Is Navigating Power therapy or coaching?

Neither. Navigating Power is a practical, experiential programme. It draws on somatic and consent-culture frameworks to help female founders understand and use their own power in fundraising contexts. It is not a substitute for therapy, and appropriate support is signposted where relevant.

Do I need to know anything about kink culture to join?

No prior knowledge is required. The frameworks from kink and consent culture are translated for a general audience. Curiosity and openness are the only prerequisites.

Is Navigating Power only for founders in taboo categories?

No. Navigating Power is open to all female founders, not just those building in taboo categories. The power dynamics of fundraising affect every female founder equally.

How much does Navigating Power cost?

The general ticket is €275 per founder. Low-income tickets are available on a case-by-case basis — email nicola@tabu.ventures to discuss.

Can I bring a co-founder?

Places are per founder, not per startup. The cohort is strictly capped at 10 participants. Contact the team after applying if you want to discuss bringing someone else from your team.

What happens to the cohort after the programme?

All participants are connected after the programme. The peer relationships built during the sessions are part of the value, and the team ensures those connections continue.

Tabu Ventures × Desire Lines

Navigating Power

An accelerator for female founders

4 sessions Max 10 founders €275 Online Applications close 8 May

The fundraising room is a power dynamic. Most founders walk into it without a map, a language, or permission to use their own power. This program changes that.

Apply for a place Learn more

What this is

Fundraise with more power, less performance

Navigating Power is an accelerator for female founders who are raising — or preparing to raise — and who want to do it with more awareness, more agency, and less performance. We draw on frameworks from kink and consent culture — spaces that have developed unusually sophisticated tools for naming power, negotiating it, and moving through it safely — and translate them directly into the founder-investor relationship.

You will map your own power, explore archetypes that show up in high-stakes negotiation, practice real scenarios with female investors in the room, and hear directly from an expert in navigating power dynamics professionally. You will leave with a first-aid kit for moments you don't have a script for — and the embodied sense that your power is yours to use.

No prior knowledge of kink culture required. Curiosity and openness are the only prerequisites.

The programme

Four sessions. Four shifts.

Where your power comes from

A power-mapping exercise to surface what you already have. Introduction to kink-derived concepts — including aftercare — and how they apply to the founder space. Homework shared in the group.

Archetypes in the room

Exploring a set of archetypes drawn from kink culture and their counterparts in the fundraising room. Which are you — and when? Safety, risk awareness, and the skill of discernment. Homework shared in the group.

Embodied roleplay

Practising the archetypes in real scenarios — a pitch, a difficult question, a term-sheet negotiation — with female investors in the room. Familiarity and comfort built in both directions. Homework shared in the group.

Lessons from a power expert

An interview with a guest expert whose professional life is built around the conscious navigation of power. Reflection and group sharing: how do you step into yours?

What you will leave with

Four things you'll carry with you

A clear map of your own power and how to leverage it — with full permission to do so

A first-aid kit for moments in a dynamic you are not sure about — including permission to walk away from money

Embodied awareness of your archetypes and when to call on them

A peer cohort of founders who stay in touch — and keep supporting each other after the programme ends

Is this for you?

This is for you if

This is for you

You are a female founder who is fundraising or actively preparing to
You have felt the power imbalance in an investor meeting and want better tools for it
You want to understand your own patterns in high-stakes dynamics
You are open to unconventional frameworks if they actually work
You want to practice, not just theorise

This is not for you

You are not yet in or approaching a fundraising process
You are looking for standard pitch coaching or investor relations
You are not open to exploring your own psychology in a group setting
You are a large or established organisation

Pricing

Straightforward access

We want this to be accessible. Low-income tickets are available — email us directly to discuss.

General

€275

Per founder. Apply via the form below.

Low income

Case by case

We want this to be accessible. Email us to discuss.

A note on safety

You will be held properly

This program uses frameworks from consent culture and engages directly with the psychology of power. We take the safety of participants seriously. A care plan is in place for the day, facilitated by practitioners with experience in both the kink and the founder space.

All participants will receive clear information about what to expect before they arrive. We work with a maximum cohort of 10 so that everyone is held properly. This is not therapy or coaching — it is a practical, experiential program. We signpost appropriate support where relevant.

Your questions answered

Common questions

Neither. This is a practical, experiential program. We draw on somatic and consent-culture frameworks to help you understand and use your own power. It is not a substitute for therapy, and we will signpost appropriate support where relevant.

No. The frameworks are translated for a general audience. Curiosity and openness are the only prerequisites.

Places are per founder, not per startup. Reach out after applying if you want to discuss bringing someone else from your team — cohort size is strictly capped at 10.

All participants are connected after the programme. The peer relationships built in the room are part of the value — we make sure they continue.

The first iteration focuses on founders navigating investor relationships. Future iterations will open to all kinds of business negotiations. Stay on the list.

No. This program is open to all female founders. You do not need to be building in a taboo category to join — the power dynamics of fundraising affect every female founder equally.

Your facilitators

The people in the room

Lillie Ipomoea

Co-facilitator · Shibari Educator & Rigger · Desire Lines

Lillie is a shibari educator and rigger operating under the name Desire Lines. Her practice began in 2016, rooted in Cape Town's bondage community. By day, she works as a data scientist and product consultant with a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology — and has built products in regulated, high-stakes environments including FDA-compliant risk assessment tooling. She brings attentiveness, a refusal to rush, and a belief that safety and intensity are not opposites.

Shibari & rope bondage Somatic practice Consent frameworks Data science

Nicola Telford

Co-facilitator · Founder & Venture Builder · Tabu Ventures

Nicola is a three-time founder, TechSpark Founder of the Year 2022, and the force behind Tabu Ventures — a venture studio backing businesses in sex, pleasure, death, recovery, and financial shame. Her own fundraising journey taught her early that the investor relationship is always a power dynamic, and that female founders are rarely given tools to navigate it on their own terms. She brings a clear view of the landscape, a frank assessment of where the power actually lives, and a genuine belief that knowing your own is non-negotiable.

3x founder Venture building Fundraising Taboo markets