IWD: Stories She Never Told
This International Women’s Day, we are hosting the conversations that usually stay unspoken. We will talk about money, pressure, and ambition as they show up in real life.
No hustle culture
No polished performances
Honest conversations
Practical tools
Real connections
Who This Day Is For
This event is for women in the London startup scene. We welcome founders, operators, investors, and event professionals. If you identify as a woman, you are welcome here.
About Rare Founders
Rare Founders is a founder-led community bringing together early-stage founders, operators, and investors through thoughtfully curated events across London. From open mics and intimate roundtables to large-scale Demo Days, our focus is on meaningful connections, practical insight, and creating spaces that feel welcoming, inclusive, and genuinely useful.
If you’d like to stay in the loop, you can also sign up to our weekly newsletter for handpicked startup events, opportunities, and updates for founders and investors across the ecosystem.
See more details here.
What To Expect
This is a full-day experience to help you feel calmer and more connected. Arrive as you are and leave with a clear mind.
Agenda
10:00 - Doors Open Arrive and settle in with refreshments.
10:30 - 10:45 Welcome Message
10:45 - 12:00 Morning Grounding & Regulation Breathwork and movement to support your nervous system. Learn simple self-care practices for your daily life. Hosted by Lucy Eden & Sasha Cayward.
12:00 - 12:20 Break
12:20 - 13:20 Live Facial Demo A follow-along demonstration by Enowa Skincare. Antonia and Pel will provide products and gua sha tools for you to use.
13:20 - 14:30 Lunch & Connection Eat and chat with others. Use this time to refresh, check emails, or take a breather.
14:30 - 15:45 The Real Cost of Money, Growth & Ambition An honest talk about pressure, motherhood, and wellbeing while building a business. No polished stories or generic advice. Includes an audience Q&A.
15:45 - 16:00 Closing Guided Meditation A short session with Sasha Cayward to help you process the day.
16:00 - 18:00 Networking & Coworking Stay for a drink at the bar or catch up on work.
18:00 After-Hours Drinks The bar remains open for anyone who wants to stay longer.
Who’s Guiding The Morning Activities
Lucy Eden - Founder of Be In Your Element. Lucy leads mindful movement and meditation sessions. She helps people reset and find calm through gentle movement and grounding practices.
Sasha Cayward - Chief Community Officer at Hubble. Sasha leads breathwork and tapping sessions to improve focus and mental clarity.
Antonia Giacobelli & Pel Denktash - Founders of Enowa. They are performing a live facial demo. Antonia is also a community builder and coach at NevCap. She helps founders and investors build strong networks and ecosystems for long-term growth.
Lunch & refreshments
Lunch will be available on-site from The Ministry’s in-house deli, offering fresh salads, proteins, sandwiches and healthy options, all very reasonably priced. Barista coffee will be available throughout the day.
External food isn’t permitted at the venue, so if you’re staying for lunch, you’ll need to purchase on-site.
You can pre-order one of our exclusive Rare Founders meal deals when booking your ticket:
Salad box + protein (meat or vegan) or full sandwich + drink
Half sandwich (meat or vegan) + crisps + drink
We’ll follow up with a short catering form to confirm your choice. Pre-ordering secures your lunch at a preferential rate, though you’re also welcome to order directly from the deli on the day at standard pricing. Menu Here
Free childcare support
We’re proud to be working with CocoRio, a childcare provider created to support working parents by offering flexible, trusted childcare solutions.
While children can’t attend the venue, CocoRio will be providing discounted in-home childcare for attendees, helping make the day more accessible for parents and carers.
Details on how to book will be shared after registration.
Check out their website here.
The Real Cost of Money, Growth & Ambition: Speakers
Jessica Mendoza is a 3x founder and writer. She is one of the top 1% of women founders to achieve an exit. She built and sold Monadd, a venture-backed proptech startup. Jessica now advises companies on fundraising and growth. She is an advisor at Loyal VC
Sasha Cayward is an ex-founder, athlete, and organisational psychologist. She is Chief Community Officer at Hubble and Venture Partner at an MFO. She uses behavioural science to build high-trust founder ecosystems. Her work focuses on mental performance and emotional intelligence for sustainable success.
Perdie Alder is the VC and Startup Partnerships Manager at Zendesk. She previously co-founded Hotbed and led programmes at TechHub. She has supported thousands of founders through events and acceleration. Perdie is an active angel investor with eight startups in her portfolio.
Vanesa Pazos is the Founding Partner of NoBa Capital. She invests in early-stage startups reshaping the future of work and living. She is an entrepreneur who provides hands-on support to founders. Vanesa runs community initiatives like EmpowerHER to support women and underrepresented talent.
Eva Dobrzanska is Head of Investor Relations at Tramlines Ventures, an early-stage fund investing in domain experts with at least 10+ yrs experience in the space with exceptional proof points of founder-market fit across AI, B2B SaaS, FinTech, Enterprise Software, and DeepTech.
Want to sponsor the event and get exposure with hundreds of businesses? Please email [email protected]
A Huge Thanks to our Sponsors & Partners!
As well as the partners highlighted above and the roles they’re playing, we’re also supported by a wider circle of sponsors and collaborators who help shape the experience from start to finish. Together, they’re part of what makes this event feel considered, generous, and genuinely built for you.
Safety Partner
Safespace Plus is helping us to foster a safe and inclusive environment at our events. Check out our Code of Conduct so you are aware of what kind of behaviour is not allowed at our events.
Venue Partner
Hosted at The Ministry — Borough’s iconic creative members’ club and workspace, built by the team behind Ministry of Sound. Set inside a beautifully restored Victorian printworks, it features stylish lounges, studios, a gym, a buzzing bar, and everything designed for founders and creators to collide. With flexible day passes, wellness spaces, great coffee and a culture-driven vibe, it’s the perfect home for bold ideas and unforgettable events.
Food will be available for purchase at the venue!