Villa Sama and its pool among the palm groves of Marrakech

Founder retreat · Marrakech

Space to think.
Clarity to move forward.

18 to 22 March 2027Villa Sama · Palmeraie

- The retreat -

Four nights.
One clear purpose.

For founders navigating growth and the critical decisions that shape it

Time to step back, take a breath and create space to think.

To refocus, realign and work through the decisions that matter most, with the time, perspective and people around you to see clearly what comes next.

The retreat brings together focused business thinking, executive coaching and the perspective of other founders in a setting designed to give you room to think properly.

Dates: 18 to 22 March 2027
Place: Villa Sama, Palmeraie
Group: Six to ten founders
Stay: Four nights

Strategy and leadership

Strategy gives you the direction. Leadership turns it into reality. You need both to move the business forward.

As the business grows, the strategy needs to sharpen and the leadership needs to evolve with it. The two need to move together.

The retreat gives you space to look at the whole picture: where you are now, where you want to go and what needs to change to get there. It is about bridging the gap.

A quiet corner of the living room at Villa Sama

- The whole picture -

Sometimes the question isn’t simply what the strategy should be.

It’s whether the business, the strategy and the founder are all moving in the same direction.

The retreat gives you the time to step back and look at that properly: to make decisions, challenge assumptions, work through what’s holding you back and leave with greater clarity about what happens next.

- The value of the group -

Founders at a similar stage

You’ll be part of a small group of founders at a similar stage of growth. People who understand what it is to build a company, lead through growth and make decisions when there isn’t always an obvious answer.

The group itself is part of the experience. Conversations continue over relaxed meals, ideas are shared and challenged, experiences exchanged and different perspectives brought into the room.

It’s a space to learn from each other, think differently and see your own business from a different perspective, while building connections that continue long after the retreat with people who understand what it means to be building something of their own.

Founders talking together during a session at the retreat

- Your guides -

Work on the business.
Work on what’s holding you back.

The retreat combines strategic thinking with dedicated one to one coaching.

Executive coaching

Mary

McGonnell

More about Mary

Mary has spent more than 15 years working with founders, leaders and executive teams across technology, fintech and international markets.

She has built teams and functions from scratch, scaled businesses internationally and operated at executive level with founder-led, VC-backed and PE-backed companies from Series A to C, working with boards to build the people, leadership and performance foundations needed for the next stage of growth.

She trained as an Executive Coach at Henley Business School, recognised as one of Europe’s leading institutions for coaching and leadership development.

Alongside her coaching she helps businesses raise the standard of their leadership and performance as well as mentoring founders through the Techstars ecosystem.

At the retreat, Mary focuses on leadership and founder self development, creating the space to think clearly, challenge thinking and help identify the core substance quickly. To ask the questions that matter, bring a different perspective and help you work through what is getting in the way – whether that is a business decision, a leadership challenge or something that is holding you back from moving forward in the right direction.

Strategist

Jared

Slosberg

Jared knows what it takes to build, scale and exit a business because he’s done it himself.

As the founder of US technology company ProfitFuel, he grew the business into a major player before its strategic acquisition by Yodle. Since then, he has invested in more than 100 startups across technology and emerging industries, working closely with founders as an angel investor, mentor and board advisor.

Jared brings a commercial lens to the work - helping you sharpen the strategy, align priorities and work through a real problem live. His approach is practical and grounded in the realities of building and scaling a business: testing assumptions, looking at the numbers, weighing the options and getting clear on the way forward.

He understands the opportunities, pressures and difficult decisions that come with building a business not just from advising others, but from having navigated them himself.

He has also been a Techstars mentor, both in the US and Europe, sharing his experience and supporting founders navigating the challenges of growth.

At the retreat, Jared brings the lessons learned from his own journey and years of working with other founders, along with an investor’s view of what a business needs at each stage.

Together, the two perspectives create space to look at both the business and the person leading it.

- Four nights to think -

A private villa in Marrakech gives you the space to disconnect from the day to day and create a different pace for a few days.

The days are deliberately considered rather than full. Mornings create space to move and reset, sessions are focused, meals are generous and unhurried, and the time between them gives you room to think.

The aim isn’t to fill four days with more meetings.

It’s to create the conditions for better thinking, to share ideas, challenge perspectives, explore new possibilities and give you the space to make decisions and begin to find clarity.

Work through what matters.
Return with clarity, alignment and renewed perspective.

A diverse group of founders in a strategy conversation at Villa Sama

- Villa Sama -

Palmeraie,
Marrakech

Set among the palm groves just outside Marrakech, the Palmeraie is home to some of the city’s most beautiful private villas, gardens and luxury retreats.

It feels a world away from the bustle of the medina, with expansive landscapes and secluded surroundings offering a rare sense of space, privacy and calm, while Marrakech remains within easy reach.

Villa Sama offers the perfect setting for a retreat that feels private, relaxed and distinctly Marrakech. Set within the Palmeraie, the luxury villa centres around its pool, gardens and generous spaces for coming together, whether for focused conversations, long lunches, dinners, classes or simply time between sessions.

Beautiful Moroccan interiors and understated luxury create an environment that feels considered without being formal, giving founders the space to step out of their usual surroundings, exchange ideas and spend meaningful time together.

- How the days unfold -

Focus, perspective and room to breathe

Before you arrive

A one-to-one pre-session with Mary to identify the decision, challenge or opportunity you most want to work on.

Space to think

Mornings begin with yoga and breathwork, followed by focused group sessions and two one-to-one coaching sessions during the retreat.

Strategic perspective

A strategy coaching session and one-to-one with our guest strategist to sound board, align and move towards decision making.

Time between

Enjoy the villa, hammams, spa treatments and curated Marrakech experiences, with healthy and generous food prepared by an in-house chef.

Between sessions, there is time to enjoy the villa, with hammams, spa treatments and curated experiences in Marrakech just a short taxi ride away.

An in-house chef takes care of the food, keeping things healthy, generous and effortless. Where the programme allows, we’ll step away from the digital noise and give the conversations and thinking room to breathe.

A long table of healthy Moroccan dishes, salads and fresh fruit in the gardens of Villa Sama

- Food and catering -

Healthy food, beautifully done

The retreat opens with a welcome BBQ on the first evening, a relaxed way to arrive, meet the group and settle in before the days ahead.

From then on, the in-house chef prepares every meal: fresh, healthy and generous food served around the villa's long table. Vegan and vegetarian options are available at every meal, and dishes are built around seasonal ingredients.

Refreshments and fruit are offered throughout the day, so you can focus on the sessions and the conversations without thinking about anything else.

Welcome BBQ on arrival evening
All meals prepared by the in-house chef
Vegan and vegetarian options at every meal
Refreshments and fruit throughout the day

The private spa-style bathroom at Villa Sama

Who it is for

Founders and CEOs of scaling tech focused companies who are carrying big decisions and haven’t had the space to think.

One double bed · Ensuite bathroom

Price TBC

Book room

Illustration of a possible four single bed arrangement at Villa Sama

Illustrative image

Shared room · 4 beds

Sharing room

Four single beds · Ensuite bathroom

Price TBC

Book room

The sharing room image is an illustration based on Villa Sama’s interiors; the final bed arrangement may differ.

- The practicalities -

What’s taken care of and what to arrange

What’s taken care of

Four nights’ accommodation in a private luxury villa with pool
A one-to-one pre-retreat session to set your focus and goals
Coaching and Self Leadership track with Mary
Strategy track, one-to-ones with Jared Slosberg, ex-founder and investor
An agreed plan to take home
All meals prepared by an on-site private chef
Closing dinner out on the final evening
Return airport transfers in Marrakech
A private hammam experience at a nearby luxury hammam
Morning yoga classes

What to arrange yourself

Flights to and from Marrakech
Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Additional spa treatments or massages
Excursions or activities outside the programme
Extra nights before or after the retreat

- What you take with you -

Greater clarity, decisions made, actionable next steps and the perspective and energy to move forward.

Alongside a group of fellow founders who become trusted peers and confidants beyond the retreat.

18 to 22 March 2027 · Marrakech

Join the founder retreat

Places are intentionally limited to keep the group small, focused and personal.

Space to think.Clarity to move forward.

Four nights.One clear purpose.

Strategy gives you the direction. Leadership turns it into reality. You need both to move the business forward.

Founders at a similar stage

Work on the business.Work on what’s holding you back.

Mary

Jared

Palmeraie,Marrakech

Focus, perspective and room to breathe

Before you arrive

Space to think

Strategic perspective

Time between

Healthy food, beautifully done

Rooms at Villa Sama

Extra large double

Large double 01

Large double 02

Large double 03

Large double 04