• Huge Thing’s partnership with Visa Foundation to reward the aspiring female founders from Poland and Ukraine continues
• The Female Fundraising Academy – that has concluded in May – launches its 2nd edition
• Applications are accepted until September 30th

Launched in 2012 by SpeedUp Group, Huge Thing was one of Poland’s first startup acceleration program operators. Since its inception, it remains dedicated to nurturing the startup ecosystem across Central and eastern Europe. Today, in addition to helping innovators grow their businesses, the Huge Thing team leverages its expertise to support both private and public sector organizations in managing innovation.

This September, Huge Thing commences its partnership with Visa Foundation and launches the second edition of its Female Founders Fundraising Academy, one of the partners’ initiatives dedicated to training and assisting female founders from Poland and Ukraine.

The first edition of the Academy started this February and concluded in May, supporting 15 aspiring women altogether. Including founders of such promising startups as BinderLess, Aimars, and PocketIP. BinderLess, for example, is the developer of an all-in-one construction documentation management platform that ‘s been present on the Polish market for several years now.

‘My goal was to gain knowledge that I could apply to strengthen our position in the national market and prepare for international scaling. Both the workshops and the mentoring support were highly practical for the real world, which is undoubtedly a significant value of this program,’ the startup’s CEO Aleksandra Owczarek comments.

Eligibility and Roadmap

Aside from originating from Poland or Ukraine, the female founders need to have business experience and, of course, be ready to scale.

Startups are to apply here before September 30th 2024. The organizers will then take their time until October 11th to make up their minds before announcing the 15 successful applications. The program itself will begin on October 15th 2024 and run in fully-remote mode for 8 weeks. It will conclude with the Final Demo Day on December 12th 2024.

Contents and Benefits

The program aims to offer each participant valuable guidance and insights through Huge Thing’s and SpeedUp Venture Capital Group’s extensive network of seasoned mentors and partners.

Founders will receive 25 hours of targeted fundraising training, focusing on three key areas: refining the business model, participating in VC workshops, and developing a ‘go global’ strategy.

Participants will also have the opportunity to schedule up to 6 hours of one-on-one consultations with their selected mentors, based on the scheduled workshops.

After completing the program, all participants are invited to join the exclusive Female Founders Club, where Huge Thing offers additional activities. The Club also serves as a space for founders to share experiences, knowledge, and support one another.

Startups also benefit from valuable networking opportunities, connecting with other startups, corporates, and venture capitalists while gaining invaluable insights into the industry. By participating in the Program, startups benefit from Huge Thing’s strong reputation in the CEE startup ecosystem, gaining increased visibility and brand recognition.

For more information, please see the Program’s page and follow Huge Thing’s LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Before applying, you are welcome to get familiar with the Academy’s mentors pool and detailed schedule.