Meet Your Trainers — Entrepreneurial Woman Project 2026 (13th Edition)
Twelve sessions. Ten experts. One question every one of them is here to answer: what’s actually stopping you from starting?
The Entrepreneurial Woman Project has spent thirteen editions proving that the gap between “I have an idea” and “I run a business” isn’t talent or readiness — it’s information. Legal structure, taxes, funding, marketing, the words to introduce yourself in a room full of strangers — these are learnable. That’s exactly what this lineup is built to teach.
Here’s who you’ll be learning from, session by session, from your first day to your last.
Day 1 — October 3, 2026
Business Entities — Sandra Jankowski
Starting a business in Luxembourg means making a structural decision early — and getting it wrong can be costly to unwind later. This session walks you through your actual options, explained without the legal fog.
Meet Sandra: Sandra Jankowski is Director Client Services at TMF Group, where she leads the Multinationals and Private Equity Department. With over 15 years of experience across legal, corporate, and administrative services in both Luxembourg and Poland, she brings deep, practical knowledge of local regulatory frameworks — the kind that comes from helping international clients navigate Luxembourg’s business landscape day in, day out. She’s the person companies turn to when they need clarity, not jargon.
“Starting a business in Luxembourg doesn’t have to be complex — join us to unpack the essentials in a way that’s clear, practical, and made for success.”
In this session, you’ll get a grounded introduction to the business entity options available to you, a clear breakdown of incorporation steps, and the confidence to make informed legal decisions about your own venture — plus the chance to ask questions specific to your situation, not generic ones. TMF Group is also one of this year’s prize sponsors, so this session connects you to more than expertise alone.
VAT — Katarzyna Schwarz
VAT is one of those topics every founder knows she’ll eventually need to understand, and most put off until it becomes urgent. This session gets ahead of that — breaking down what VAT actually means for your business from day one, so it’s never a surprise.
Meet Katarzyna: Katarzyna Schwarz works in the VAT Team as Supervisor Tax-Indirect Tax at TMF Luxembourg office, managing a huge client portfolio with respect to preparation of VAT returns and all VAT compliance related obligations. She holds an LLM in International and European Tax Law from the University of Maastricht and brings 14 years of VAT practice in Luxembourg. Before joining TMF Group in 2021, Katarzyna has been employed at several other renowned tax service providers such as KPMG, PwC and BDO. Her exposure was to diverse clients with the focus on financial industry.
In this session, you’ll learn when and how VAT registration applies to your business, the practical steps to staying compliant with returns and reporting, and how to avoid the early missteps that catch most first-time founders off guard — leaving with a clear picture of your VAT obligations before they become urgent.
Taxes — Giorgio Vaddinelli
Taxes are rarely the reason someone starts a business, but they’re often the reason someone hesitates to. This session demystifies what you’re actually responsible for as a new entrepreneur in Luxembourg, and when.
Meet Giorgio: Giorgio Vaddinelli is Head of Tax at TMF Luxembourg office, leading a 20-person tax team within the Accounting & Tax practice and overseeing tax compliance services ranging from direct taxation to transfer pricing reporting. A Luxembourg chartered accountant with nearly 15 years of experience, he built his career at PwC Luxembourg before joining TMF Group in 2016, working with international clients on cross-border tax matters and complex organisational structures.
In this session, you’ll get a clear breakdown of your core tax obligations as a new founder in Luxembourg, an understanding of key filing deadlines and requirements, and practical guidance on building good tax habits from day one — so compliance becomes routine, not a source of dread.
Idea Generation — Esther Celosse
Before the business plan, before the pitch, there’s the idea — and for many women, that’s where the self-doubt creeps in first. This session is designed to get you unstuck.
Meet Esther: Esther Celosse is the founder of Return2Career and an Adjunct Professor of Management, bringing a rare combination of academic rigor and real-world entrepreneurial experience. She’s worked with the Entrepreneurial Woman Project for multiple editions, guiding hundreds of women through breakthrough creative processes — and every participant who’s worked with her describes the same shift: from creative uncertainty to confident innovation.
“Every year the EWP group shows talent beyond the ordinary, motivation as high as a mountain and energy plenty. It’s a huge pleasure to continue to be part of the journey these participants embark on.”
You’ll learn Parallel Thinking and Lateral Thinking techniques to sharpen your problem-solving, strategies for breaking out of conventional thought patterns, and you’ll work collaboratively with fellow participants to refine your ideas through diverse perspectives. As Esther puts it: “How can we generate new ideas or refine existing ideas, how do you challenge yourself and others to think out of the box?”
Day 2 — October 10, 2026
Employment and Commercial Practice — Ariane Claverie
Whether you’re hiring your first employee or your workforce is already well-established, this session covers the practical legal ground every founder eventually has to stand on, as an employer.
Meet Ariane: Ariane Claverie began her career as an in-house counsel before joining the Luxembourg Bar in 1997. She quickly specialized in employment law and became a Partner at CASTEGNARO in 2012. She focuses particularly on issues relating to underperformance legal management, working time, employee incapacity for work, social security, occupational health and safety and harassment. Ariane Claverie contributed to the implementation of the Luxembourg Labour Code and regularly writes articles on employment law. She is also a frequent speaker at training sessions and conferences on employment law.
In this session, you’ll learn how to handle underperformance fairly and effectively — what support measures actually work, what sanctions are available, and how to implement them without exposing your business to risk.
Marketing & Sales — David Holland
Having a great product or service means nothing if no one knows it exists — or if you can’t convert interest into a sale. This session tackles both.
Meet David: David Holland is an international business coach with over 20 years of experience in marketing strategy and sales training for entrepreneurs. As founder of Results Rules OK, he has trained women entrepreneurs across 37 countries and authored more than 45 books on business development and entrepreneurial success. His approach is practical and outcome-driven — he’s not interested in theory that doesn’t translate into results.
“Business can be tough and scary, and making the leap to becoming a business owner is probably one of the greatest challenges that people face. If I could help others on their Entrepreneurial Journey by sharing some of the lessons and principles we have learned, it makes participating worthwhile.”
You’ll learn how to craft a Unique Sales Proposition that actually differentiates you, how to build a marketing strategy aligned with your business vision, the psychology behind why people buy, and how to optimize your sales funnel from first contact to closed deal.
Business Model Canvas — Adis Sabanovic
Before the business plan gets written, there’s a simpler question to answer: does this business model actually work? This session helps you find out, using your real idea — not a hypothetical one.
Meet Adis: Adis Sabanovic is a seasoned consultant at the House of Entrepreneurship in Luxembourg, where he has guided countless women through the journey from idea to successful business. Specializing in Business Modelling and Value Proposition Design, he works with entrepreneurs across every type of business — from traditional local services to innovative startups — and is known for making complex business concepts accessible and actionable, with the conviction that every business deserves professional strategic planning, no matter how “simple” it might seem.
“When putting an idea into practice, it is essential not to lose sight of one’s objectives and to know what are the most important actions to take. My workshop will enable future women entrepreneurs to define their value proposition in line with the needs of their future clients and to create a business model that is appropriate to the entrepreneur’s profile and professional vision.”
This is a hands-on, non-intimidating workshop — no business school theory, just your actual idea worked through with expert guidance. You’ll define your unique value, get clear on your customers, learn to price with confidence, plan your resources realistically, and connect with other women on the same journey.
Day 3 — October 17, 2026
Business Plan — Daniel Milano Torres
A business plan can feel like the most intimidating document a founder ever has to write — until someone shows you it’s really just a series of decisions made visible. That’s this session.
Meet Daniel: Daniel Milano Torres is a business advisor at the House of Entrepreneurship Luxembourg, where he supports hundreds of entrepreneurs each year in structuring their business and financial planning. He created the official financial business plan tool used by the House of Entrepreneurship, and despite deep expertise in accounting, corporate consulting, and investment fund structuring, he describes himself first and foremost as an entrepreneur — having founded several companies of his own. He also teaches tax-related topics at the University of Luxembourg, bringing the same pragmatic, no-nonsense approach to the classroom.
“Even the most technical concepts can be empowering when presented with clarity and purpose. My goal is to help entrepreneurs turn numbers into decisions.”
This session covers the full business plan structure — from executive summary to financial projections — along with market research and competitive analysis techniques, risk management strategies, and financial forecasting made approachable. You’ll leave with ready-to-use templates: SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, and stakeholder mapping frameworks among them.
Funding / Fundraising — Daniel Milano Torres
Daniel stays on for the afternoon to take you from planning into financing — covering how to identify the right funding sources for your specific business and how to approach them with a credible case, building directly on the plan you’ve just structured.
In this session, you’ll learn how to map the funding landscape available to you in Luxembourg — from bank loans and public support schemes to grants and business angels — and how to match the right source to your business’s stage and sector. You’ll walk through what lenders and investors actually look for in a funding request, how to build a credible ask backed by the numbers from your business plan, and how to avoid the most common pitching mistakes that undermine otherwise strong ideas.
Public Speaking — Marta Andrzejewska
By the end of this programme you’ll have a plan and a pitch — this session makes sure you can deliver it. Public speaking is often the single biggest barrier between a good idea and a funded one, and Marta’s first session of the week is built to close that gap.
Meet Marta: For over a decade, Marta Andrzejewska has supported leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams through development, communication, and effectiveness. She’s an ICF-certified coach and founder of Way2Go, specialising in business and executive coaching for international businesses, NGOs, and corporate teams — designing programmes around conscious leadership, change management, and strategic goals. Much of her work focuses on helping women strengthen their voice and authentic leadership. Marta is herself an EWP graduate, and now leads the programme as its Project Manager.
“I believe that effective growth begins with building conscious leadership, courage and clearly defined goals.”
In this session, you’ll learn how to structure a pitch that holds attention from the first sentence, how to manage nerves so they work for you instead of against you, and how to use your voice, body language, and pacing to command a room. You’ll practice live, get direct feedback, and leave with a pitch you’re ready to deliver in front of your peers on Day 5.
Day 4 — October 24, 2026
Social Media Landscape in Luxembourg — Julia Zasada
Knowing how to market is one thing — knowing where your audience actually is in Luxembourg’s specific social media landscape is another. This session bridges that gap with local, current insight.
Meet Julia: Julia Zasada is a Creative Content Director and Content Strategist focused on social media growth, visual storytelling and content strategy for brands and personal brands. She co-founded of @leaderladieslegacy, growing the Instagram platform from 0 to over 420k followers in just one year, with millions of views driven by strong, visually distinctive content. She has worked with international brands, including PHIA by Phoebe Gates, leads social media for a Coliving company in Luxembourg, and mentors professionals looking to build a more authentic online presence.
The workshop focuses on building a clear and effective social media presence on Instagram and LinkedIn. Participants will learn how to create strategic, engaging content that aligns with their goals and attracts the right audience. The session also covers how to turn visibility into meaningful connections and business opportunities.
Intellectual Property — Marie-Christine Simon
Your ideas, your brand, your creative work — all of it is an asset, and most founders don’t realize how exposed that asset is until something goes wrong. This session makes sure you protect it from day one.
Meet Marie-Christine: Marie-Christine Simon is Director of the Trademark Department and a European Trademark and Design Attorney at Office Freylinger S.A., and a registered Luxembourg IP attorney. With over two decades of experience, she specializes in protecting and defending trademarks, designs, patents, and copyrights, and is admitted to practice before the Benelux Trademark and Registered Design Office (OBPI), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
“During this training we discuss what Intellectual Property rights are, where, when, and how they arise, and how to protect and defend patents, trademarks, designs, and copyrights. IP rights are an important asset of each company, and we also look at how to earn money with those and prevent ‘beginner’s mistakes’ related to IP rights.”
You’ll come away understanding the fundamentals of trademarks, patents, designs, and copyrights, how to secure your brand identity through affordable filings, how to monetize your IP through licensing or strategic positioning, and how to avoid the costly mistakes that catch most first-time founders off guard.
Confidence Building — Marta Andrzejewska
Skills and structure only take you so far if you don’t believe you’re allowed to take up space. This session is built around exactly that — Marta’s second session of the week, following on from Public Speaking on Day 3.
In this session, you’ll work on recognising the self-doubt patterns that hold women back before they even start, reframing how you see your own authority and voice, and building the kind of grounded self-trust that doesn’t depend on outside validation. You’ll leave with practical tools to carry into every room you walk into next — including the pitch you delivered earlier this week, and the one still ahead.
Day 5 — November 14, 2026
Effective Business Networking — Artur Sosna
The final new skill of the programme — and arguably the one that compounds the most over time. This session turns networking from an intimidating buzzword into a concrete, repeatable skill.
Meet Artur: Artur Sosna is Head of Global Expansion at Voltmax SARL and President of the Luxembourg-Poland Chamber of Commerce. With two decades of experience in global business development, he has facilitated transactions exceeding €18 million and built a network spanning Luxembourg, Germany, France, Denmark, Belgium, and Poland. As President of LPCC, he has first-hand experience helping entrepreneurs connect with the right people, navigate cultural nuances, and find real opportunity in cross-border business.
“Networking is as old as our humanity. The better you do it, the easier your life will be!”
You’ll learn how to confidently introduce yourself and your business, how to expand your network strategically, how to manage existing relationships so they stay strong over time, and how to turn casual encounters into lasting opportunities — illustrated throughout with real examples from Artur’s own experience.
Participants’ Speeches and Voting
The programme closes with you in the spotlight — a chance to put everything from idea to pitch into practice in front of your peers.
And Yes — There Are Cash Prizes
The participants compete for prizes that can genuinely kickstart their business — made possible by this year’s sponsors:
🥇 €3,000 — sponsored by Banque de Luxembourg, a leading private and asset management bank recognised for its expertise in wealth management and long-term client relationships.
🥈 €2,000 — sponsored by TMF Group, a global provider of administrative, compliance, and business support services helping companies operate and expand across borders.
🥉 €1,000 — sponsored by AQTEEV, a Luxembourg-based recruitment and SAP consulting firm connecting top talent with the local tech, space, and aviation ecosystem.
That’s €6,000 in combined funding going directly into the hands of women turning ideas into businesses — a testament to how seriously our sponsors believe in the entrepreneurial talent coming out of EWP.
Learn more about what is the final pitch and how to secure your prize from this article here →
Ready to Begin? Claim Your Spot in the Programme!
Ten experts. Five days. One programme built to take you from idea to confident, funded, visible founder.
Here’s the thing: you don’t need to feel ready, you just need to register. There are only 15 spots available this edition. Registration closes September 10, and once those spots are gone, they’re gone.
Whatever part of this journey feels furthest out of reach right now — legal structure, taxes, funding, your own voice in a room — there’s a session built specifically to close that gap. But none of it happens if you’re still on the fence when the deadline hits.
Register for the Entrepreneurial Woman Project 2026 →
Your spot also includes a full year of LPCC membership, giving you access to networking events and a community of women entrepreneurs throughout the year — not just during the programme itself.
