Last week funding recap: Female founders secure nearly €103M

Despite a subdued investment climate, the European startup ecosystem is experiencing a notable shift as women-led companies shape the future of innovation. Between April 28 and May 2, 2025, female founders and co-founders secured nearly €103 million in funding across the medtech, edtech, and cleantech sectors.
This momentum signals a broader structural change, particularly in Finland, where intentional capital allocation and diverse investment teams have helped female-founded startupscapture 30% of all venture capital raised, far surpassing the European average.
Here are the companies, led or co-founded by women, that recently secured significant funding, showcasing their innovative approaches and investors’ confidence in their visions.

Founders: MD Start team operates as the in-house medtech accelerator for Sofinnova Partners. The Colovac device was invented by French digestive surgeon Dr. Charam Khosrovani. Anne Osdoit, a partner at MD Start, is recognised as a co-founder and was the company’s founding CEOFounded year: 2015Recent funding:€35M
SafeHeal is a French medtech company specialising in anastomosis protection devices for colorectal surgery. The company aims to improve post-operative recovery and reduce the need for temporary diverting ostomies. Its flagship product, Colovac, is a flexible endoluminal bypass sheath designed to protect surgical sites and facilitate healing, helping patients avoid the stigma and complications of a stoma.
Solar Eclipse led the recent €35 million Series C funding round, which closed in April 2025. New investors Gideon Strategic Partners and M&L Healthcare (part of M&L Group) participated, alongside returning investorSofinnova Partners. The proceeds will support the completion of SafeHeal’s pivotal IDE study and the commercial launch of Colovac in Europe and the United States.

Founders: Niko Eiden (CEO), Rebecca Xu (COO), Klaus Melakari (CTO), Ville Miettinen (Chief Algorithm Officer)Founded year: 2021Recent funding:€30M
Pixieray, recently rebranded as IXI, was founded by a team of seasoned technology leaders:Niko Eiden, Rebecca Xu,Klaus Melakari, andVille Miettinen. Their backgrounds span companies like Microsoft, Varjo, Foxconn, Nokia, NVIDIA, and CERN, bringing deep expertise in optics, eye-tracking, and advanced hardware development.
Plural Platform, a London-based venture capital firm, led the latest€30 million Series A round. The round included participation from new and existing investors such asTesi,byFounders,Heartcore Capital,Eurazeo,FOV Ventures,Tiny Supercomputer Investment Company,Amazon Alexa Fund,Maki.VC, First Fellow Partners, First Minute Capital, Bragiel Brothers, and notable angel investors, including David Helgason, Ilkka Paananen, and John Lindfors.

Founders: Dr. Samantha Anderson (CEO), Dr. Bardiya Valizadeh (CTO), Dr. Christopher Ireland (CSO)Founded year: 2019Recent funding: CHF 19M (approx. $23M)
DePoly is a Swiss cleantech company pioneering chemical recycling technology that converts unsorted and dirty PET and polyester waste into virgin-grade raw materials — PTA and MEG — without using fossil fuels. This approach enables the recycling of complex plastic waste streams that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated, supporting the transition to a circular plastics economy.
Therecent funding round of $23 millionwas led byMassMutual Ventures, which joined as a new strategic investor in the second closing. Other participants included existing investors such asFounderful, ACE & Company, Angel Invest,Zürcher Kantonalbank,BASF Venture Capital, Beiersdorf Venture Capital, and Syensqo Ventures.
This investment will finance DePoly’s 500-tonne-per-year showcase plant launch in Monthey, Switzerland, and further scale-up for industrial commercialisation, positioning DePoly as one of Europe’s leading recycling technology companies.

Founder: Jana KrotschFounded year: 2019Recent funding: €7M
ubiMaster is a Munich-based EdTech startup founded byJana Krotschin 2019. The platform provides on-demand, unlimited homework help and tutoring for students from the fifth grade onwards, connecting them with vetted tutors via chat or video without requiring appointments. ubiMaster aims to democratise access to quality tutoring, serving both families directly and as an employee benefit for companies, ensuring educational support regardless of social background.
The recent €7 million Series A funding round was led by Owl Ventures andBayern Kapital, with participation from amberra,Auxxo, Zanichelli Ventures, and MPA Capital. The new capital will further develop ubiMaster’s digital learning platform and support expansion into new markets.

Founders: Viena Fromm, Claudia ŠtrauchováFounded year: 2023Recent funding: $5M
Belú Travel is a regenerative travel startup based in Amsterdam, founded byViena FrommandClaudia Štrauchová. The company curates bespoke luxury travel experiences in Mesoamerica and globally, focusing on sustainability, cultural preservation, and community empowerment. Their mission is to transform tourism into a force for good by supporting education, conservation, and economic development in their destinations.
While the company’s founders and mission are well-documented, there is no public information about who led the latest $5 million funding round. The available data confirms the funding amount and highlights Belú Travel’s focus on sustainable, holistic, and philanthropic travel. Still, details about the lead investor or participating funds have not been disclosed.

Founders: Dr. Carlos Dorronsoro (CEO), Prof. Dr. Susana Marcos (Co-founder)Founded year: 2015Recent funding: €2M
2Eyes Vision is a spin-off from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) that specialises in developing innovative ophthalmic technologies, particularly for presbyopia and cataracts.
The recent €1.34 million funding round was led by Bullnet Capital, with contributions from the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI) through its Innvierte program and private investor Jan Bonel. The proceeds will finance the development and commercial launch of their flagship product, SimVis Gekko, which enables patients to experience multifocal corrections in real time before surgery or lens prescription.

Founder: Joyce KnappeFounded year: 2013Recent funding: €1M
Pro Parents, founded byJoyce Knappein 2013 in Amsterdam, is a Dutch FemTech startup supporting working parents through HR technology. The company provides digital tools and expert guidance to help employers assist their staff through pregnancy, postpartum transitions, and the return to work. It aims to improve employee well-being, reduce absenteeism, and support ESG and diversity goals.
A group of new and existing investors led the recent €1 million growth capital round. Notable new investors include Mike de Boer, Andre Grimbergen, Quantum Leap Capital, Lara Koole, and Jeroen ter Huurne. Existing backers Oost NL, Peakfijn, and Bram Smeets also participated. The funds will accelerate European expansion, deepen academic partnerships (such as with Radboud University), and further develop the HR tech platform.

Founders: Iris Anson (CEO), Raluca Crisan (CTO)Founded year: 2019Recent funding: £900K
Etiq AI is a London-based, female-founded startup specialising in machine learning testing and debugging tools to ensure AI algorithms’ robustness, fairness, and ethical use. Its flagship product, the Data Science Copilot, accelerates debugging and testing for machine learning pipelines, providing deep code visibility, automated test recommendations, and root cause analysis.
The most recent funding round,£900,000 seed investment, was led byGapMinder VC, a venture capital firm focused on tech startups from Romania and Eastern Europe. This funding will further automate product features, enhance capabilities in the large language model (LLM) space, expand the team, and boost commercial marketing efforts through 2025.

Founders: Dr. Martin Fergie (CTO), Prof. Richard Byers (Chief Medical Officer), Dr. Sam Perona (CEO)Founded year: 2020Recent funding: £425K
Spotlight Pathology is a MedTech spinout from the University of Manchester, based in Manchester. It is focused on developing AI-powered decision-support tools for diagnosing blood cancers such as lymphoma and leukaemia. The company leverages proprietary computer vision models trained on hospital datasets to streamline and accelerate diagnostic workflows, addressing the global shortage of highly trained pathologists and aiming to reduce diagnostic delays.
The most recent funding round raised £425,000 and was led by EHE Ventures, with additional support fromDeepBridge CapitalandLyva Labs. This investment is part of a larger £1.1 million round expected to close soon. The funds will be used to complete development of Spotlight’s AI platform, secure UKCA regulatory approval, and launch pilot programs in the UK, Europe, and the US. Through its AI Growth Fund, EHE Ventures provided a significant six-figure commitment and will work closely with the Spotlight team to accelerate development and prepare for market entry.