In May 2026, Zahra Karim, Founder of EXOTIC SKN®, was awarded the full £5,000 available through the University of Westminster’s WeNetwork programme after pitching at its Summer Community Mixer.
The achievement came just over a year after Karim won first place in the University’s Big Idea Competition. This time, she returned with more experience, a stronger brand and a clearer vision for the future of EXOTIC SKN®.
From first place to the next stage
When Karim achieved her first-place Big Idea Competition result in April 2025, EXOTIC SKN® was in its launch year.
Over the year that followed, the brand continued to evolve—launching products, serving customers and strengthening the foundations needed for long-term growth.
By the time Karim returned to pitch for Activate, she was presenting more than an emerging idea. EXOTIC SKN® had become a trading business with growing momentum and an increasingly defined place within luxury self-care.
The most exciting part of the story is not simply another achievement. It is the growth between them.
£5,000 to move the vision forward
Activate is the final funding stage of WeNetwork’s founder pathway, created for ventures that are already trading, generating revenue or preparing to scale.
EXOTIC SKN® received the full £5,000 award available through the programme.
“Receiving funding through WeNetwork has meant that I can reach my business goals faster,” said Karim.
The equity-free award allows EXOTIC SKN® to advance its next stage without diluting founder ownership. The focus remains on developing enduring products, strengthening retail readiness and building a globally relevant world of luxury self-care.
Getting better with time
“EXOTIC SKN® is getting better with time, and so am I,” said Karim.
That belief captures the wider journey behind the brand. Each stage has brought greater clarity, stronger execution and a higher standard for what comes next.
The £5,000 award is not the destination. It is another sign that EXOTIC SKN® is moving forward—and that the vision first recognised in 2025 is continuing to grow in substance, strength and possibility.
With a first-place competition result behind it and the full £5,000 award now secured, EXOTIC SKN® enters its next chapter with more experience, greater momentum and the ambition to keep building.
Official source: University of Westminster — WeNetwork funding awarded to student founders
About EXOTIC SKN®
EXOTIC SKN® is a London-born luxury lifestyle and self-care brand founded by Zahra Karim. It creates highly functional, visually elevated products designed to transform everyday self-care into meaningful ritual.