Persi began with a simple realisation from founder Olivia Parkes: for all the talk of “personalisation” in retail, the experience had become anything but personal.
Driven by curiosity, Olivia built her first prototype using no-code tools, styling complete looks for customers based on photos of their own wardrobes. The response was overwhelming, validating her belief that people crave guidance that feels human, not predictive.
In 2025, Persi secured a £660,000 pre-seed round, with Olivia intentionally reserving a portion for female angels. Within a day, she had exceeded her target, closing with eight women investors, several of them first-time angels.
Through the AccelerateHER and Barclays Female Founder Accelerator, Olivia found a network of women who “just get it” — founders and investors supporting one another through the highs, doubts, and juggle of entrepreneurship.
Today, Persi is building technology that remembers its users are people, not profiles, redefining what leadership and innovation can look like when driven by empathy and purpose.
“You’ll never be ready. You just start, and then you keep going. AccelerateHER and Barclays have been huge for me. You meet women who just get it. We share the highs, doubts, the juggle. You don’t have to explain the chaos - they already know.”