EXIST Women is a federal program that supports women in the pre-founding phase through coaching, mentoring, workshops, and a non-dilutive stipend. WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management is honored to announce its first EXIST Women cohort.
WHU has produced more startups per student than any other university in Europe — and the second-most unicorn founders in Europe. Yet in 2024, only 13.6% of new WHU-founded ventures had a female co-founder. This program exists to change that.
Applications are now open.
Cohort start: May 5, 2026
Application deadline: March 25, 2026
Supporting women founders at WHU — from idea to incorporation
What you get
What sets the WHU track apart is access to the exceptional community: workshops taught by practitioners, mentors who are active founders, and speed mentoring sessions with VC investors — all of them WHU alumnae themselves. The program is led by WHU alumna Darya Kamkalova, founder of Venturing Women, a platform for emerging and early-stage female founders whose community spans 1,000+ members across 28 countries.
The program is delivered primarily online, with an in-person event.
5 places are available per cohort. All sectors and technology areas are welcome — no focus is imposed.
Program timeline
May–August: monthly online sessions:
- Four workshop modules
- Individual coaching
- Mentoring by a female founder from the WHU alumni network
May: “Gründerin" seminar organised by the Ministry (attendance compulsory, date TBC)
June: WHU Alumni Reunion in Berlin: in-person networking with founders and investors from the WHU community
September–November: monthly online sessions:
- Speed mentoring sessions with WHU alumnae VC investors
- Group sessions (Ask-Me-Anything format)
December: Graduation (online)
Format and attendance
The program is delivered primarily online, with an in-person event (the WHU Alumni Reunion) and the national seminar "Gründerin" organized by the Ministry (May, date and format to be confirmed).
Eligibility
You can apply if you meet all of the following:
1. Woman founder — the program supports individual women entrepreneurs
2. Pre-incorporation — your venture must not be incorporated at program start; founding during the program is permitted
3. Germany-based — you must be a German resident for the full program period (May–December). All nationalities welcome. Non-EU nationals must hold a valid German residence permit covering the full program period.
4. Affiliation — currently enrolled at or graduated from WHU
5. Eligible status category (stipend level depends on your category):
- Current student (min. 50% of ECTS completed)
- Alumna
Funding amounts
3-month living stipend (optional; for participants working max. 20h/week):
| Status | Monthly stipend |
|---|---|
| Student | €1,000 |
| Graduate | €2,500 |
| PhD holder | €3,000 |
Project funds: up to €2,000 for venture-related for all participants, regardless of stipend eligibility.
Starting point: The 3-month stipend period can be placed at any point within the program.
Combining with other funding: The stipend cannot be combined with another living stipend, full-time employment, or any other program financing living costs — including social welfare allowance during stipend months. It is compatible with business plan competition prizes, KfW student loans, and prize money. EXIST-Women must be completed before applying for EXIST-Gründungsstipendium or EXIST-Forschungstransfer.
Application process
- March 25 – Application deadline (11:59 p.m. CET)
- April 13–17 – Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 30-minute conversation
- April 20 – Cohort announced
- May 5 – Program start
Apply now -
Or register for the Info Session
Or register for the Info Session
Questions?
Program lead Darya Kamkalova: darya.kamkalova[at]whu.edu
For program rules and eligibility questions: ptj-exist-women@ptj.de / Phone: +49 30 20199-411