EUVC E559 | From Saving the World to Backing Europe’s VCs
Welcome to the Impact Highlight series, powered by EUVC, where we bring you the people and perspectives shaping European venture.
Today, we sit down with Chloe Dagnell from Isomer Capital, one of Europe’s most active LPs, to unpack what institutional investors are looking for, how impact sits alongside returns, and what makes a GP truly stand out.
With more than six years at Isomer Capital and a background that started in international development before moving into venture, Chloe brings a unique perspective on building portfolios that balance financial performance with sustainability, diversity, and long-term alignment.
🎧 Here’s what’s covered:
01:34 Chloe’s Journey: From international development to venture and why local context matters.
06:12 Isomer’s Strategy: Building a diversified portfolio across pre-seed and seed in Europe.
11:08 Impact in the Portfolio: Why ~30% of Isomer-backed companies are SDG-aligned — and how impact sits alongside returns.
17:55 Returns vs. Impact: Revolut, scale, and why the biggest value drivers aren’t always in impact funds.
23:41 Good vs. Great GPs: Evidence over slides, specialist edge, and values alignment.
31:26 Diversification & LP Interests: Corporate LPs and the green transition — why Isomer doesn’t get pushed into one theme.
37:14 DEI as the Next Frontier: Ownership, accountability, and why female-led teams in Isomer’s portfolio are top performers.
44:58 Advice to Emerging Managers: How to prove differentiated access and cut through generic pitch decks.
51:02 Closing Takeaways: Evidence, access, values — what LPs really want in Europe’s next generation of funds.