With the EXIST-Women funding programme, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy is again supporting aspiring female entrepreneurs in the phase before business formation. The focus is on developing an entrepreneurial personality and the structured advancement of a business idea. The funding is intended to prepare female founders early on for a possible business start-up and to create the basis for follow-up funding such as the EXIST founder grant or EXIST research transfer.
The programme is aimed at female students who have completed at least half of their studies, at university graduates, researchers, doctoral candidates, and women with vocational training. The prerequisite is that no business has been founded yet and no previous business funding from the federal government or states has been claimed.
Material resources, incubation and optional scholarship
Participants in EXIST-Women receive a one-time material resources budget of €2,000 per founder. In addition, participation in SCE Incubation is planned, which runs from March to July. Within this framework, the founders benefit from the so-called SCE Founder Booster, which includes an additional material resources budget of up to €2,000 per start-up.
In addition, participants receive access to the infrastructure of SCE and Hochschule München, including workspaces in the incubator. The offering is complemented by nationwide exchange formats for founders, workshops, networking events, as well as mentoring and coaching services.
There is also the option of receiving a scholarship of up to three months, planned for the period from May to July. Monthly funding ranges from €1,000 to €3,000 depending on qualifications. In addition, a child allowance of €150 per child per month is provided. During the scholarship, no parallel employment or only employment of a maximum of 20 hours per week is permitted.
Application process
Act now: The application round for EXIST-Women 2026 runs until 15 February 2026.
The selection process is two-stage. First, interested parties apply online and go through the multi-stage selection process for SCE Incubation. Female founders who are accepted into incubation then submit a questionnaire, including proof of studies or graduation. An interview or pitch may also be part of the process.
More information here: https://www.sce.de/angebote/start-up-programme/start-up-foerderung-ressourcen/exist-women.html
