Gateway EM*power

For women who want to start a business | EXIST Women

Are you interested in innovative and creative ideas and solutions that add value to our society? Do you see exciting opportunities to solve everyday social problems? Perhaps you already have an idea and would like to develop it further? Are you keen to network and take the next steps?

Drei Frauen sitzen auf einer Bank und schauen in die Kamera

Strengthen your entrepreneurial mindset!

We’ll be with you every step of the way, from the initial idea to its realisation!

With Gateway EM*power, we at the Gateway Universities in Cologne are offering you the chance to develop your skills through a six-month programme and to overcome the specific barriers women face when setting up a business. Our varied programme of events, personalised mentoring and targeted coaching will support you particularly in the following areas:

  • Effective solutions
  • Networking
  • Entrepreneurial skills
  • Empowerment
  • Funding opportunities and personal financial circumstances

 

A specific business idea is not a prerequisite; the focus is on motivation, creativity and innovative thinking.

 

Gateway EM*power is open to all ideas and disciplines. However, a limited company must not have been incorporated and/or business operations must not have commenced before the programme begins.

Network

Meet like-minded women with the ‘Macherinnen’ spirit and build your network: become part of the Gateway Community, both at your university and within the Gateway Universities Cologne network. Take part in networking events and exciting start-up events within Cologne’s start-up ecosystem.

Workshops

Safe Space workshops offer you the chance to develop your skills and gain new qualifications. In doing so, you’ll boost your self-confidence as an entrepreneur, improve your self-presentation when pitching, learn how to challenge gender stereotypes, and find your feet in a male-dominated funding landscape.

Coaching

Receive regular coaching from a Gateway start-up coach. When the programme begins, you will be assigned a start-up coach and will receive start-up coaching on at least five occasions.

Mentoring

Get advice and feedback from experienced female founders. At the start of the programme, you’ll be assigned a mentor with whom you’ll have the opportunity for one-to-one discussions.

Good to know

During the programme, you can receive a 3-month scholarship in the following amounts:

  • €1,000 per month for female students in the second half of their degree programme
  • €2,000 per month for women who have completed vocational training
  • €2,500 per month for graduates
  • €3,000 per month for PhD graduates
  • An additional €150 per month for each dependent child

PLEASE NOTE: During the 3-month scholarship, you may undertake a maximum of 20 hours per week of other paid work.

In addition, scholarship recipients have access to €2,000 in non-cash funding, which can be spent via the university for the purposes of the EXIST Women programme (e.g. on technical equipment, materials for prototypes, travel expenses, event participation fees, additional coaching).

Receiving the scholarship is optional, provided you meet the eligibility criteria. For further details on which women are eligible for financial support under the EM*power programme, please refer to the FAQs on the EXIST Women website.

The terms and conditions of the grant can be found here in the template for the grant recipient’s contract.

To apply, you must submit three documents (application form, personal statement, budget proposal) by email to . 

The application deadline for 2026 has passed. 

Following the selection process, a formal check of the eligibility criteria for the scholarship will take place (see also the EXIST-Women guidelines).

Duration of the Gateway EM*power 2026 programme

  • 12 January 2026 – 8 February 2026: Application phase
  • 9 February 2026 – 22 February 2026: Internal selection process
  • from 23 February 2026: Selection interviews
  • 15 April 2026 – 15 October 2026: Active project period with compulsory participation (networking events, workshops, coaching sessions, mentoring)
  • from 15 October 2026 – end of the year: Individual support regarding follow-up programmes provided by a start-up coach, including application submission where applicable

This programme is aimed at:

  • Female students at the DSHS Cologne who have completed at least half of their Bachelor’s degree
  • Graduates, researchers and staff members of the DSHS Cologne, up to five years after graduation or leaving the institution
  • Aspiring female solo founders or female members of start-up teams with links to one of the Gateway universities in Cologne, or who intend to apply for the standard EXIST start-up grant via DSHS Cologne at a later date.

What matters most in your scholarship application:

  • We want to see that you’re keen to develop personally (and, if you have a specific business idea, your start-up).
  • We want to know that you’re motivated to solve a problem in an entrepreneurial way using your own innovative idea.
  • It is important to us that you have a genuine interest in networking and exchanging ideas, and that you are keen to play an active part in the programme.
  • If you already have a business idea, we’d like to know whether it is innovative, knowledge-based and/or of social or environmental value.
  • If you already have a start-up idea, show us that it has the potential to scale up in the medium term.

The selection process consists of two stages:

1. Written application: to complete your application, we require the following documents from you:

  • A completed application form
  • A completed personal statement
  • A breakdown of how you intend to spend the €2,000.00 in project funds (budget plan)

You can find all the application documents here.

2. Personal interview:

  • Suitable candidates will be invited to a selection interview (in-person appointment at the DSHS).
  • This will be followed by a formal assessment of eligibility for the scholarship (see also the EXIST-Women guidelines).