The Break Fellowship

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The Break is an entrepreneurship fellowship program in Spain, specifically designed for female European entrepreneurs residing outside of Spain. It is a part of Spain's National Entrepreneurial Strategy.
What are the main aims and objectives?

The Break has three main objectives which are: reducing the gender gap in entrepreneurship; the improvement of the fellows’ businesses and their contribution to solving local challenges; and the creation of a European network of female entrepreneurs – known as the Breaker community – aimed at generating business opportunities. The program has set a goal of training over 1000 women entrepreneurs. The main aims and objectives of the program also align closely with the wider goals of Spain's National Entrepreneurial Strategy.  

How does the program work?

The Break is a hybrid program that mixes online training with a 28-day retreat in Spain. The fellowship is worth €7,000 and each version of the program will have 280 participants split into 2 cohorts of 140. The program includes: 

  • 12 online training sessions with experts oriented to topics such as business model, design methodologies, impact, finances, and funding. 
  • 10 sessions of 1 to 1 mentoring 
  • 2 sessions of team mentoring which last 2 hours each 
  • Co-creation and design of solutions for a local challenge linked to the community that will host each group 
  • Field visits and activities in the local area 
  • Dedicated time to work on each individual’s project whilst in Spain 

To be eligible each female entrepreneur must meet the following criteria: 

  • EU resident outside of Spain (regardless of her nationality) 
  • Has a project from early stage to less than 5 years of constitution. Freelancers are included. 
  • Speaks English fluently 
  • Demonstrates curiosity and passion for building a better world 
  • +18 years old 

It covers expenses including transportation, accommodation, training, and insurance, although food and personal expenses are not included. During the retreat, the fellows also have the opportunity to connect with the wider Impact Hub network, which provides access to additional resources and knowledge. 

What is the overall cost?

The Break has received a €10 million budget from the EU which runs until December 2023. This equates to €10,000 per participant with 70% spent on the stipend and the remaining 30% being spent on the running costs of the program.

How was it implemented?

The Break was established in 2022 by the School of Industrial Organization (EOI) as an international talent attraction initiative. The program is part of the European Union's Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan and aligns with the Spanish National Entrepreneurship Strategy. The program was created with funding from the European Union under the NextGenerationEU framework. The second edition of the Break will involve 720 female entrepreneurs increasing from the 280 in the first round.  

What impact has been measured?

After the first edition more than 60% of the 280 female entrepreneurs created business alliances with the 12 local entrepreneurial communities that hosted the entrepreneurs. In addition to this, each participant evaluated the program giving the average score of 8.75 out of 10.  

Due to fact the program was launched in 2022 and yet to be completed, there is no further information available about the wider impact of the businesses created by the participants and overall effect on the gender gap.  

What lessons can be learned?

The Break fellowship program offers several valuable lessons for similar initiatives. Firstly, it shows the importance of aligning such programs with broader regional or national strategies, in this case, the EU Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, and the Spanish National Entrepreneurship Strategy. Secondly, it highlights the value of integrated support, providing not only financial aid but also training, accommodation, and transportation. Additionally, it underscores the significance of environmental sustainability by adhering to the principle of Do No Significant Harm. 

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom