Eva Merloni is an accomplished expert in sustainable development, gender mainstreaming, and climate change adaptation with extensive experience in the environmental services and agri-food sectors. Holding an international Master’s degree in Sustainable Local Development and a PhD in Agricultural, Environmental, and Food Sciences, she has a strong track record in managing and coordinating European projects such as LIFE, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and Interreg.

As the Membership Coordinator and Partnership Manager at WEgate, Eva plays a key role in fostering collaboration and supporting women entrepreneurs across Europe. Her commitment to empowering women in business, combined with her deep expertise in sustainable growth and green transition, makes her a driving force in advancing our mission to provide meaningful support and opportunities for female entrepreneurs.

Laura Mariotti is an expert in managing social innovation projects, bringing with them concepts such as climate justice, gender equity and the protection of minorities. With a master’s degree in international cooperation for the protection of rights and ethno–cultural heritage, she’s a senior EU-projects manager and part of the board of directors of the cooperative consulting Area Europa.

Juliana is passionate about collaboration and communication.  She is an expert in collaborative planning and rights-based policy, passionate about effective and creative communication as a tool to boost sustainability transitions. She is currently a PhD candidate and collaborates as the communication lead for WEgate. Previously, she worked with communication and design projects related to civic-tech and open-data projects at CCM Design, a creative studio based in Canada. She collaborated with the production of data visualisations, online experiences and digital products, in projects of the Open Data for Development Network (OD4D), from the Canadian International Development Research Centre, and the Feminist Open Government Initiative (FOGO), among others. She has also worked as a consultant with the MERCOSUR´s Human Rights Public Policy Institute (IPPDH-MERCOSUR), based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, working under the Research and Information Management Department. Her main activities involved applied research projects that encompass a rights-based approach to inform public policy processes and facilitate international cooperation initiatives, as well as collaborating with the institute’s training programs and publications.

Francesca Passeri is an expert on alternative finance and crowdfunding, with an extensive background on the design and delivery of training courses and incubation programmes for early stage companies. She is a mentor for the Break Fellowship programme, an incubation programme that has supported the establishment of over 1000 women-led companies across the EU. Francesca has a strong track record in the design and management of EU-proposals and projects, with over 14 projects managed since 2016 (Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, InterregMed, Urban Innovative Actions).

The European Small Business Alliance (ESBA) is a non-party political group, which cares for small business entrepreneurs and the self-employed and represents them through targeted EU advocacy and profiling activities.

ESBA is proud to have served as the Project Lead for the COSME Programme Project alongside esteemed partners, including Business Angels Europe, the Foundation for Management and Industrial Research (MIR) North Macedonia, and Professor Thomas Cooney of the Republic of Ireland. ESBA’s collaboration has been instrumental in driving the success of WEgate, born as an online platform dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through community engagement and knowledge sharing. Since its inception in February 2020, WEgate has been committed to providing women entrepreneurs with access to valuable networking opportunities, mentorship, and resources for business growth.

As WEgate transitions into an association, ESBA continues to play a pivotal role as a prime supporter, further cementing our dedication to fostering entrepreneurship and gender equality in business.