About Victoria

Hi there, I'm Vica. I am a double émigrée (age 7: Russia -> UK, age 24: UK -> US), former Silicon Valley tech executive and startup founder. I grew up poor and watched my mum make some crazy sacrifices to get us out of Russia, then out of UK council (state-provided) housing, & into a life full of amazing opportunities and adventures, I studied English literature at the University of Cambridge, spent 3 years at a top-tier strategy consulting firm in London, then got into Stanford GSB on the day I turned 24, with an 80% tuition discount / scholarship. I worked at Salesforce, directed sales at a startup, then raised $300k for my own venture from Silicon Valley angels and VCs. I moved from an F1 visa to a H-1B visa, so I know the ins-and-outs of the US immigration system horribly well. I am NOT a hard worker, or particularly well-rounded (my GMAT was 99th percentile verbal, 55th non-verbal 😆). But I AM a strong, persuasive storyteller, incisive editor, & expert seller. FOR MBA: I never used an admissions consultant because I could not afford one. The one I spoke to for the GSB for a free 30-min consultation told me to give up hope on my dream school! But I got into GSB and INSEAD without professional support, and proved her wrong. I was FOR SURE an underdog in every process I ended up successfully completing. Too young, state-schooled, non-MBB, non-STEM, wonky GMAT... but it worked out great. And with my help, it can work out for you too! You CAN do this! The only failure is not to try at all. FOR SALES: My first sales role I was given $0 budget (besides a LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription) and told to get out there and create a whole new customer segment (midsize SMEs) for a self-serve martech tool, that had hitherto only been sold as a paid service offering to a different segment (enterprise). I closed ~5% of total ARR for the year within 9 months and left them with another ~$250k of opportunities cooking. I went on to found my own startup, sell $40k ARR and raise $300k funding. I know LinkedIn and sales like the back of my hand. I love teaching people how to use it to build new connections and make sales happen in 2024 (when it's noisier than ever out there!). Whether you're new to sales, a technical founder, or just looking to boost that conversion rate, I can help you succeed!