Do VCs Secretly Care About Being Popular?

Last week Dilan Sisu, VC (e2vc) and Etien Yovchev, Co-founder (The Recursive) met in Sofia and decided to film a conversation that turned into a thoughtful discussion about the role of media and influence in venture capital.The discussion jumped from whether VCs secretly care about popularity (and why visibility can be a strategic asset, not vanity) to where the next unicorn founder is more likely to appear: through an AI recommendation 🤖 or at a small, well-curated party 🍸.🎙️ They also explored whether age really matters for founders, whether early-stage teams should invest more in founder personal brands or company brands, when media relations should become a priority for startups, and why more investors are launching podcasts.And then the question every investor quietly wrestles with: how do you distinguish strong founder conviction from pure delusion?Running through all of this is a broader theme: visibility, social influence in venture capital, how VC brands are built, and how meaningful relationships actually form — both online and offline.