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The accelerator for Pivoting Professionals.
The accelerator for Pivoting Professionals.
Ladies who Launch is designed to support ex-corporate professionals in launching something of their own. The core value of this curated accelerator lies in its tailored support and powerful peer community.

Many mid-career women feel the urge to build something of their own - to create meaningful impact, or gain more freedom and control in their lives. Or maybe the thought of entrepreneurship comes after a lay-off. The transition from a stable corporate role to entrepreneurship often comes with doubts:
Where do I even start?
Is this too risky?
What if it doesn’t work out?
Am I too late to begin?
You're not alone - these are the challenges every new entrepreneur faces. Ladies Who Launch exists to help you navigate this journey with clarity, confidence, and a supportive community of like-minded women.

When leaving corporate careers to start a venture, people often struggle with:

Across 10 weeks you will get structure through Masterclasses, tailored support through 1:1 mentoring, and a supportive group of peers going through the same transition. A proven structure will ensure progress, and help you go from idea to commercial traction with clarity and confidence.
At the end of the programme you will be equipped with a sharp entrepreneurial mindset, deep customer insight, a refined value proposition, and a compelling pitch, and sustainable energy habits.

A grand vision, the tenacity to execute, and the resilience to overcome valid excuses to quit are key predictors of success and can be learned.

Based on hundreds of success cases, this proven methodology helps you to set up the fundaments of your venture. Packed with tools and templates.

No two journeys are the same. Our programme includes personalised mentoring and guidance to help you create a clear roadmap for the next 6-18-36 months.

You’ll be surrounded by other women navigating similar transitions, providing support, accountability, and inspiration.
“Joining the Ladies Who Launch program under Hester’s expert guidance has been a game-changer in my journey as a new founder. If you want a program that pushes you to refine your vision while surrounding you with a supportive, driven community, this is it.” - Ex-Googler turned tech startup founder.
“I highly recommend this coaching to anyone looking to grow their entrepreneurial skillset. The interactions with Hester and cohort peer are incredibly insightful, with everyone offering solutions and contacts to advance each other’s challenges.” - ex-CFO for large corporations building own practice.
“Taking an early-stage idea and getting it to a point where I could pitch it in just six weeks was no small task—but the community, and structured process made it possible. If you have an idea but don’t know how to shape it into something real, this program will give you a real boost.” - beauty veteran turned founder in the Health space.
“Business programs can quickly dive into business plans and pitches and what makes us different from our competition but this program is different - it humanized us in a way I hadn't experienced before and am deeply grateful for. It truly is the best thing to have the other ladies through the program - their advice on topics and seeing we are all going through similar things is encouraging.” - hospitality professional turned Traveltech founder.

A series of six 90 minute Masterclasses, focused on mindset shifts, customer clarity, building product, presenting yourself, pitching your business and maintaining your energy. All elements are essential for sustainable success. Packed with valuable insights and candid conversations to integrate it all, and a workbook to support your learning process, and making sure it all sticks.

Because no 2 paths are the same - the programme ensures every participant gets tailored guidance to shape her venture, overcome roadblocks, and build with confidence.

A carefully curated network of experts will be at your disposal for your needs and priorities - from personal branding, to financial modelling, mentoring from industry experts and bookkeeping.
So you can focus on your client and do what you do best.

At Ladies who Launch, you don’t just learn - you grow alongside a powerful cohort of like-minded women. You collaborate, soundboard, and celebrate successes, together.

7 April - 23 June 2026
14 Sept - 11 Dec 2026
Please reach us at hester@hesterspiegel.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
The Masterclasses (90 mins, fortnightly) + Group Coaching (60 min, fortnightly) will take up 5 hours of your time, per month, excluding homework.
Ladies who Launch takes NO equity like most other accelerators do. That said, you will have access to equity investors if and when you are ready to raise funding.
The Masterclasses will be recorded so you can watch them whenever suits you.
The group size will be 5 women minimum, 12 women maximum. All women are professionals, with work and life experience.
Yes you can add-on 1:1 mentoring if you need personalised support and an accountability partner. We will tailor the frequency and intensity to your need.
Absolutely! You will be able to stay connected via the Launch Circle programme, which is a series of events and experiences to keep connected and inspired for 12 months after your Cohort ends. Also, you are welcome to join as a guest speaker for future Cohorts!

Building on my own leap from Deutsche Bank to entrepreneurship and seven years of investing in women-led ventures, I created Ladies who Launch to help second-act founders launch smarter, faster, and with more joy. Reach out if you would like to have a chat.
Email: hester@hesterspiegel.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hesterspiegelvandensteenhoven
Book a call: https://calendly.com/hesterspiegel
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