About this Event
WLOUNGE DARE LEADERSHIP #WDL GIGA-RETREAT. BERLIN
One full day. Saturday, 24 October 2026. 09:00–20:00. Axica Convention Center, Pariser Platz 3, 10117 Berlin.
Personal development and professional growth. In person, on site.
WLOUNGE DARE LEADERSHIP: Lead with Purpose. Dare with Courage.
Early-bird seats: limited. Ticket sales close at the end of 23 October 2026.
Read more about WLOUNGE: https://www.wlounge.de/
About the WDL leadership skills: https://www.wlounge.de/wdl-dare-leadership-programme
WHY WE CREATED THE #WDL GIGA-RETREAT
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, we began questioning something fundamental.
After years of working hands-on with women and men across Europe and globally (opening doors, unlocking access to capital, creating career opportunities, building accelerators, supporting business growth, enabling exits, and connecting founders with investors), one insight became impossible to ignore:
The real bottleneck is culture.
Not talent.
Not capital.
Not ambition.
Culture.
Once you truly understand this, you stop trying to "fix" systems from the outside. Instead, you start creating environments, tools and experiences that shift the status quo through action, not through endless discussion.
That is exactly why the #WDL GIGA-RETREAT exists.
HOW WE DO IT
At WLOUNGE, together with our network, experts and partners from:
- Venture Capital & Accelerators
- Corporate Venture Capital & Open Innovation
- Startup Founders & Operators
- Universities & Research Institutions
- Successful entrepreneurs, investors and operators who have built, scaled and exited companies
we developed a new language for leadership, growth and human-business development.
The WDL GIGA-RETREAT is not about panels or motivational speeches. It is not another program.
- Access to the people who made it
- Role models to meet in person, also for 1:1s
It is about practice. Reflection. Alignment. Execution. And meaningful human connection.
It's all about YOU.
We invite you to step out of constant execution mode and ask yourself:
- Am I building intentionally, or just staying busy?
- Do I truly feel flow in my work and in my life?
- Is my personal growth evolving at the same speed as my professional success?
- Who am I becoming while building everything else?
WHO IT'S FOR
Everyone, at every stage of management and professional development, from students to C-level. Founders, operators, corporate leaders, and the people who dream of becoming one. All genders are welcome.
WHAT YOU GET
- A full-day, high-level retreat experience
- Curated masterclasses with selected experts from the WLOUNGE ecosystem and partners
- Deep reflection, structured exercises and practical tools
- High-quality networking with carefully selected peers
- Access to an exceptional community of founders, innovators, investors and builders
- Food, hospitality and the full experience, on us
- The option to book a 1:1 session with Mali M. Baum
YOUR INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF
€149 per person plus 19% VAT (€177.31 at checkout).
Bring a co-founder or a friend: book two tickets together: €198 net per ticket plus 19% VAT.
SCHOLARSHIPS ARE POSSIBLE. Cost should not stop you from joining. WLOUNGE scholarships are available in limited capacity. To apply, email [email protected] with a few lines about you and why you want to join.
Invest in human capital. Start with yours.
Early-bird seats are limited. Ticket sales close at the end of 23 October 2026. No refunds on tickets.
THE AGENDA: Saturday, 24 October 2026, one day just for you
Your day of networking and growth
- 09:00: Doors open
- 10:00: Getting together and introduction sessions
- Morning: Parallel sessions for personal development and professional / business development: workshops, growth, mindfulness, product, capital, entrepreneurial mindset, and working on yourself with our network and community experts
- 12:30–13:50: Lunch and pure networking time (you asked for it!)
- Afternoon: Parallel sessions continue (same themes, with our network and community experts)
- 18:00: Finger food, drinks and networking into the night
- 20:00: Goodbye until next time
Notes
- The event is on site in Berlin (Axica Convention Center, Pariser Platz 3, 10117 Berlin).
- No refunds on tickets.
- Buy your ticket via Eventbrite, or email [email protected] to ask for a different payment method or an invoice.
- 1:1 time with Mali: send us your request so we can add it to the day's agenda: [email protected]
- More about the mission and vision of WDL: https://www.wlounge.de/wdl-dare-leadership-programme
- Tickets will be checked at the door.
- Scholarships are possible. Apply via [email protected].
ONE OF OUR CORE BELIEFS AT WLOUNGE
"You cannot grow professionally if your personality is not growing at the same speed."
This belief is the foundation behind the WDL experiences and the ecosystem we are building. If this resonates with you, the #WDL GIGA-RETREAT is for you.
Questions? Email us: [email protected]
Mali: "I'm happy to welcome all-gender dreamers and achievers across our ecosystem in Germany and Europe, with the superpower tools and assets of WLOUNGE: community, acceleration, ecosystem, access, and DARE LEADERSHIP #WDL, our flagship programme for leadership. We are changing the status quo. Together!"
Impressions from our June 2026 retreat
Photo: Pavlo Slobodnychenko / @wlounge
Part of the organizations who joined or partnered up with WDL
More to read
We work very closely with startup founders, with students who dream big, and with corporate employees who dream of promotion and of becoming C-level. We also work closely with the European Commission and the EIC, co-creating a women's leadership program built on the values and the language we've developed inside the WLOUNGE community and network partners. We acknowledge the problem.
The fact: The EIC cites the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report: "86% of French women entrepreneurs and 63% of German female entrepreneurs cited self-censorship and lack of confidence as obstacles."
The mission and the doing: To overcome these challenges and help female entrepreneurs and professionals succeed in the long term, organizations across Europe are now running mentoring programmes. WLOUNGE is on top of it.
The WDL, WLOUNGE DARE LEADERSHIP, is one of our solutions to the culture problem we monitored. It's the mindset. It's the lack of support. It's the lack of access. It's education and beliefs.
All in one stop. All you need under one roof: mentoring, coaching, training and networking, product people, access to capital, knowledge and skills that go beyond talking. Support from those who have already run the leadership marathon builds confidence and promotes gender equality.
We build success stories. Together.
Yours,
Iris, Yvonne, Isabelle, Mali and the whole team and family.
In collaboration with Intrinsic Human Dynamics (IHD), integrating nervous system intelligence, organizational psychology and future-focused approaches to culture, diversity and sustainable leadership into the WDL experience.
Event venue & nearby stays
Axica Convention Center, Pariser Platz 3, Berlin, Germany
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.