2026 ‘Women Entrepreneurs in Tech’ prize: an edition dedicated to AI
January 30, 2026 · News
In brief
- Launch of the 2nd edition of the ‘Women entrepreneurs in tech’ award by Wavestone, Les Echos and Serena
- 2026 edition focused on artificial intelligence, following a first edition dedicated to cybersecurity
- Objective: to highlight a woman entrepreneur in AI who is shaping the European tech landscape
- At stake: media visibility, mentoring, privileged access to the tech ecosystem and business support
A spotlight on female AI entrepreneurs in Europe
This year, Wavestone, in partnership with Les Echos (open in a new tab) and Serena (open in a new tab), is launching the second edition of the ‘Women entrepreneurs in tech’ award, an initiative designed to support and promote women who are helping transform the European tech sector. For 2026, the award highlights female entrepreneurs driving innovation in the field of artificial intelligence.
The winner will benefit from comprehensive support:
- Connections with key industry players
- Media visibility in Charlie Perreau’s column in Les Echos
- Tailored support from the Shake’Up accelerator
- Operational mentoring with the Serena teams
- Visibility at Viva Technology
A call for applications
Launched on January 28, we are opening a call for applications for all women entrepreneurs in AI who wish to take part in the award. Applications will be assessed according to various selection criteria such as project quality, the relevance of the proposed solutions, their scaling potential, etc. Applications will close on February 20, 2026.
An award ceremony on March 23
The jury will be made of Imène Kabouya and Ghislain de Pierrefeu (Wavestone), Charlie Perreau and Joséphine Boone (Les Echos), and Emilie Benayad and Juliette Ast (Serena). The award ceremony will take place on March 28, 2026, at the Les Echos headquarters in Paris, bringing together the AI ecosystem and the programme’s partners. Only one finalist will be selected from among the shortlisted European startups.