Hi ☺️👋! I’m Mica - the founder RunYouself, a pioneering AI-powered platform that helps managers develop transformational communication skills, which helps their companies develop a high-performance culture (without burnout). Here’s my story and what led to RunYourself:

My first experiences of leadership were highly authoritarian and directive. I grew up in an ex-soviet country and my first job was in investment banking. So for a long time, I thought that to lead meant to tell people what to do with a lot of authority. Luckily the following 15 years would teach me differently.

In my first role at Graze.com I found myself managing a team of data scientists and engineers (without being one). I quickly realised that telling people what to do wasn’t going to work, but I didn’t quite know how else to lead. Following that, I held various other leadership positions including a COO position. And during these years I kept wondering - how do you lead without telling people what to do? How do you lead in an enabling and empowering way rather than command-and-control … but still get stuff done at the pace that it needs to be done? How do you develop a culture of ownership, responsibility and accountability?

Years later, I stumbled upon coaching because I was interested in behaviour change. I was absolutely amazed by this different way of communicating that I had uncovered. It taught me that when someone comes to me with a challenge, I don’t need to fix it for them - I can help them solve their own challenge. I call it a super-power - the ability to catalyse critical thinking, creativity and self-awareness in someone else without telling them what to do. 

Over the past 5 years, I’ve spent thousands of hours coaching over 100 founders and leaders in tech companies. Developing the skill of coaching has absolutely transformed my personal and professional interactions. I have whole-heartedly come to believe that it is an essential skill for every leader and manager. And guess what? The research backs that up - employees who have a coach-like manager are eight times more likely to be highly engaged (source: Forrester).

The good news is that coaching isn’t rocket science. The bad news is that it requires behaviour change, which is easier said than done. And hence our mission at RunYourself is to make it easy for leaders and managers to have effective coaching conversations - both between peers, as well as managers and their team members.

Mica Vaipan

Victoria Peppiatt

Hey Savi

Hey Savi is here to spark a new era in fashion discovery. Think Shazam meets Spotify, but for fashion. 

Our personalised search and recommendation engine connects customers directly to retailers, offering one seamless platform where they can find the item they want, ensuring it’s in stock, in their size and at the best price.

Co-Founder and Co-CEO

Gigged.AI

Gigged.AI work with both high-growth start-ups and enterprise businesses to accelerate digital projects with on-demand tech talent. Simplify project resourcing with the AI-powered Talent Platform that creates deliverable-based milestones that connects you straight to verified on-demand tech talent immediately.

Non Executive Director

OnePlanetCapital

One Planet Capital is a specialist EIS fund investing in businesses that make positive environmental impact and are facilitating the worlds journey to net zero whilst making big returns.

Member of the Investment Committee

Ventures Together

Ventures Together (VT) is an community of 150+ of Europe’s leading tech entrepreneurs and operators who angel invest and help companies together.

Angel Investor

Boardwave

Member

Propelle

Propelle is a female focused financial platform, designed to get women investing more regularly and building wealth. Statistics show that women don’t invest as much as they need to. Propelle’s mission is to change this. Built on three core pillars: COMMUNITY, EDUCATION and INVESTMENT, Propelle is where women build wealth. Join the Propelle waitlist today and get ready for the launch!

Cuvama

Cuvama is the Customer Value Discovery platform guiding Sales & Customer Success with your unique value proposition to uncover pain, sell outcomes and reinforce success.

Fair HQ

Fair HQ is a B2B SaaS platform for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Fair HQ is the go-to DEI product for forward-looking companies in the tech & VCs world.

RunYourself

RunYourself is the leadership development platform helping managers and aspiring leaders develop the skill of coaching.

Renew Risk

B2B SaaS Software to improve planning, financing, banking and insurance for renewable energy assets like Offshore Wind Farms.

Entrepreneur | Co-founder | NED

Recognised by Management Today as ‘Tech Entrepreneur of the Year', I’m a 2nd time tech founder having co-founded Hey Savi in late 2023, following the successful exit of Phrasee in early 2022.

I'm a passionate supporter of women in business and strive to create a supportive work environment for everyone to thrive. I champion, support, and mentor men and women, recognising the importance and benefits of balance and a positive culture in business. In addition to my business skills, I have a direct and optimistic approach, always bringing positivity and a sense of fun to the workplace.

Forbes says VC is finally discovering fashion tech. About time.

While US competitors built recommendation engines nobody asked for, we solved the thing every woman actually does:

Sees something. Screenshots it. Searches hopelessly. Asks her group chat. Opens 14 tabs. Gives up.

Hey Savi turns that screenshot into something shoppable in seconds. No keywords. No fashion vocabulary required. No abandoning your cart in despair.

This isn't a behaviour change. It's a behaviour fix.

We're raising. If you're an investor who gets it - get in touch!

cc: Sarah Daniel - see 👀...  I've come back from Silicon Valley more brazen than ever 💪

Co-Founder @ Hey Savi | 2nd-time Founder | Advisor

Open article: Venture Capital Is Discovering Fashion Tech by forbes.com

Venture Capital Is Discovering Fashion Tech

Some moments in entrepreneurship make you pause and feel genuinely proud.

The launch of The Rise Report of Female Entrepreneurship today is one of them.

Built on the voices of 2,225 female founders representing £1bn+ in turnover, it’s one of the most comprehensive snapshots of female entrepreneurship in the UK right now.

As a Female Founders Rise advisor, it’s been incredible to see this come together (and see how much hard work has gone into it) - not just highlighting the barriers, but putting real data behind what so many founders experience.

When 45% cite funding as their biggest barrier and over 70% describe negative experiences raising capital, the issue isn’t a lack of ambition - it’s inefficiency in the system.

We don’t need more conversations about confidence. We need clearer pathways, better processes and real accountability.

Emmie Faust - I couldn’t be prouder of you, what you’ve built with Female Founders Rise and the mission you're on and the connections you create.

It matters - I’m so very proud to support it 💖.

Congratulations to everyone involved. Link to download in comments 🚀.

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Mica Vaipan

Victoria Peppiatt

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The Battle

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Victoria Peppiatt

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Victoria Peppiatt's LinkedIn Performance

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