West Palm Beach Draws 300 Women Founders As Entreprenista Expands Its Reach

More than 300 women are gathering at Palm Beach Gardens this weekend. It is not a hype, but a structured transformative three-day retreat designed to help women entrepreneurs scale their businesses, deepen meaningful connections and step into their next level of leadership.

Entreprenista Media co-founders, Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer are bringing more than 300 women entrepreneurs to nearby Palm Beach Gardens. The event, Founders Weekend, organized by Entreprenista Media co-founders, Stephanie Cartin and Courtney Spritzer is a signal of how South Florida is evolving into a serious hub for women-led businesses, and what still needs to change for that momentum to hold.

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“We built Entreprenista out of real demand,” Cartin says in an exclusive interview with Patch. “Courtney and I had already spent over a decade building and scaling businesses together. Women kept coming to us asking for advice, and we realized there was no single place where founders could get the support they actually needed.”

That demand first took shape as a podcast. By 2020, it had grown into a media company and membership network, launched during the pandemic when many founders were navigating isolation and uncertainty.

“From the beginning, the vision was clear,” Spritzer adds. “We wanted to build the most supportive community possible. A space where women could be honest about the highs and lows of building a business, and not feel like they had to figure it out alone.”

That clarity is essential as many founder communities never move past surface-level engagement. Entreprenista, by contrast, has built a model that keeps members active long after events end.

According to Cartin, the secret is their members. “We created a culture of give first and grow together. That changes how people show up. Women are not just attending events, they are making introductions, sharing referrals, and building real relationships,” she explains.

Spritzer pointed to consistency as another factor. “We stay engaged every day. Through conversations, programming and in-person experiences. It is an ongoing event.” That approach is now landing in South Florida at scale. Founders Weekend will take place at PGA National Resort, a venue the co-founders say aligns with the event’s focus on both business growth and personal well-being.

“This location gives us the ability to deliver on both wealth and wellness,” Cartin says. “It is not just about sessions and panels. It is about creating an environment where founders can reset and think clearly about their next move.”

The choice of Palm Beach Gardens is also not accidental. The broader South Florida region has seen a steady influx of founders, many relocating from larger cities or splitting time between coasts.

“We are absolutely seeing that shift,” Spritzer adds. “Our South Florida membership is growing fast. Women are not just visiting, but they are building here, hosting meetups and forming real partnerships.”

That local activity is already visible in the West Palm Beach area, where informal founder networks are becoming more structured and frequent. It is a sign of a region moving from hype to habit.

But growth alone does not guarantee impact. The founders are clear that events like this should leave a measurable mark.

“We want this to benefit the local economy in a real way,” Cartin says. “From hotels and restaurants to women-owned businesses we partner with. But beyond that, we want our members to build lasting ties here.” Spritzer frames it more directly. “If people come once and never return, we have not done our job right. The goal is for this region to feel like a second home.”

That ambition reflects a broader shift in how founders think about community. Traditional networking is losing ground to more focused, values-driven groups. “Founders are done with surface-level conversations,” Spritzer says. “They want real outcomes. Partnerships, deals long-term relationships. That is where this is heading.”

Cartin agrees. “The communities that last will be the ones that combine strong digital engagement with meaningful in-person experiences. You need both.”

Still, even as communities evolve, one barrier remains stubbornly in place: access to capital.

“We have built what we wished existed when we started,” Cartin says. “But the larger system still needs to change. Too many women do not get the funding they need to scale.” Spritzer did not soften the point. “Access to capital is still the biggest gap. And until that changes, a lot of strong businesses will never reach their full potential.”

That reality puts pressure on cities like West Palm Beach to think beyond branding and into infrastructure. “Cities need to invest in what founders actually need,” Cartin says. “Childcare, coworking spaces, programming and access to funding. Without that, growth is hard to sustain.”

Spritzer added a note on accountability saying, “If local leaders treat women entrepreneurs as real economic drivers and back that with resources, the entire region benefits. It is not a side conversation. It is central to growth.”

As Founders Weekend approaches, the stakes are clear. South Florida is attracting talent, building networks and hosting high-profile events. But the next phase will depend on whether that energy turns into durable systems.

Because in the end, community is not defined by attendance numbers. It is defined by what founders can build once the event ends.