Natasha Webuye steps out of her office after another long day of planning. Her phone keeps buzzing with messages from women asking about the next networking event, the next mentorship programme, the next chance to showcase their businesses. Two years ago, she was a fresh graduate with a degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Nairobi, staring at a pile of unanswered job applications and wondering what to do next.
Today, she is the founder of Prestigious Ladies Networking (PLN) Global Forum, a community platform that has brought together over 300 women in business, hosted a marketplace with over 700 attendees, and created an ecosystem where women support women in ways that go far beyond a single event.
Like many young Kenyans, Natasha dreamed of a career in diplomacy. She had the degree, the passion, and the drive. But the jobs were not there. No internship came through. No employer called back. “You know how people say, ‘Oh, you finish school and your degree is just collecting dust, that was my reality,’” she says. “And so I decided to just create something for myself.”
Her mother had always been entrepreneurial, balancing formal employment with various business ventures. Natasha had watched her closely. Even in high school, she had tried her hand at selling snacks and other small items. The entrepreneurial spirit was already there, waiting for the right moment to come alive.
She started Eve Encore International, an events company that organised social picnics and later moved into private events like weddings, birthdays, and graduations. It was during Covid-19 that she noticed something shifting. Women were losing jobs, businesses were closing and everyone was looking for answers.
“Just like very many other women, I was looking for employment but there was nowhere to turn to. So, through that lived experience, I decided, why don’t I bring women together and see what we can do for each other?” she recalls.
But prior to founding PLN, while Eve Encore was at its peak before Covid-19 hit, Natasha had actually deferred her university studies for a while to focus on business. The money was good. The momentum was building. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she needed to finish what she had started.
“I used to go to school every day, and for me, it was just kind of hectic. The fact that I knew of people who had graduated before me and were jobless did not make it any better for me. So I decided to focus on business and halted my degree.”
However, she went back, completed her degree, and graduated in 2023. By then, she already knew that her future would not be in a government office or an embassy. It would be in creating spaces where women could thrive.
In November 2024, PLN Global held its first event. The idea was simple: create a platform where women in business could find visibility, networking opportunities, and support. But Natasha quickly realised that one-off events were not enough.
“A lot of people go to these networking events and business showcases. It’s a one-off event. After the event, the relationship ends. After the networking, the relationship ends,” she says.
She wanted something different. PLN Global now offers multiple entry points for women: networking experiences, mentorship programmes, professional training, webinars, business check-ins, spotlight features for individual women, and a social club. The Women’s Marketplace is the flagship event, but it is just one part of a larger ecosystem.
Beneficiary and asset
“A female founder can be a vendor at the marketplace, a mentor to another woman, a speaker at a business check-in, a collaborator with another member, a customer of another PLN business, a leader in a PLN initiative, and eventually a connector who opens a door for someone else. The community itself becomes the resource. Every woman in PLN becomes both a beneficiary and an asset.
“The events and programmes are different entry points, but they all lead back to the same community. It is a community she grows through because it is designed to be a woman’s entire professional and social ecosystem,” Natasha explains.
Building something meaningful has not been easy. The biggest challenge, Natasha says, has been funding. “You have a great idea. You have a great vision. You feel like there’s so much potential. But maybe you’re just tight on the funds. The money is so tight. And you have to tell people about this vision. You’re trying to get people on board. But in Kenya, most of the time, it’s either proof of concept or you have to know someone.”
Capacity has also been a struggle. More businesses want to participate in PLN events than the venues can accommodate. Limited budgets mean smaller spaces. Smaller spaces mean turning people away, even when the demand is there.
“When we are planning the events, there are so many things that people actually don’t see behind the scenes. There’s venue, vendors, branding, logistics. And you’re really working on a limited budget.”
The team is small, just six people, all women. Natasha has learned to be patient, to listen more, and to accept that building something meaningful takes time.
One of the biggest misconceptions about women in business, Natasha says, is the belief that they are too competitive to work together. “What people talk about: women love competing with each other, women can’t work together. We have seen something different. We tell God we need women who understand the vision of PLN, want to work with each other, and want to grow with each other. Because ultimately it’s a community we’re building where we’re supporting each other.”
At PLN events, she says, competition has not been an issue. Women come knowing they need each other.
The second edition of the Women’s Marketplace that happened at the beginning of August was Natasha’s proudest moment. Over 700 women attended and more than 350 vendors registered. Due to space constraints, only about 100 could actually showcase their products, but the interest was overwhelming.
“I was seeing the growth and seeing how big this initiative could get. Just how it’s really helping these women. Even during that event, seeing the women engaging with each other, business women, all the vendors trying to connect with each other, not just attendees. That’s the community we are building.”
There are days when running PLN feels impossible. Days when Natasha cries and wonders if it is all worth it. But she keeps showing up. “I keep on remembering why I started. My why. It gets me back on my feet and I’m like, okay, let’s keep doing it.”
The feedback from other women fuels her. When one woman tells her the community feels like a safe space, and another shares how a marketplace event connected her to a business partner. Someone else says they finally feel like they are not going through things alone. Such feedback becomes the wind under her wings.
“As a founder, I feel so good because I feel like it’s working. Every time people want to be part of PLN, I see the need. I see how women really want these spaces.”
In the next five years, Natasha wants PLN Global to expand beyond Nairobi, across Kenya, and eventually into other African countries and beyond. She wants Kenyan women to access international markets, to export their products, and to participate in trade fairs in other countries.
Support for local markets
“I really want to just cut across Kenya, Africa, and other continents. Being able to get opportunities for women in Kenya from other countries. Being able to export our products from Kenya to other countries because we have decided we are supporting our local markets.”
She also wants to grow the team. She wants PLN to become more established, to offer affordable mentorship and business training, and ultimately to change the way women connect and support each other in business.
“You don’t have to have everything figured out before you start. You don’t have to be perfect. Just start where you are. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to have the perfect plan. A lot of what we’ve done with PLN has been learning as we go; that is what I would like to share with women out there.
“We are here together. We are here to support each other. That way you can create something for yourself.”
