Behind the scenes

The Lily That Took Two Years to Bloom (And What Founders Can Learn From It)

AI is moving faster than any of us can keep up with, and the constant chase is quietly burning founders out. Neuroscience shows that chronic wanting actually lowers your motivation and blinds you to opportunities - and a lily that took two years to bloom reminded me that great things rarely happen on the timeline we demand.

Apr 29, 2026

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6 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

The Thing Nobody Posts About

Burnout is the founder's best-kept secret - not because it's rare, but because the cost of admitting it feels too high. Behind every polished post is someone who woke up at 2am doing payroll math, wondering if this is all worth it. The antidote isn't a productivity hack - it's finding the people who already know exactly how that feels.

Apr 1, 2026

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11 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Has “Pre-Seed” Finally Lost Its Meaning in the UK?

Pre-seed in the UK has been inflating for years. But something has shifted recently - investors are using AI tools to build due diligence processes they were never equipped to design themselves. The result is a wider experience gap, better hidden, hitting founders at the worst possible moment.

Mar 25, 2026

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12 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Join Rare Founders on Our Journey

Rare Founders is raising a £250K SEIS round to launch a data-driven social graph that helps founders and investors build stronger, more intentional relationships. Early investors have a chance to join before the round closes.

Mar 12, 2026

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8 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

The Reason I Can’t Sleep

AI agents are moving from hype to real operational impact, and founders who ignore this shift risk falling behind. In this personal reflection, I share my early experiments with OpenClaw, the uncomfortable realisation about automation, and why learning to work with AI agents is quickly becoming a survival skill for modern startups.

Mar 11, 2026

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9 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

The Exit Tax Week: What It Exposed About The UK Startup Scene

The exit tax drama created panic across the ecosystem, but it also united founders and investors in a way I haven’t seen before. The policy is gone now, and the reaction proved that our community has more influence than we think.

Nov 19, 2025

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10 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Friday’s on. But here’s the truth.

With key sponsors pulling out last minute, we had two choices: scale back or go all in — and we chose to bet on the community that made this event what it is.

Apr 24, 2025

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13 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Raising Without Regret: The Light Side of the Money

Raising money doesn’t have to mean giving up control — on the Light Side of the Money stage, founders and VCs share how funding can be a game-changer when done right.

Apr 19, 2025

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14 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

The stories no one shares on stage — until now

The Dark Side of the Money stage is where founders and investors finally share the stories they’ve never dared to say out loud — the ones that usually stay hidden behind NDAs and closed doors.

Apr 17, 2025

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7 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

London's Largest Demo Day is BACK!

+ weekly list of handpicked startup events for founders and investors in London

Jan 8, 2025

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10 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Finding the Right Co-Founder: Lessons from My Own Journey

+ weekly list of handpicked startup events for founders and investors in London

Nov 25, 2024

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13 min read

Vasily Alekseenko

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

The Lily That Took Two Years to Bloom (And What Founders Can Learn From It)

The Thing Nobody Posts About

Has “Pre-Seed” Finally Lost Its Meaning in the UK?

Join Rare Founders on Our Journey

The Reason I Can’t Sleep

The Exit Tax Week: What It Exposed About The UK Startup Scene

Friday’s on. But here’s the truth.

Raising Without Regret: The Light Side of the Money

The stories no one shares on stage — until now

London's Largest Demo Day is BACK!

Finding the Right Co-Founder: Lessons from My Own Journey

Startup Pulse by Rare Founders