – EWA 2025 winner, Romania

EWA was an inspiring and transformative experience that helped us clarify the direction of our product, strengthen both our scientific and entrepreneurial foundation, and finalise the first version of our AI platform. We now feel fully equipped for the next stages of development and growth.

- Jelisaveta Ilić (Founder of Tisalytics Bio) – EWA 2025 winner, Serbia

EWA gave me a clearer vision for growing my brand and the confidence to turn ideas into concrete business steps. The mentorship, support, and inspiring community of women empowered me to present my work with courage and keep building the BAYANA story.

- Jovanka Jana Ninković (Founder of Bayan Food) – EWA 2025 winner, Serbia

EWA has been a truly transformative experience that helped me turn my ideas into concrete next steps for developing our farm and freeze-dried goat-milk ice cream project. With the support of my mentor and the structure of the programme, I gained energy, clarity, and confidence, even during a busy farming season.

- Janja Matk (Founder of Meeeksi) – EWA 2025 winner, Slovenia

EWA has been one of the most formative parts of Milkimami’s journey and my own path as a woman founder. It helped me refine our business model, gain clarity on our impact, and grow in confidence as a leader. Thanks to the programme, Milkimami is stronger and ready to grow.

- Petra Gorečan (Founder of Milkimami) – EWA 2025 winner, Slovenia

EWA gave me more than just business tools, it gave me confidence, support, and the sense that I’m moving in the right direction. I refined my business model, validated my idea, and gained clarity on how to scale, surrounded by a community full of knowledge and inspiration.

- Anastasiia Bilan (Founder of M-Kit) – EWA 2025 winner, Ukraine

EWA gave us the chance to explore questions we couldn’t address in day-to-day operations and opened our eyes to new applications for our work. We finished the programme with fresh challenges, but now we truly believe we can meet them.

- Viktoriia Norenko (Founder of ReBio Service) – EWA 2025 winner, Ukraine

Project lead

LARA RODRIGUEZ ORTEGA002 Lara Rodríguez EIT Food South

Senior Regional Programme Manager

CF047491 Alicja Krakowska EIT Food North & East

Project Manager

Fyfug Carolina Silva Marqués EIT Food South

Regional Project Manager

CF046856 Malgorzata Druciarek EIT Food North & East

Senior Regional Project Manager / Gender and Diversity Manager

Untitled design Alba Molina EIT Food South

Senior Regional Communication Officer

CF047692 Olesia Kotovska EIT Food North & East

Junior Project Manager

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