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Oliver Buchannon
Vasily Alekseenko

The founder @ Rare Founders, one of the fastest growing communities of founders and investors in London. Facilitating the craziest and biggest events in London for the startups and investors.


Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

IPOs Are Back – But With a Reality Check

The IPO market is finally showing signs of life — but most venture-backed startups are going public at lower valuations than their last private rounds. For early-stage founders, this is a reality check: hype is out, fundamentals are back.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

May 28, 2025

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18 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Zombie Unicorns, Trade Wars & the End of Startup Delusion

Silicon Valley is facing a reckoning as over 1,200 “unicorns” sit on inflated valuations with no path to exit. Are we finally waking up from the startup fantasy—or just entering the zombie era?

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

May 21, 2025

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19 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Why You Should (Or Shouldn’t) Raise from Corporate Venture Funds

Curious about raising from corporate venture funds? In this blog, we break down how CVCs actually work, when founders should (and shouldn’t) approach them, and how to build the right relationships.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

May 18, 2025

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7 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

The Story You Tell Wins: What Founders Can Learn from the Tesla Myth

Most people think Elon Musk founded Tesla — but the real story is more complicated. This blog breaks down how media perception rewrote startup history, and what every founder needs to do to avoid getting erased.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

May 14, 2025

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15 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

How to Piss Off Investors

Founders often blame investors for silence, but the truth is, most are killing their chances with lazy outreach, irrelevant pitches, and straight-up lies — here’s how to stop doing that.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

May 8, 2025

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17 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

He Lost His Company. Became an Employee. Then Made Millions.

He lost his company, got pushed out by his co-founder, became an employee in his own business — and still went on to make millions. One of the most insane founder comeback stories we’ve heard.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 30, 2025

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14 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

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.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 24, 2025

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13 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

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.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 19, 2025

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14 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

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.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 17, 2025

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7 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Behind the Silence: What Founders Often Miss About Investors

What looks like silence, ghosting, or vague feedback from investors is often just fear, timing, or herd mentality — understanding how the game really works makes it a lot easier to play.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 16, 2025

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16 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Stop Wasting Time on VCs Who’ll Never Back You

Most cold emails go unanswered not because your startup is bad, but because you’re pitching to the wrong investors.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 11, 2025

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3 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Is it still worth building a startup in the UK?

With founders facing up to 93% in taxes, it’s getting harder to justify building in the UK — unless we speak up, push back, and fight for a system that actually rewards risk.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 9, 2025

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13 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

No Traction, No Problem: How Angel Investors Can Save Your Startup

Raising money with no traction? Angel investors might be your best shot — and if you know how to find them, they can do a lot more than just write a cheque.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 3, 2025

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6 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Copyright and AI: Who Really Owns Your AI-Generated Content?

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Apr 2, 2025

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15 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

“Don’t Take the Fcking Money” – Red Flags Every Founder Should Know

When you’re desperate to raise, it’s easy to ignore the red flags — but saying yes to the wrong investor can cost you way more than just equity.

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Mar 26, 2025

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17 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Getting in Bed with Bad Investors

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Chris Howard (PhD)
Vasily Alekseenko, +1

Mar 19, 2025

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10 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Why Your Startup Isn’t Getting Investor Meetings

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Mar 12, 2025

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10 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Stories She Never Told: The Unheard Voices of Female Founders

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Mar 5, 2025

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13 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

6 Ways to Fund Your Startup Without Giving Up Equity

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Feb 26, 2025

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13 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

People Don’t Want to Be “Sick” – The Psychology of Branding

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Feb 20, 2025

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12 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Who Wins if You Win? The Power of Champions and Gatekeepers

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Feb 12, 2025

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13 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Finding Your Customer: Why Your Product Alone Won’t Save You (MIT Series)

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Feb 5, 2025

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11 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Timing Is Everything: Why Even Great Startups Fail (MIT Series)

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily Alekseenko

Jan 29, 2025

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12 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

How to Hack Confidence Before a Pitch

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Chris Howard (PhD)
Vasily Alekseenko, +1

Jan 22, 2025

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11 min read

Adventuring through the Canadian Rockies

Influence Over Innovation: An Unconventional Truth

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

Vasily Alekseenko
Cien Solon
Vasily Alekseenko, +1

Jan 15, 2025

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11 min read

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