Prime Highlights:
- The six-month EWA 2025 programme concluded in North Macedonia, showcasing innovative ideas from women entrepreneurs supported with mentorship, training, and funding.
- Mimic Tech, co-founded by Nadica Popovska, is developing biodegradable alternatives to plastics and leather, bringing sustainable materials closer to the market.
Key Facts:
- EWA 2025 supports early-stage female entrepreneurs across 13 European countries, backed by EIT Food and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
- Nadica joined a network of over 600 women entrepreneurs, allowing her to pitch at the Next Bite Satellite event in Warsaw, which brought together nearly 350 innovators and investors.
Background:
On 20 November 2025, the six-month Empowering Women in Agrifood (EWA) 2025 programme ended with a Demo Day in North Macedonia. The event highlighted the ideas of women entrepreneurs who received guidance, training, and funding to grow their agrifood projects.
Now in its sixth year, EWA 2025 supports early-stage female entrepreneurs in 13 European countries, including Albania, Estonia, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Backed by EIT Food and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the programme helps women gain the skills and connections they need to build sustainable businesses.
One of this year’s success stories is Mimic Tech, co-founded by Nadica Popovska. Inspired by natural fermentation, the team makes biodegradable alternatives to plastics and leather using kombucha-grown bacterial cellulose. The materials are fully natural, microplastic-free, and can be used in fashion, packaging, and food industries.
“Our journey began in the kitchen, experimenting with kombucha,” Nadica said. “When we noticed the dried SCOBY forming a leather-like material, we realised its potential as a sustainable biomaterial. EWA helped us transform this research into a scalable business.”
Through the programme, Nadica gained mentorship from experts like Despina Popovska Stojanov and learned key lessons in prioritising product focus, validating ideas with real customers, and communicating complex scientific concepts effectively. These skills have helped Mimic Tech develop its bioleather and bioplastic products and move closer to being sold in the market.
EWA 2025 also builds a long-term community for women entrepreneurs. Nadica joined a network of over 600 alumnae across Europe, which gave her the chance to pitch her idea at the Next Bite Satellite event in Warsaw on 4 December. The event brought together nearly 350 innovators and investors to showcase women-led projects in the agrifood sector.
By supporting women-led startups like Mimic Tech, EWA helps connect science, sustainability, and business, encouraging a new generation of female innovators in agriculture and related industries.