It was this message, posted on X in May, that earned Panos Papadopoulos a retweet from the popular “VCs Congratulating Themselves” account, which often racks up thousands of likes and shares for drawing attention to cringey or self-important moments in the tech industry.

But instead of feeling embarrassed by the public call-out, Papadopoulos — who is a partner at VC firm Marathon Venture Capital in Athens — really enjoyed it. “It's a badge of honour,” he told me. “There is too much entitlement, bad takes and God syndrome in VC, so it is great to have someone grounding people and having some fun.” READ MORE