Hiventures awards two women-led startups with HUF 9 million
Truviva P.A.K. and Freeasy were selected from among ten, women-led companies. Truviva P.A.K. offers a fertility enhancer kit, while Freeasy aims to streamline administration procedures for freelancers.
The two companies were chosen after a day-long, high-intensity selection process featuring live pitches and Q&A sessions. The founders had to sell their ideas to a live audience and a jury of professionals.
Founded in 1999 as Corvinus Kockázati Tőkealap-kezelő Zrt. (CKTA), Hiventures, a member of the MFB Group, is one of the largest venture capital funds in Central and Eastern Europe. The company is responsible for securing and distributing EU and private funding and provides Hungarian innovative businesses and start-ups with capital totaling nearly 66.1 billion HUF.
StartupHER: Empowering female entrepreneurs
Only four of the 193 startups in Hiventures’s portfolio are operated solely by women. Regarding firms founded by men and women, the situation is somewhat more balanced. By analyzing the gender composition of company founders, it turns out that only 14 percent of the supported 532 companies were founded by women.
The new program “StartupHER” was established to promote the work of female entrepreneurs.
The selected applicants had the chance to participate in a free two-day training course to learn from the experts involved with the Women Startup Competition about planning finance strategy and business models.
“We met with dozens of inspiring women. The competition was extremely tight, but fortunately, we managed to convey the most important aspects of our business idea, and the audience was very appreciative. Had it not been for a two-day long boot camp preparing funders for the big day, this wouldn’t have been possible. We’re very grateful,” stated Freeasy founders Csenge Tassonyi and Réka Bittera.
