Returning for 2025, the Women Entrepreneurs Retreat saw nearly 100 women coming together to explore all aspects of building a venture.
The Women Entrepreneurs Retreat is an annual event hosted by the Women Entrepreneurs Network (WEN), designed to help venture-oriented women from the King's community increase their entrepreneurial skills and take their ideas further.
This year, nearly 100 women from King's, other universities, and local businesses, came together for a jam-packed 3 days exploring all aspects of building a venture.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about the 2025 Retreat... 👇
Bringing 98 women entrepreneurs together
Women at desks with their hands up.
It's the people who show up that truly define an event. And over the weekend, we had nearly 100 women founders showing up to dedicate time to working on their venture!
Whether it was being present and engaged with our facilitators, or supporting each other by sharing their own experiences, our attendees made sure that the weekend was filled with valuable insights.
Bringing together a mix of the King's community, other universities, and local businesses is a rare occurrence but this offered a unique chance for people from all stages of entrepreneurship to learn from each other. And everyone came with an eagerness to learn and clear motivation and excitement!
Collaborating with UK universities and local businesses
In 2023, we opened up the WEN Retreat to our UK university colleagues and their communities for the first time. Expanding our impact allowed us to empower even more women, make wider connections, and explore new insights.
So this year we went even bigger! We invited local businesses in London to join in on the fun.
We were very lucky to be joined by:
King's students, staff and alumni (from numerous faculties, year groups and departments).
Other university communities - including American University (Washington), Imperial, LSBU, LSE, Oxford Enterprise, QMUL, SZTE, UCL, University of Cardiff, University of Greenwich, University of Surrey and Warwick Business School.
Local businesses - including Considered Capital, Rise, School for Social Entrepreneurs, SheOath, Somerset House Business Residency, TERN, Employability and Wellbeing Academy, and UnLtd.
🔮 If you're interested in collaborating at future WEN Retreats or on other projects with our Women Entrepreneurs Network, please get in touch with the mastermind behind everything WEN - Jessica Horwill.
The invaluable connections I have made at this event will last a lifetime. Thank you for bringing us together."
Kim, Light Education Training, WEN Retreat 2025 attendee
Providing value-focused sessions
WENRetreat2025-Jenna2
Each year, we invite experts from our community to lead sessions on everything from branding and pitching, to investment and legal advice. We make sure that our each session is value-focused but also fun! So everyone can go home with practical takeaways to put into action but also enjoy the experience.
This year, our packed agenda included:
Day 1
Clarice Ng (Founder of GROWN), Roxanne Stevenson-Brown (Founder of Find Care Compare) and Jas Wilks (Founder and CEO of Rejazz) sharing their experiences as female founders on our Meet the Founders Panel.
Izabella Brooks and Rory Wilson (Hunters Law LLP) answering all those burning legal and IP questions.
Sonya Barlow (Founder of LMF Network) wrapping up day 1 with some tips on authentic networking.
Day 2
Lou Nylander (Founder of Wildflowers of London) on branding & community through authentic storytelling.
Kay Kukoyi (Founder of Purposeful Group and EI Tech Expert-in-Residence) with AI tools to grow your business.
Esme Verity (Founder of Considered Capital) giving an introduction to funding.
Day 3
Sarah Whale (Founder of Profit Impact) helping attendees down the path of sustainable impact.
Rachel Stockey (Founder of Disruptive Realm and EI Head of Entrepreneurial Skills) on assumptions and experiments.
Jenna Dominique (Founder of First Class Comms and EI Comms Expert-in-Residence) with her masterclass on compelling content and impactful communication.
I feel incredibly lucky to have been apart of the weekend. The speakers and attendees were a treasure trove of knowledge and ideas. It’s fantastic to have opportunities to connect as just women and share the wind and challenges of entrepreneurship."
Anonymous, WEN Retreat 2025 attendee
A safe space to learn
Above all else, the WEN Retreat is always a safe space to learn and ask questions. Whether that's during the weekend, or beyond.
At each Retreat, attendees are encouraged to share their ideas openly in group discussions, ask questions to our facilitators and give feedback to each other. There really is no such thing as a silly question.
To continue this safe space and sense of community, we have an online space to allow attendees to continue asking questions, sharing knowledge, and put their professional profiles on each other’s radar. The online group has a community of attendees from all our Retreats since the first one in 2019 - so it's also a space to make even more connections!
An enriching programme in a safe environment with tangible tools to take away."
Sarah Whale, Founder of Profit Impact, WEN Retreat 2025 facilitator
WEN Retreat 2025 attendee talking to a facilitator
WEN Retreat 2025 attendee talking to one of our facilitators.
View item 1View item 2View item 3View item 4View item 5View item 6
It's a privilege to have so many amazing women choose to spend their weekend with us for the 6th WEN Retreat. Not only were they learning to scale and grow their business ideas, but they were also forming important networks with their peers and learning from and about each other. With women joining us from LSE, LSBU, Imperial as well as TERN and Somerset House Black Business Residency, the energy in the room was amazing. I cannot wait to see what these women create in the wider world!"
Jessica Horwill, Strategic Projects Manager (and WEN mastermind)
What's next?
🚨 Are you a woman entrepreneur at King's? Join our Women Entrepreneurs Network LinkedIn group to connect with likeminded change-makers and find out about similar events.
🚨 Are you interested in WEN and the Retreat but not a member of the King's community? Collaborate with us in the future by reaching out to Jess.