When we joined the EmpoWomen Programme, AlongRoute: Marine Weather Intelligence had just completed its first paid pilot in Greece. Six months later, after an intense and rewarding period, we’re proud to say we achieved 100% of the goals and KPIs we set at the beginning, and so much more.
The EmpoWomen Programme, a Horizon Europe initiative designed to accelerate women-led deep-tech startups in Europe. The programme focused on helping female founders grow through equity-free funding, mentorship, training, investor access, and participation in major tech events. EmpoWomen’s official programme information highlights €1,125,000 total funding, support for 25 women-led startups, up to €45,000 equity-free funding plus prizes and vouchers, and a 6-month acceleration format.
For AlongRoute, this was a meaningful and highly productive chapter. During that period, we expanded our team, signed a 3-year contract with a leading voyage-optimization vendor, began co-developing a new product with a micro-satellite company, entered mature discussions for additional agreements, and moved closer to our pre-seed fundraising milestone.
EmpoWomen also gave us access to a broader European ecosystem built specifically to support women-led innovation. The programme is coordinated by Sploro together with TechUkraine, Startup Wise Guys, and Business Angels Europe. Startup Wise Guys is a leading European accelerator and fund with investments in 400+ startups, while Business Angels Europe serves as the European confederation of angel investing.
One of the programme’s major milestones was the second Demo Day in Bucharest, where 14 women-led deep-tech startups from nine countries presented their solutions. The cohort covered a wide range of sectors including AI, biotech, sustainability, robotics, health, and mobility. AlongRoute was featured there as “AI-enhanced marine weather forecasting for cleaner shipping,” and Sploro’s event recap noted that AlongRoute placed fourth, while emphasizing that all participating founders had emerged from a highly competitive process.
What made EmpoWomen especially valuable for us was not only the structured support, but also the sense of community around women building ambitious deep-tech companies. The programme’s stated mission is to promote gender equality and diversity in entrepreneurship and to help more women become technology leaders in Europe. That mission strongly resonates with AlongRoute’s own journey as we continue building decision-grade marine weather intelligence for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable maritime operations.
We are grateful to the EmpoWomen team, to Startup Wise Guys, Sploro, TechUkraine, Business Angels Europe, and to the wider network of founders and mentors who made this experience so impactful. For AlongRoute, the programme was more than an accelerator. It was a real step forward in our growth, our confidence, and our international trajectory.