Supporting early-stage entrepreneurs appears to be emerging as Europe’s investment vogue. In March, podcaster and venture capitalist Harry Stebbings created headlines with “Project Europe,” a fund capitalized at $10 million intended specifically for founders aged 25 and younger, inspired by the earlier Peter Thiel Fellowship model. Now, however, a markedly larger initiative has entered the arena. EWOR (“entrepreneurship without risk”) is launching its own founder fellowship program, backed by a robust €60 million ($68 million) fund. The scheme will offer selected entrepreneurs €500,000 in seed financing in exchange for a 7% equity stake—eclipsing Project Europe’s €200,000 for 6.66%.
EWOR’s ambitious approach targets promising founders described as visionaries, technical prodigies, seasoned operators, and serial entrepreneurs. Fellows receive extensive virtual-first support, complemented by one-on-one mentorship sessions ranging from one to five hours weekly with established founders who have built unicorn companies. This comprehensive educational and networking approach is supported by access to a broader network of over 2,000 mentors, venture capitalists, and industry specialists, contrasting sharply with Project Europe’s 128-strong investor-founder network.
Founded in 2021, EWOR operates under a tightly-knit leadership team with seasoned entrepreneurial experience gained at companies including SumUp, Adjust, ProGlove, and united-domains. The team consists of Daniel Dippold, Alexander Grots, Florian Huber, Petter Made, Quinten Selhorst, and Paul Müller, all focused solely on fostering early-stage entrepreneurship.
In a recent interview, EWOR founder Daniel Dippold highlighted the program’s adaptability, explaining that it is specifically structured to support entrepreneurs at all stages—from bare inception to those already gaining traction. Unlike other programs that tout their acceptance of founders who have “just an idea,” EWOR explicitly offers two tracks: ideation, fostering companies still in the conceptual phase, and traction, for those slightly more advanced.
Each chosen entrepreneur initially receives €110,000 in direct funding from EWOR GmbH, supplemented by €390,000 offered through an investment fund, structured via an uncapped convertible note or a similar financial instrument. EWOR alumni regularly raise substantial follow-on rounds, typically ranging from €1 million up to €11 million during or shortly after their fellowship involvement. A notable past participant includes Aspect Health, developed initially in Moldova, which later secured significant rounds from investors in Silicon Valley and New York, ultimately attaining a $50 million valuation.
Dippold also elaborated on EWOR’s sophisticated approach to talent acquisition, utilizing a database comprising more than 50,000 candidates. Leveraging advanced querying and analysis capabilities, EWOR can pinpoint specific in-demand skillsets such as Rust developers proficient with extensive codebases—an ability he likened to running a software company, constantly iterating, and optimizing operations for founders’ greatest benefit.
Ten founders have already been inducted into this year’s EWOR cohort. Noteworthy members include UK-based innovator Mark Golab, who applies 3D printing technology to organ transplantation at Cambridge Surgical Models following his own harrowing medical experience, and Austria-based founder Viktoria Izdebezka, creator of the sales lead generation platform Salesy.
The EWOR fellowship has successfully supported others, such as Ricky Knox, who achieved billion-dollar exits with Azimo and Tandem Bank, as well as Tim Seithe, whose startup Tillhub exited for nearly €100 million without external funding.
Participants like Jörgen Tveit, founder of Thaleron, praised EWOR openly, emphasizing the program’s deep technical expertise and unique understanding of challenges in building transformational technology enterprises. Given this momentum, EWOR appears ready to stake out its territory as Europe’s premier catalyst for fostering the next generation of tech innovators.
