> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.endoless.app/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Beyond the Trophy: What Women Founders Actually Compete For - URL: https://www.endoless.app/blog/beyond-the-trophy-what-women-founders-actually-compete-for/ - Published: 2026-01-29T13:34:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-01-29T13:34:11.000Z - Author: Alexandra Mont - Tags: #blog-col This week, ENDOless won the **Prix de l’Entrepreneuriat au Féminin** at the **Made in 92 demi-finale**, organized by Grand Paris Seine Ouest. Let me say this first: I’m grateful. I’m proud. And I showed up fully for that moment. Now let me say the part people don’t always like. > I didn’t win *the competition*. > I won **the category**. And that difference matters more than we’re willing to admit. --- ### The Trophy and the Ceiling When my name was called, I was the **only woman awarded that night**. In the **women’s category**. It’s a celebration. It’s also a boundary. Because ENDOless is not a “women’s project.” It’s **AI.** It’s **health data infrastructure.** It’s **regulatory-grade evidence pipelines, research systems, and clinical-facing technology.** We don’t compete for symbolism. We compete for **market dominance, scientific legitimacy, and institutional adoption.** So here’s the uncomfortable question I carried home with me: **Do I want to be exceptional inside a box — or competitive in the real arena?** --- ### The Line That Never Left Me As a child, I watched a cartoon about musketeer dogs. One sentence burned itself into my memory: **“Do you want to be the best of the worst… or the worst of the best?”** I’ve always wanted to stand with **the best** — even if it means losing, learning, and fighting my way back up. Because that’s where real companies are built. Not in categories. In markets. [Dog In Boots Handsome GIF](https://tenor.com/view/dog-in-boots-handsome-chases-cats-running-in-circles-gif-14831035074239039741?ref=endoless.app)from [Dog In Boots GIFs](https://tenor.com/search/dog+in+boots-gifs?ref=endoless.app) --- ### Let’s Talk About the System, Not the Feelings In France today: - **\~30% of founders are women** - **Less than 10% of venture capital funding** goes to female-founded startups - In **AI and deep tech**, that number often falls **below 5%** - Women-led startups are **more likely to win awards and grants** - They are **significantly less likely to close growth rounds** What does that mean in practice? Women are often **celebrated**. Men are often **financed**. --- ### Credit Where It’s Due Let me be clear about something else. That room was not full of “projects.” It was full of **builders.** Women who are turning craft into brands, care into companies, and conviction into real economic value. I want to name a few of them — because none of us should be climbing alone: - [**Ma Face Gym**](https://facegym-online.com/?ref=endoless.app) — transforming facial fitness into a structured, accessible wellness practice - [**Lait Sauvage** ](https://www.instagram.com/laitsauvage/?hl=en&ref=endoless.app)— uniting ethical sourcing, gastronomy, and entrepreneurship - [**Pousses et Plantes**](https://poussesetplantes.fr/?ref=endoless.app) — bringing sustainable cultivation and local ecosystems to everyday life - [**Ycao**](https://www.instagram.com/ycao%5Fchocolat/?ref=endoless.app) — blending creativity, craftsmanship, and commercial ambition These founders aren’t competing *for* a category. They’re competing **in the economy.** And they deserve to be seen that way. --- ### Why This Award Still Matters This demi-finale win isn’t a finish line. It’s a **signal flare.** It says: “You’re visible now. The real test starts here.” Because the next rooms I want ENDOless in are not asking: > “How does it feel to be a woman founder?” They’re asking: > “How defensible is your data?” > “How fast can you scale across health systems?” > “What makes your AI clinically and regulatorily unavoidable?” > “Why will institutions choose you over global platforms?” That’s the game I’m training for. --- ### Gratitude — and a Promise To Grand Paris Seine Ouest and Made in 92: thank you for putting ENDOless on that stage. I don’t take that lightly. But I didn’t start this company to win **a category**. I started it to help build **health infrastructure that Europe can’t afford to ignore.** So yes — I’ll take the trophy. And then I’ll take my seat in the harder room. The one where there are no labels. No special lanes. No symbolic wins. Only **competition, capital, and impact.** That’s where ENDOless is going. ❗ **If you’re an investor, researcher, policymaker, or institution building the future of healthcare systems — let’s talk!* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3907.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3797.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3799.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3834.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3814.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3897.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3887.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/03/00/030051b2-f6fc-4b43-932d-b72e7e3231c0/content/images/2026/01/DSC_3844-1.jpg) Édition 2025 de Made in 92, le concours des jeunes entreprises des Hauts-de-Seine --- **For the curious — this is the cartoon that planted that line in my head all those years ago:** *Pup in boots* (1981) — the musketeer dogs who taught me, very early, that the real fight is always in the main arena.