A new wave of support is emerging for Europe’s ambitious startup founders. Riding the momentum sparked by Harry Stebbings’ $10M “Project Europe” initiative, Berlin-based startup platform EWOR has launched a far bolder founder fellowship program—backed by a hefty $68 million (€60 million) fund.
The program is designed to empower early-stage founders with big visions but limited resources. Each selected fellow will receive up to €500,000 in funding in exchange for a 7% equity stake. That’s more than double what Project Europe offers—and EWOR’s track record suggests it pays off. Past fellows have gone on to raise between €1 million and €11 million after completing the program.
The initiative will support 35 entrepreneurs annually. The target profile? Driven, ambitious individuals ranging from technical prodigies to seasoned operators. It doesn’t matter whether they have a co-founder or even a business idea at the start. EWOR offers two distinct tracks—ideation and traction—giving founders the freedom to start from scratch or accelerate an existing concept.
Support goes well beyond capital. Fellows gain access to a vast network of over 2,000 mentors, including investors and subject matter experts. They also receive 1-on-1 guidance from unicorn founders, dedicating up to five hours a week to help fellows move faster. EWOR says it structures the investment in two parts: €110,000 directly from EWOR GmbH, and €390,000 from the associated fund via an uncapped convertible note or similar vehicle.
Founded in 2021 by a team of six experienced entrepreneurs—Daniel Dippold, Alexander Grots, Florian Huber, Petter Made, Quinten Selhorst, and Paul Müller—EWOR draws on deep startup experience. The founders previously held key roles at SumUp, Adjust, ProGlove, and United-Domains.
Speaking about the fellowship’s design, Dippold explained that EWOR operates more like a lean startup than a traditional VC. “We run EWOR like a software company—build, measure, learn. The only metric that matters is: Is this the most valuable thing a founder can do right now?”
So far, ten founders have already joined this year’s cohort. Among them is Mark Golab, a UK-based 3D printing innovator who’s using the technology to create transplant-ready organs with Cambridge Surgical Models—a mission inspired by his own recovery from a near-fatal infection. Another is Viktoria Izdebezka from Vienna, building AI-powered lead generation tools under the startup Salesy.
EWOR’s alumni already include notable names like Ricky Knox, who sold both Azimo and Tandem Bank for nine-figure sums, and Tim Seithe, who bootstrapped Tillhub to a nearly €100 million exit.
With a mix of deep support, flexible entry points, and real capital, EWOR isn’t just matching rival founder programs—it’s setting a higher bar for Europe’s next generation of startup founders.
