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 Destin00:02:54 - The Decision to Pause00:04:59 - Journey of Personal Interrogation00:07:08 - Motivation and the Next Iteration00:09:20 - Stepping out of the Noise00:11:19 - The Challenges of Running a Firm and Raising Funds00:13:16 - Investor Reactions to Fundraising Efforts00:15:14 - The State of Fundraising and LP Responsibility00:17:24 - Positive Response to the Blog Post00:19:08 - Triggered Responses and Leaving the Prevailing Narrative00:20:19 - Mistakes and Challenges in Going Public with Cazoo00:23:08 - The Rise of New VC Funds00:25:08 - Knowing Your Value and Purpose00:28:58 - Holding Ambiguity as a VC00:31:00 - Self Awareness and Humility00:32:57 - Investor Alignment and Board Tensions00:35:11 - Shielding Founders and Managing Conflict in Investments00:37:25 - Framing Discussions in the Right Way0:38:40 - The State of the Industry Update for 202400:43:23 - The Importance of Shadow Work and Enhancing the Present Moment00:45:20 - The Importance of Personal Work and Connection00:47:02 - Future Coaching Program for Young VCs