Female entrepreneurship has gained significant momentum in Spain, but it often faces major barriers when it comes to accessing financing.
To address this inequality, ENISA, the public entity attached to the Ministry of Industry, offers specific lines of support focused on projects promoted or led by women.
Thanks to these grants for women entrepreneurs, flexible resources tailored to startups and innovative SMEs can be obtained without the need to rely on traditional financing.
In this article, we explain how this support for female entrepreneurs works, the requirements and advantages of this financing line, and why ENISA has become an attractive option for boosting the visibility and success of female entrepreneurship.
What is ENISA and how does it promote female entrepreneurship?
ENISA is a public entity whose goal is to finance companies through participatory loans, supporting innovative projects driven by SMEs and startups.
Although its financing lines are open to any entrepreneur, there is a specific line designed to reduce the gender gap: ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales (Digital Female Entrepreneurs).
This special focus is essential in an economic context where women receive a much lower share of private capital. That is why grants for women entrepreneurs like ENISA are crucial to ensure equal opportunities in entrepreneurship.
ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales: grants for female entrepreneurs
Support for female entrepreneurship is experiencing a special moment thanks to institutional backing.
The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Civil Service has announced an allocation of up to €51 million over the next three years to strengthen projects led by women in the technology sector.
This commitment is materialised through ENISA Emprendedoras Digitales, a financing line specifically designed to support female entrepreneurs looking to launch or scale innovative digital businesses.
Read our → ENISA funding for startups and innovative companies
What does the line consist of?
The Emprendedoras Digitales line is designed to finance digital entrepreneurship projects led by women, with the aim of encouraging their presence in technology and innovation sectors, contributing to their growth, and reducing the gender gap.
These grants for women entrepreneurs include participatory loans of between €25,000 and €1,500,000 and can be applied for regardless of the stage the company is at (whether in growth, consolidation, or international expansion) or the sector in which it operates.
Furthermore, these loans do not require guarantees, which is a significant advantage, though they do require co-financing from the company.
Who can benefit from grants for women entrepreneurs?
SMEs or startups with a registered address in Spain where one or more women hold a relevant leadership position, in the shareholder structure, the governing body, or the management team can apply.
The company must have its own legal personality (as a commercial company), and its business model must be innovative or offer a competitive advantage.
The application must also demonstrate technical and economic viability, with equity at
least equivalent to the loan requested. For amounts above a certain threshold, accounts must be externally audited.
Find out more → How ENISA evaluates the viability of your startup
Advantages of ENISA support for female entrepreneurs
Opting for ENISA financing is a strategic opportunity for many female entrepreneurs looking to launch or scale their projects.
Beyond access to capital, this specific line of grants for women entrepreneurs offers particularly favourable conditions and institutional backing that remove common barriers in female entrepreneurship.
Key advantages:
- Access to structural financing without diluting ownership: being a participatory loan, the female entrepreneur retains control of her company, no equity is ceded, which facilitates a balance between growth and autonomy.
- Flexible conditions: high amounts (up to €1.5M), repayment terms of up to 9 years, and an extended grace period.
- No personal guarantees required: the requirement for collateral is removed, eliminating a common barrier for women-led projects.
- Boosting female entrepreneurship in tech sectors: by prioritising female leadership in innovative companies, the line helps to diversify and balance gender representation in traditionally male-dominated sectors.
- Stable public support: unlike many one-off grants, the ENISA line for digital female entrepreneurs is permanently open, allowing projects to be planned without depending on specific calls.
Requirements for accessing grants for women entrepreneurs
To qualify for ENISA financing, companies must meet a series of criteria that ensure the project’s solidity and alignment with the line’s objectives:
- Have a registered address in Spain.
- Be an SME as defined by the European Union.
- Have its own legal personality, independent from that of its partners or participants.
- Demonstrate the technical and economic viability of the project, presenting an innovative, differentiating business model or one with a clear competitive advantage.
- Provide co-financing, as the company must cover part of the project’s financial needs with its own resources.
- Have equity at least equivalent to the loan requested.
- Demonstrate a balanced financial structure and professionalised management.
- Submit the accounts from the last closed financial year, duly filed with the Companies Registry or relevant register.
- Have externally audited financial statements if the loan requested exceeds €300,000.
- Not operate in excluded sectors, such as real estate or financial services.
Loan conditions for ENISA grants for female entrepreneurs
ENISA financing for female entrepreneurs is structured as a participatory loan with the following conditions:
- Financed amount: minimum of €25,000 and maximum of €1,500,000. The final amount is determined by evaluating factors such as the company’s equity and financial structure.
- Interest rate: split into two tranches: first tranche at Euribor + 3.75% and a second tranche with a variable rate linked to the company’s financial profitability, capped between 3% and 8% depending on the rating of the transaction.
- Arrangement fee: 5%.
- Maturity: up to 9 years.
- Grace period: up to 7 years.
- Repayment: quarterly repayment of interest and principal.
- Early repayment: in the event of early repayment, a fee equivalent to the amount the second tranche of interest would have accrued will apply, minus interest already settled up to the date of early repayment.
- Early maturity due to shareholding change: if a change of majority control or a global transfer of assets occurs, ENISA may demand early repayment.
- Guarantees: no additional guarantees are required to grant the loan, beyond the business project itself.
How to apply for ENISA financing
The first step to accessing ENISA grants for women entrepreneurs is to complete the application through the entity’s online portal.
The process is designed to be agile and transparent, allowing you to upload the required documentation directly and check the status of your application in real time.
Documentation required to formalise the loan
To formalise an ENISA loan under the female entrepreneur support line, the company must provide the following documentation:
- Copy of the deed of incorporation, registered at the Companies Registry.
- Where applicable, copies of subsequent deeds modifying the legal entity, registered address, name, corporate purpose or statutory regulation of the General Meeting or governing body.
- Copy of the deed of powers of attorney of the signatory/ies, if different from the deed of incorporation.
- Photocopy of the signatory’s national ID, passport or NIE.
- Certificate of being up to date with payments to the State Tax Authority, valid for contracting with the Public Sector.
- Where applicable, certificate of being up to date with the Regional Tax Authority.
- Certificate of being up to date with Social Security payments.
- Bank domiciliation document, completed and signed according to the model available on the Client Portal.
- Bank certificate confirming ownership of the account where payments will be domiciled.
- Certificate from the governing body reflecting the current distribution of share capital, in accordance with the shareholder register, indicating: holder, tax ID, share capital (excluding share premium), percentage of participation, date and signature.
- Excel spreadsheet with the current composition of share capital, using the model available on the Client Portal.
- Copy of the company’s tax identification number (NIF).
- Notarial statement of declarations on beneficial ownership, in accordance with the applicable Law 10/2010.
Boost your project with our support
Don’t let the complexity of the process or lack of experience with ENISA hold back your entrepreneurship. At The Startup CFO, we help you prepare a solid, complete and strategic application, increasing your chances of securing the financing your project needs.
Read → Tips to maximise your chances of securing ENISA financing
Our team has in-depth knowledge of grants for women entrepreneurs and can guide you every step of the way, from reviewing the requirements to the final submission of documentation, optimising your chances of success and the maximum possible funding amount.
Turn your idea into a fundable project with our expert support. Your entrepreneurship deserves to grow and we know how to make that happen.
