EUVC #252: Fred Destin on his decision to pause on venture in honest conversation with Joe Schorge

We always hear from new VCs entering the market, but rarely do we ever hear from giants leaving the market. Today, we bring you such a conversation.


Honoring the gravity of the situation and the commitment by Fred Destin to share so openly, we invited Joe Schorge, founding partner of Isomer Capital and one of Europe’s most important LP voices, to lead the conversation.

We hope you enjoy listening in as much as we did 💞 watch it in full on eu.vc 👀

Chapters:
00:00:00 - The EUVC podcast with Joe Schorge and Fred Destin
00:02:54 - The Decision to Pause
00:04:59 - Journey of Personal Interrogation
00:07:08 - Motivation and the Next Iteration
00:09:20 - Stepping out of the Noise
00:11:19 - The Challenges of Running a Firm and Raising Funds
00:13:16 - Investor Reactions to Fundraising Efforts
00:15:14 - The State of Fundraising and LP Responsibility
00:17:24 - Positive Response to the Blog Post
00:19:08 - Triggered Responses and Leaving the Prevailing Narrative
00:20:19 - Mistakes and Challenges in Going Public with Cazoo
00:23:08 - The Rise of New VC Funds
00:25:08 - Knowing Your Value and Purpose
00:28:58 - Holding Ambiguity as a VC
00:31:00 - Self Awareness and Humility
00:32:57 - Investor Alignment and Board Tensions
00:35:11 - Shielding Founders and Managing Conflict in Investments
00:37:25 - Framing Discussions in the Right Way
0:38:40 - The State of the Industry Update for 2024
00:43:23 - The Importance of Shadow Work and Enhancing the Present Moment
00:45:20 - The Importance of Personal Work and Connection
00:47:02 - Future Coaching Program for Young VCs