Founders are told to hire people better than themselves. Far fewer actually step aside once they have. In spring 2026, Victoria Prew, who started the UK fashion rental platform Hurr, did, and she said it was the plan from the start.
According to Drapers, Prew announced on Instagram on Monday 30 March 2026 that she had stepped down as CEO to focus on a new business venture. Drapers quotes her calling it the “best decision” and saying that replacing herself “was always the plan.” Her reasoning, as Drapers reports it, is that a founder who still makes every decision stops the CEO from leading. TheIndustry.fashion dates her announcement to a LinkedIn post on 5 April instead, so treat the exact day as unsettled; the handover itself is reported the same way by all of the outlets we read.
What she was handing over
Drapers says Prew co-founded Hurr in 2018 with Matthew Geleta, and that in 2022 it became the first fashion rental platform to earn B Corporation certification. FashionUnited says she founded it at 25. It started as a peer-to-peer wardrobe rental marketplace. TheIndustry.fashion says it now powers rental services for brands and retailers including John Lewis and Mulberry, and FashionUnited lists Net-a-Porter and Selfridges among its partners.
The money is documented. FashionUnited reported a $10 million (about £7.9 million) round, naming Praetura Ventures as the backer with existing investors Ascension, D4 Ventures and Octopus Ventures taking part, and noting an earlier £5.4 million seed round in 2021. TheIndustry.fashion gives the same $10 million figure for 2023. Octopus Ventures’ own Hurr company story describes a zero-inventory model, where brands and retailers supply the stock, and a white-label partnership with Selfridges.
The successor was already inside
The person Prew picked is not an outsider. FashionUnited says Lauren Roberts joined Hurr in 2021, served as chief operating officer for nearly three years, and before that was group strategy director at the Selfridges Group and worked at the Boston Consulting Group. The outlets disagree on timing. Drapers says Roberts was promoted to CEO in 2025, while FashionUnited notes professional records showing June 2024, which sits awkwardly beside an April 2026 announcement. The safest reading is that Roberts had been running things for a while before the public handover.
Starting again
According to TheIndustry.fashion, Prew has been working on a stealth startup since January 2026, is planning to spend two months on reflection and research, and wants to build systems first (a financial model, a hiring plan, an operating system) before touching a product. Drapers says she is “going all in on company number two.” No details of the product have been made public, and we are not guessing at them.
Where this fits
The pattern is worth comparing with other founders in our archive. Jennifer Hyman left Rent the Runway as CEO in May 2026 after taking the fashion rental company public, and a successor search followed; Prew handed a private company to her own operator and left to start over. And like Joanna Griffiths at Knix, who stepped down as president in July 2026 after 14 years, Prew left a company that was still running.
The lesson is narrow and practical: the exit she describes was designed from the beginning, with a number two inside the building. What company number two will be, she has not said.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Victoria Prew?
She is the co-founder and, until spring 2026, CEO of Hurr, a UK fashion rental platform. Drapers says she co-founded it in 2018 with Matthew Geleta, though TheIndustry.fashion dates the founding to 2017, so the year is not settled.
Why did Victoria Prew step down as Hurr's CEO?
To start a second company. Drapers quotes her saying that replacing herself 'was always the plan' and that stepping back was the 'best decision'. Details of the new venture have not been made public.
Who runs Hurr now?
Lauren Roberts, previously Hurr's chief operating officer and, before that, group strategy director at Selfridges Group, per FashionUnited. The outlets disagree on when she formally became CEO: Drapers says 2025, FashionUnited cites professional records showing June 2024.
How much has Hurr raised?
FashionUnited and TheIndustry.fashion both report a $10 million (about £7.9 million) round in 2023. FashionUnited also reports Hurr's earlier £5.4 million seed round in 2021.