The ten start-ups that have been selected to take part in the new edition of Women in Action, an acceleration programme dedicated to innovative female-led companies supported by LifeGate Way, propose innovations ranging from healthcare to sustainability and social impact.
The second edition of Women in Action, which is free of charge and equity free for participating companies, is devised by Elga Corricelli and Layla Pavone with the aim of stimulating the growth of innovative solutions for environmental, social and individual sustainability by bridging the gender gap in the world of entrepreneurship and investment as witnessed by CrunchBase’s Female Founder Report, according to which start-ups founded by women have raised around five billion dollars in venture capital funding, compared to the 20 billion obtained by those co-founded by men.
Out of more than 100 applications from female students, entrepreneurs and founders of all ages and parts of the world, from Italy to Iran, ten realities were selected on the basis of the degree of sustainability, innovation, scalability and strength of the team:
- All Stent (medtech): founded in Milan by Georgiana Olteanu, All Stent develops digital twin software based on artificial intelligence to improve pre-procedural planning of TEVAR interventions on the thoracic aorta. The system helps doctors select the most suitable stent for each patient, reducing risks and improving clinical outcomes.
- Rebloom (cleantech): founded in Busto Garolfo under the leadership of Letizia Clementi, Rebloom aims to combat pollution from sugar cane and packaging waste. With a cradle-to-cradle approach, it develops sustainable packaging materials, promoting the circular economy and reducing emissions.
- Pausetive (femtech): the brainchild of Clarice Pinto in Milan, Pausetive is Italy’s first virtual menopause clinic. Through an app and telemedicine services, it offers personalised treatment plans based on clinical and lifestyle data, integrating medical, nutritional and psychological support. In addition, it collaborates with companies to raise awareness on the issue and make workplaces more inclusive towards women in this phase of life.
- GJ (healthcare): based in Milan, thanks to an intuition of Elena Lo Baido, GJ has devised integrated care paths that combine traditional medicine and mental well-being. By creating multidisciplinary teams, it helps patients receive personalised treatments that consider the link between body and mind. Furthermore, it supports healthcare professionals by providing them with tools to improve clinical practice and the management of their daily work.
- MeggyCare (femtech): the brainchild of Lara Ranzato in Montegrotto Terme, MeggyCare helps women to know and preserve their fertility. It offers tools to monitor the cycle and promotes access to egg freezing in a more sustainable and economical way. The start-up collaborates with companies and specialists to integrate these solutions into women’s lives, helping them to plan for the future without pressure.
- Mykes (social impact): also from Milan, under the leadership of da Angelica Villa, Mykes supports parenting in the first three years of a child’s life by creating links between families. Through a multilingual app, it offers guidance, training and support to help parents find useful resources and create supportive communities.
- In Ludus (social impact): created in Grottammare by Laura Andrea Canals, In Ludus uses games as an educational tool to address complex issues such as bullying, diversity and inclusion. It proposes educational games and training courses to raise awareness among children and adolescents, making learning more engaging.
- Resilhealth (healthcare): founded in Bologna by Giulia Alboccino, Resilhealth deals with the diagnosis and treatment of underestimated female diseases such as endometriosis and vulvodynia. The start-up proposes a virtual clinic with specialised doctors and offers training to raise awareness about these diseases.
- Abli (healthcare): Launched in Turin by Beatrice Buoi, Abli is a platform that provides up-to-date information on voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVG) services in Italy. By digitising and centralising data, it helps women to find their way around the healthcare system in a clear and conscious way. The project aims to ensure transparency, easy access to information and protection of reproductive rights.
- Echoes of Persia (social impact): founded in Rome by Reyhaneh Khakinejad, this initiative supports contemporary Iranian women artists, offering them visibility and economic opportunities. Besides selling handicrafts, it collaborates with Iranian NGOs to promote sustainable products. Through events and exhibitions, it aims to transform art into a tool for social, cultural and ecological change.
“From Iranian women artists to women fighting infertility, from those suffering from a disease neglected by medicine to those who want to fight pollution: the ten selected realities want to create together a society that is also made to measure for women, for any woman, especially for those who have felt excluded or ignored,” Elga Corricelli and Layla Pavone explain in a note
For three months of the duration of the acceleration programme, companies will have access to 150 hours of free and equity-free training, mentorship and coaching in a hybrid format on sustainability, business and communication.
“The selected realities are ready to begin a journey that will not only provide concrete tools for growth, but will also foster a continuous exchange of experiences and knowledge among women of different ages and skills, all united by the desire to innovate sustainability,” Corricelli adds. “Our goal is to create a valuable network and train a transformative mindset, which is essential for female founders and fundamental for those who want to bring innovation to organisations.
“We also wanted to include female students because we believe that inspiring and training the new generations is crucial for building a more sustainable and innovative entrepreneurship,” says Pavone. “With Women in Action, we want to give young women with ambitious ideas the opportunity to confront established realities and learn from concrete experiences, creating an inclusive ecosystem capable of generating real change.
“Once again in this second edition, we evaluated more than 100 interesting and innovative applications, making the task of selecting only ten for the Woman in Action programme even more difficult; these numbers are further confirmation of how fertile the Women’s Entrepreneurship ecosystem is and how increasingly important it is to create tools that facilitate its development; It is therefore an honour for me to be able to be part of the programme again this year and to be able to make my contribution with the aim of generating more and more value and new mindsets in this ecosystem,” concludes Frida Mura, head of sales and partnership HR solutions at Archiva Group, sponsor of Women in Action.
The programme will close on 26 June with an event where start-ups will have the opportunity to present themselves to partner companies and investors.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©