If you came expecting a neat keynote, you were in for something else entirely.
What he gave us instead in fourteen minutes was part sermon, part therapy, and part existential gut check for anyone shaping the future.
Here’s what stuck:
“This isn’t a rehearsal.”
Fred opened with vulnerability: standing in front of his peers, in a room that lives and breathes venture, ready to say the uncomfortable things.
He asked us to zoom out—to consider the power we hold as people who don’t just fund companies but shape the narratives that shape the future.
“We sit in the cockpit alongside the founders. That’s where creation happens now. That’s our canvas.”
But with that power comes disorientation. Because the world we’re building into? It’s fragmented. Conflicted. Loaded with moral confusion.
On Truth, Power, and the Collapse of Shared Narratives
Fred pulled no punches.
“Historically, we had shared systems for truth. Religion. Philosophy. Math. But now? Everything’s been deconstructed. Lived experience replaced truth. Everything’s power.”
Welcome to the legacy of critical theory. Foucault, Derrida—ideas that once helped explain systems of oppression have now left us with... nothing to agree on.
“We’re left in a nihilistic landscape. Everything is a power struggle. There’s no shared center.”
And it’s not just academic. It unfolds in cycles of outrage, weaponized identities, and moral ambiguity. Tech doesn’t escape this, it amplifies it.
The Algorithm Doesn’t Care About Truth
“We thought more information meant more truth. It doesn’t.”
Truth, Fred reminded us, is costly. Outrage is cheap. And platforms optimize for what’s fast, not what’s real.
“A four-second tweet can destroy someone’s life. Investigative journalism takes months.”
Now, enter AI. Beautiful, powerful—and deeply destabilizing.
“We’re staring at it like it’s the sun or a cobra. We don’t know what it is yet. But it’s changing the rules faster than we can track.”
The Danger of Playing Games We Don’t Know We’re In
A warning:
You may think you’re being righteous. You may think you’re being helpful.
“But maybe you’re playing a social game. Maybe you’re being used. And maybe you don’t even know it.”
In a world where narratives shift daily, we often end up reinforcing the very dynamics we oppose.
“You want to call out a Nazi salute online? Be careful. You might just normalize the thing you hate.”
So Where Does That Leave Us?
In a word: Stewardship.
Fred closed with a challenge:
“This is the most powerful tool mankind has ever created. What the fuck are we doing with it?”
We’re not just funding innovation. We’re authoring meaning. In an anxious world, that’s a profound responsibility.
One Last Question (That Stuck With Us All)
“What is the quality of the conversation we’re having?”
With ourselves. With each other. With our founders. With the world.
Because if we don’t ask that, the rest doesn’t matter.
📺 Watch the episode here or stream it on Spotify or Apple Podcasts—now with chapters for easy navigation 🎧
🤗 Join the EUVC Community
Looking for niche, high-quality experiences that prioritize depth over breadth? Consider joining our community focused on delivering content tailored to the experienced VC. Here’s what you can look forward to as a member:
Exclusive Access & Discounts: Priority access to masterclasses with leading GPs & LPs, available on a first-come, first-served basis.
On-Demand Content: A platform with sessions you can access anytime, anywhere, complete with presentations, templates, and other resources.
Interactive AMAs: Engage directly with top GPs and LPs in exclusive small group sessions — entirely free for community members.
Want to learn how a top LP navigates the industry? Join us on June 12th at 12 PM WEST for an exclusive AMA session with Daniel Keiper-Knorr.
Daniel is a founding partner at Speedinvest, where he leads limited partner relations and fundraising at both the fund and portfolio levels. With a career spanning investment banking, entrepreneurship, and venture capital, he started as a stockbroker and private banker at Erste Bank in Vienna and Credit Suisse in Zurich before transitioning into the startup world.
As a co-founder of 3united, he played a key role in its growth and eventual acquisition by VeriSign.
Since 2007, Daniel has been an active angel investor, bringing hands-on expertise in sales and business development to early-stage ventures. In 2011, he co-founded Speedinvest, leveraging his extensive experience to support founders and drive investment success.
↓ Register below to attend ↓
🗓️ The VC Conferences You Can’t Miss
There are some events that just have to be on the calendar. Here’s our list, hit us up if you’re going, we’d love to meet!
The EU CVC Summit 2025 | 📆 26 - 28 August 2025 | 🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark
Share this post