The Buerk Center’s Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership program (WE Lead) promotes the advancement of women as entrepreneurs, leaders, investors, and agents of innovation.
Entrepreneurial students from any major will have support and scaffolding to grow and develop into confident, inclusive leaders. WE Lead welcomes students of any gender, and will feature programming and events that center the experiences of women in entrepreneurship and leadership settings. Students will be encouraged to follow their passions, and to define their own measures of success, while honing their professional and personal development through mentorship, coaching, and experiential learning.
Women, non-binary folks, and allies across the gender spectrum are welcome. We believe your ideas – and your leadership – will change the world. Come make an impact with us!
Dream, Create, and Innovate with WE Lead
Join us for WE Lead programs and events featuring content designed to support, equip, and inspire your entrepreneurial journey. You’ll make valuable industry connections, meet like-minded students, and expand your entrepreneurial leadership skillset.
Whether you have a business plan and need help with next steps, are mulling over ideas on how to turn your passion into action, or are just entre-curious, this is a great place to find resources and community.
The WE Lead Student Board’s mission is to align the programming and events of WE Lead with the needs and interests of UW Students. Members of the board will have opportunities to deepen their ties with Seattle’s entrepreneurial community and take on responsibilities that will amplify WE Lead’s reach and impact on campus.
Additionally, the WE Lead Student Board are ambassadors and connectors who will cultivate a welcoming, supportive community across UW campus for woman identifying and allied students of any gender with an interest in developing as entrepreneurial leaders. If you are interested in joining WE Lead’s Student Board next academic year, look for recruitment information, including deadlines and info sessions, in mid to late Spring Quarter 2025.
2024-25 WE Lead Student Board
Rachel Joshua, Board President (‘25 Business & Sociology)
Anna Gonzalez, Vice President (‘25 Biochemistry)
Fatema Metwally, Director of Community Development (‘26, Human Resources & Information Systems)
Meera Patel, Director of Outreach (’26, Industrial Engineering)
Amy Swanson, Entrepreneur in Residence (’25, MBA)
Kelen Tamurian, Director of Marketing (‘26, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies)
Iris Zhou, Director of Leadership (’26, Finance)
Each academic quarter, WE Lead will offer mentoring opportunities to connect students with cross sector entrepreneurial leaders who can offer advice, support, and share their experiences – highs and lows – from their career. Mentoring will be offered in group and 1:1 settings.
WE Lead’s mentors are women leaders with experience navigating career transition, investing, ideation and launch of new endeavors, working cross-sector to amplify impact, working in male dominated industries, hiring and leading effective teams, and more.
Interested in becoming a mentor for WE Lead? Fill out this interest form, and we will be in touch when we have mentoring opportunities!
1:1 Mentoring Program – Winter 2025
WE Lead’s 12-week mentoring program pairs undergraduate and graduate students with women leaders from diverse industries. Our mentors bring experience in leadership, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a genuine commitment to uplifting future leaders.
Open to students of all majors by application, the program offers a chance for personalized career guidance and insights across various fields. It kicks off with a Mentee Boot Camp, helping you clarify your goals, build mentoring skills, and set up for success. In the application, you can indicate preferred mentor matches and industry interests to help us find the best fit.
The application for WE Lead’s mentoring program is now open – submit your application no later than 12pm on 12/2.
Requirements
- Enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the University of Washington
- If selected, mentees must attend the Mentee Bootcamp (1/5) and Kickoff Event (1/10)
- Commit to meeting with your mentor at least five times (including at least three in-person meetings) over the 12-week program, and respond promptly to communication.
Key Dates
- Application Opens: 11/8/2024
- Application Info Sessions: 11/8/24, 11/12/24, 11/25/24
- Application Deadline: 12/2/2024, 12pm
- Application Decisions: Mid-late December
- Mentee Boot Camp: Sunday, January 5th, 20205 | 9am-4pm (Required)
- Mentoring Program Kickoff: Friday, January 10th, 2025 | 9:30am-12pm (Required)
- Program Dates: 1/5/25 – 3/28/25
Through your coursework, you are learning important frameworks and information to prepare you to enter your professional field and pursue your career. Here, you can develop your entrepreneurial leadership toolkit by attending quarterly workshops, where you’ll learn valuable skills in an environment that supports learning and growth, but without grades, exams, or tuition.
Stay tuned for an announcement on workshop dates and registration!
WE Lead will partner with departments and programs across UW campus to show what entrepreneurship looks like in different settings and industries through the lens of women who’ve demonstrated entrepreneurial – or intrapreneurial acumen. We believe good ideas, and entrepreneurial leaders, come from all educational disciplines, and invite you to envision what career pathways are open to you by hearing from leaders and experts from the community.
Stay tuned for an announcement on panel dates and registration!
Having diverse teams and board leadership is just good business sense, and there is ample data showing the positive impacts to an organization’s bottom line. We all have a role to play as leaders in creating safe and welcoming professional environments, whether we are in formal leadership roles or individual contributors. If you are interested in developing your skills and competency as an inclusive leader, events in this series will support respectful discussion and exploration of topics in allyship.
How can students get involved with WE Lead?
We live in a region bursting with entrepreneurial spirit and opportunity, and UW, and the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, have a wealth of resources and connections to help you get started.
Interested students can sign up for WE Lead’s interest list, attend an event, stop by our office in Founder’s Hall, and/or schedule office hours – we’re here to help!
WE Lead Cohort
The WE Lead Cohort-is for the most highly engaged entrepreneurial student leaders on campus. If you wish to invest more deeply in your growth, leadership, entrepreneurial community connections, and innovation journey during this academic year, this is for you!
Members of the WE Lead Cohort will be at various stages of their journey, from the entre-curious to founders working on homework by day and their company by night. They are the leaders of the future – inclusive, thoughtful, brave, and visionary. They dream big, are creative thinkers, and have grit and determination in the face of challenges.
Together, they will invest in themselves, dedicate time to their growth, and find support and community from likeminded women and allies on and off campus.
Missed the WE Lead Cohort application deadline in Fall 2024? You can still be part of WE Lead by attending events – find upcoming events and register on StartupTree!
Key Dates & Deadlines
Application Opens: Thursday, October 10th
Application Deadline: 12 pm on Wednesday, November 20th
Application Decisions: Early December
Information Sessions:
- October 10th (in-person)
- October 18th (virtual)
- October 28th (virtual)
Who Can Apply?
WE Lead, and the WE Lead Cohort, is open to women, non-binary students, and allies across the gender spectrum who are comfortable in spaces that center the experiences of women and their intersecting marginalized identities. Currently enrolled UW students from any degree program or major, from incoming Freshmen to PhD candidates are welcome.
The Application
What are we looking for in a candidate? Whether you’re majoring in engineering, art, public health, or anything in between, you are someone hoping to have a career that allows them to pursue their passions, make an impact, and be a leader.
You might find yourself thinking of solutions to problems no one else has solved, dreaming of applying your knowledge to build a device, app, or tool that doesn’t yet exist, or simply feel drawn to the idea of charting your own course. There are many ways to be entrepreneurial (or intrapreneurial!) and your path is your own – WE Lead, and the Cohort, are here to support you in that.
The application is due on November 20th, 2024, and no late applications will be accepted. Application questions will address past experiences with leadership, entrepreneurship, and how you want to continue to grow through this experience.
Cohort Benefits
- Priority access to WE Lead events, workshops, and other special opportunities
- Quarterly all-cohort meetings
- Deeper connection to WE Lead community
- Investment in yourself and your growth as an entrepreneurial leader
- SIS (Support, Inspire, Sisterhood) – a peer mentor/new friend and networking buddy to provide advice, feedback, and more
Cohort Member Expectations
Joining the WE Lead Cohort is a commitment for the academic year and students should join only if they plan to be an active and involved participant. If accepted, you will sign an agreement to uphold WE Lead’s Community Agreements, as well as to be involved consistently throughout the year in WE Lead and Cohort activities. What does that look like? Attending quarterly cohort meetings, WE Lead events, workshops, and mentoring opportunities, and meeting with your SIS on a regular basis.
What to Expect from WE Lead
WE Lead is a co-curricular program that hosts events throughout the year, from small, intimate groups to big luncheons and other special events, all throughout the quarter. Some of these are:
- Industry panels and guest speakers with incredible stories
- Workshops to develop your professional skills
- Mentoring opportunities featuring local leaders, innovators, and founders
- Women’s Entrepreneurship Day celebration with special presentations, networking, and more!
You can find upcoming WE Lead events on the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s StartupTree page here.
If you have an idea for an event or are a UW Departmental or Student Group interested in collaborating, contact Winona Kantamaneni at [email protected]. We love to collaborate!
Dive into entrepreneurship – join or form a team, and enter one of the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s three annual competitions!
Enroll in the Health Innovation Practicum (ENTRE 445/545), Environmental Innovation Practicum (ENTRE 443/543, ENGR 498A, ENVIR 495), or the Business Plan Practicum to learn how to explore and validate ideas for a new venture.
Sign up for our newsletter to receive periodic news, updates, and event information.
Check out the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship’s Startup Resources page, where we share on and off-campus resources for student entrepreneurs.
Open to anyone in Washington and beyond, the Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership is a 4-month certificate program is offered by UW Professional & Continuing Education. This certificate prepares you to become a stronger leader as you join a collaborative peer network and learn from mentors and instructors who bring extensive knowledge of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 100% online program & scholarships available!
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is dedicated to connecting the voice of women entrepreneurs to our nation’s policymakers and key resource partners. Their Resiliency Resources are a non-exhaustive list of federal and community entrepreneurial resources for women-owned small businesses. While not exhaustive, this list is a good reference for entrepreneurs interested in developing their business.
WE Lead Advisory Board
The WE Lead Advisory Board is comprised of entrepreneurial leaders who are passionate advocates for increasing representation of cross-industry, gender diverse leaders. In addition to providing strategic programmatic advising, resources, and connections, they support WE Lead as mentors, guest speakers, and subject matter experts.
Minda Brusse, First Row Partners
Dani Cone, Fuel; Cone & Steiner
Cheryl Delostrinos; Student Board President Emeritus
Jilyne Jarvis, Z Girls
Christy Johnson, Artemis Connection
Elisa La Cava, Trilogy Equity Partners
Rosalinda Mendoza, Mocel Mezcal
Sara Mosiman, Global Sports & Events
Sarah Studer, Intentionalist
Sara Weaver, IAGL
Connect
Looking for ways to get involved with WE Lead? Sign up for WE Lead’s interest list, join the WE Lead Discord channel, or schedule office hours with Winona Kantamaneni, WE Lead program manager.
If you’re looking for team members, wanting to enter a competition, or work on a startup project, you can create a profile and make connections on Startup Tree. This is also where all of the Buerk Center’s upcoming events are posted!