Speakers

Vasily Alekseenko is the founder of Rare Founders, London’s largest startup community and event series connecting founders and investors. After more than a decade in the financial sector, he left his corporate career in 2022 to build something different — a movement that celebrates authenticity and execution over perfection. What started as one event with no budget has grown into a 20,000-strong community and the UK’s biggest Demo Day for startups.

Vasily believes that a personal brand is not about self-promotion — it’s about clarity, consistency, and courage to show up as who you really are. Known for his direct, honest, and sometimes provocative tone, he challenges the idea that success requires polishing your image. Instead, he argues that founders who lean into their flaws, failures, and humour end up building the strongest personal brands — because they build real trust.