3. FURTHER ACHIEVEMENTS:
Beyond the goals set, we have also been able to realize many other achievements through the project - far more than we had hoped for.
3.1. Network
3.1.1. The Women TechEU program has given us access to an incredibly valuable network, the EIC network.
3.1.2. Not only did we have the opportunity to participate in inspiring events, but also opened doors for us that we otherwise would not have been able to open so quickly (see also below and 3.2)
3.1.3. E.g. we participated in an event in Bilbao. Here we took a lot of directly applicable tips from the pitch training with Mathieu Carenzo (
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathieucarenzo/(öffnet in neuem Fenster)) and had the possibility to get in direct contact with the representatives of the EIT Raw Materials.
3.1.4. The Summit in Brussels (12/22) was also very positive. We not only expanded our general network and made contact with potential customers (see 3.2) but also met an EU coach, who will now assist us in the preparation of our upcoming EIC Accelerator application.
3.1.5. Wirtschaftsförderung Land Brandenburg GmbH has included us in the network "Women in Aviation" also due to the award. The program brings us into contact with women in leadership positions at relevant client companies, and we are very happy about fruitful exchanges.
3.2. Customers & investors: The award was a distinction that strengthened the confidence in our company and opened many doors on the customer side and also with investors.
3.2.1. E.g. the EIC network, allowed us to participate in events, which gave us not only very valuable network contacts, but also potential customers. These contacts alone are a terrific achievement for us, because without the EIC network we would certainly not have been able to approach this group until a significant point in time.
3.2.2. This one example closes the circle to the investors, because the fact alone that we are in contact with one of our vision target markets at our current point in business development is an enormous market confirmation.
3.2.3. In addition to the network access and confidence we gained from the award, the "co-founded by the EU" label also helped in our visibility and in reaching out to customers and investors. We are very proud to carry this label.
3.2.4. Finally, since the award, we have been able to increase the number of clients we are talking to.
3.3. Research projects: the associated confidence of the EU in us brought attention in our relevant scientific sector, so that, e.g.,research institutes became aware of us. E.g.the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS would like to carry out a project on the topic of "lightweight construction", which would also open up a new market and thus increase our market potential many times over.
3.4. Public Relations (PR)
Through the award, we could also significantly drive our PR. We were particularly pleased about the articles that were published in the “DGM” (German Society for Materials Science), which were not initiated by us:
_https://dgm.de/en/article?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=6244&cHash=3c5878f3d612cca9ae9ed0f458d1499f
_https://dgm.de/en/article?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=6212&cHash=e8119f456360d2803a75462b25ce63ac
We also got the chance to give a presentation at the international aluminum trade fair “Aluminium” in 10/22. and we have also been approached about the release on "Cordis" (
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101071747).
Furthermore, Mr. Matteucci (Program Manager - Unit D02) has now invited us to speak at the "EMRS conference" on June 1, 2023 in Strasbourg (2023 Spring Meeting | EMRS (
https://european-mrs.com(öffnet in neuem Fenster)) on the topic "Scale up of innovative nanostructured aluminum composites (EIC beneficiary)".
3.5. Women Leadership Program
The entire WLP gave us the chance to train our soft skills and concrete skills that we need to build our business. Also, the point of boosting our self-confidence is worth highlighting here. Through the program we were strengthened in our view that women have the skills and the power to build their own business even in a (still) male-dominated industry. We do not have to hide with our strength.
The combination of (online) training, mentoring and coaching was particularly effective. Our coaches helped us a lot with their always very constructive feedback, so that we were able to sharpen our business and negotiation strategy. A special thanks to our coaches: Anne Grete Ellingsen and Claus Rüdiger!
All in all, the award with its associated program has enabled us to further develop our company, we have thus achieved our goal. We are very grateful for the experience, many opportunities and the related successes that we would not have had without Women TechEU and the associated comprehensive and really proactive network. Women TechEU has been a kind of "seven-league boot" for us, bringing us much faster to our initially set goals. We are very optimistic that our company will scale quickly and thus we will have a real lasting impact on the industry, physical products and thus on all of our lives.
