Project Female Founder

Q: Is the program free of charge?

Yes, participation is completely free of charge for all female founders.

Q: Do the founders have to be UBS clients?

No, founders do not need to be UBS clients. In fact, we encourage participation from female founders and prospects who may become clients in the future.

Q: How many female founders will be accepted into the program?

Up to 100 female founders will be selected to participate.

Q: Who will benefit the most from the course?

The course is designed for individuals who have raised up to 1 million USD (including personal funds) and are preparing to secure their first institutional investment, such as Series A funding.

Q: Will participants be introduced to investors during the program?

Yes, we have partnered with VC firms, and at the end of the course, each participant will have the opportunity to pitch their business to investors.

Q: Is there a minimum revenue requirement for participation?

No, there is no minimum revenue requirement to join the program.

Q: What percentage of founders successfully raise capital after completing the program, and what is the average amount raised? Additionally, what portion of this capital typically comes from UBS’s investor network?

While we cannot provide specific percentages or amounts, many founders find the program invaluable in enhancing their ability to raise capital. The connections and support provided, including access to UBS’s investor network, often play a significant role in their fundraising success.

Q: We’re currently in the middle of our Seed raise—does UBS provide support or investor introductions for founders at this stage, or is the program primarily focused on Series A?

Yes, UBS provides support and investor introductions for founders at the Seed stage. While the program primarily focuses on Series A, we recognize the importance of early-stage funding and offer resources and connections to assist Seed-stage companies as well.

Q: I noticed that UBS’s direct funding (e.g., Female Founder Award) is primarily for fintech startups. What is your track record with deep tech and physical goods companies like IAMBIC?

The Project Female Founder program is sector-agnostic. While UBS’s direct funding initiatives, such as the Female Founder Award, are primarily geared towards fintech startups, we have a strong track record of supporting deep tech and physical goods companies. For instance, companies like IAMBIC have benefited from our network and resources, showcasing our commitment to diverse sectors.

Q: What is the expected time commitment per week, and are there specific deliverables required for participation?

Participants are expected to commit approximately 1.5 hours per week over 8 weeks. There are no specific deliverables required for participation.

Program
Success stories
FAQs
Related UBS initiatives

Turning bold ideas into thriving businesses

Project Female Founder is our global accelerator program, unlocking opportunities for female entrepreneurs to scale their ventures across all sectors. It's part of our commitment to champion women's wealth – and promote equal access to funding and opportunity worldwide.

Build. Connect. Grow.

With the next cohort starting in April 2026, Project Female Founder brings together 100 early-stage founders for a year of investor-readiness training, mentoring and network building. The finalists from our annual UBS Female Founder Award automatically gain a place in the program.

The program helps founders attract funding, strengthen their business plans and build connections with global investors. It also draws on insights from our own research highlighting the strong performance and investment potential of women-led businesses.

If you'd like to take part in Project Female Founder, please apply online through our website (from March 2026).

Project Female Founder is a year-long online initiative designed to equip early-stage female entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, and connections needed to scale their businesses. The program begins with an intensive 8-week accelerator and continues with a 12-month activation phase, offering ongoing support and engagement. Delivered in partnership with Fortuna Funding and Live True, the program reflects UBS's broader mission: to lead in women's wealth and empowerment.

Open to ventures that are majority-owned and led by women, it is sector-agnostic and tailored to founders with products in development or early commercialization. Participants gain access to curated content, regional events, and introductions to UBS’s entrepreneurial networks, including the Industry Leaders Network.

Operating across more than 25 countries, the program engages over 100 venture capital mentors and 60 UBS client advisors, Project Female Founder reflects UBS’s commitment to closing the gender funding gap and positioning itself as a trusted wealth manager for diverse founders.

Cohort A

Alina Klarner, Impact Shakers

Amber Ghaddar, The 200bn Club

Ann Metzger, 360 Venture Collective

Ashley Balla, Halogen Ventures

Asma Safraoui, Private Equity Investor

Cameron Peake, Restive Ventures

Cynthia West, Rezultant

Dave de Csepel, Alliance for Southern California Innovation

David Fogel, Alma Angels

Eda Taskin, Tenity

Elizabeth Davis, Anthemis

Elizabeth McCluskey, Trastage

Emily Mueller, Bolden Advisors

Francisco Portillejo, Cambridge Future Tech

Gauri Deoras, Independent consultant and an Alma Angel

Isabel Martín Vázquez, Didendum

Jennifer K. Mandelbaum, Halogen Ventures

Jenny Atout Ahlzen, Arcan Impact

Jessica Plucain, Female Founders

Jill Lloyd, UBS FA

Joanne Fedeyko, Connection Silicon Valley

Kärt Klein, European Women in VC

Kelly Parker, Launch Grow Exit

Kimberly Kovacs, Arroyo Ventures

Kitty Harris, Alma Angel

La Keisha Landrum Pierre, Emmeline Ventures

Lucy Chow, The Elements Group

Magdalena Gatzinska, UBS

Maria Jose Trevino, Acclaim Energy

Mariam Makhumutova, InterSystems Corporate Venture Fund

Marianna Mamou, CIO

Marisa Warren, ALIAVIA Ventures

Martin Grinberg, Independent investor

Michal Karnibad, Alma Angel

Naseem Sayani, How Women Invest

Nina Levchuk, Impact Force

Nina Reinhart, Reinhardt VC

Pierre Rolin, Ankh Impact Ventures

Pinky Gupta, EY - Female Founders

Randi Plevy, Angel Hive

Remi Donnelly, Neon Ventures

Rini Greenfield, ReThink Food

Sara T Brand, True Wealth Ventures

Sarah Foley, Invinext Growth Partners

Serena Koivurinta, Alma Angel

Shany Stephany, Alma Angel

Shirley Choo, Convergence Partners

Shirly Piperno, World Economic Forum

Susanne Müller-Taborsky, SMaRT Equity Solution

Temi Marcella, Alcent Capital

Tsolmon Finch, Jade Ventures (European Women in VC)

Yin Yan, UBS investment fund

Zeynep Unal, Yilidiz Ventures

Thank you to all mentors who took part in 2026 Project Female Founder, we could not have done it without your continued support and expertise

Cohort B

Althea Lim, Group CEO, Gushcloud International

Anqi Chen, Qualgro

Anshul Magotra, Epic Angels

Anup Jain, Blue Green Ventures

Ashish Taneja, GrowX

Avik Ashar, Artha Venture Fund

Bryan Mok, Plug n Play

Chelsea Newell, Scale Investors Pty Ltd

Dora Chan, Epic Angels

Eriko Suzuki, Epic Angels/ DEARS PE fund

Gautham Devlekar, TiE

Gladis Chua, Plug n Play

Helen Kim

Hooi Yen Chin, Polaris International

Isabella Rich, OIF Capital

Jennifer Cheng Lo, NewChic Capital

Jennifer Ho, Integra Partners

Jenny Au, Fundfluent

Jinzhou Yi, SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Jonas Thuerig, Tenity

Joshia Kwa, Integra Partners

Juancho Jimenez, Openspace Ventures

Keigo Agata, Spiral Capital

Kheng-lian Ho, Turn Capital

Lisa Schroder, UBS

Maaike Steinebach, FemTech Future Limited

Madhura Moulik, Epic Angels

Martin Tang, Genesis Alternative Ventures

Milena Nikolova, Antares Ventures

Rishab Malik, Jungle Ventures

Sadaf Sultan, FinProjections

Shao-ning Huang, AngelCentral

Sherry (Xueying) Wang, Epic Angels

Shi Pei Tay, iglobe

Siddharth Pisharody, Argor VC

Silvia Thom, Argor VC

Simone Tai, Skip Capital

Swetha Vijay, Epic Angels

Wei Sheng Neo, Qualgro

Ultimately, Project Female Founder will provide support in these ways:

Education on the fundamentals necessary to attract aligned capital
Addressing both the personal and business needs that will lead to sustainable business growth
Connections and mentorship to support business leaders
Increased access to networks; key influencers in your local ecosystem
Connection to a global community for business growth and investment
New relationships; the core to business success

Participation criteria:

Stage of company is beyond idea and the product or service is in development (prototype) or commercialization
Have raised USD 1mil; raising Series A round
Sector agnostic
Majority owned (51%+) by women
Majority led by a woman (led by refers to the senior leadership role of CEO/President)
Company is registered as a legal entity in the region in which they are operating
Founder understands and can commit to the program timeline and participation in the online sessions

Daphne Tay

Founder who joined PFF 2024

Bluente recently secured USD 1.5 million in funding and specializes in AI document processing and translation across 120+ languages for financial institutions and professional services firms.

Learn more

Inna Tokarev Sela

Founder who joined PFF 2024

Former Project Female Founder participant Illumex.ai secured significant funding after its PFF Seed round to advance its enterprise GenAI platform for intelligent data integration and automation, and in 2026, the company was acquired by Nvidia for 75 million USD.

Learn more

Alice Nawfal

Founder who joined PFF 2024

Notabene, a company specializing in crypto transaction risk management and compliance, secured a USD 14.5M funding deal following its participation in the PFF program.

Learn more

Kimberley Abbot

Founder who joined PFF 2022

Vested Impact, winner of the 2025 Morningstar Green FinTech Award, is a sustainability-driven analytics platform that quantifies the real-world impact of investments.

Learn more

Expand all panels

Is the program free of charge?

Do the founders have to be UBS clients?

How many female founders will be accepted into the program?

Who will benefit the most from the course?

Will participants be introduced to investors during the program?

Is there a minimum revenue requirement for participation?

What percentage of founders successfully raise capital after completing the program, and what is the average amount raised? Additionally, what portion of this capital typically comes from UBS’s investor network?

We’re currently in the middle of our Seed raise—does UBS provide support or investor introductions for founders at this stage, or is the program primarily focused on Series A?

I noticed that UBS’s direct funding (e.g., Female Founder Award) is primarily for fintech startups. What is your track record with deep tech and physical goods companies like IAMBIC?

What is the expected time commitment per week, and are there specific deliverables required for participation?

What do you look for when assessing founders for the program?

Is the program free of charge?