Unicorn founder Fabian Heilemann calls out '996' hustle culture: 'You need moments of reflection'
20 maj 2026
13:01
Millionaire impact investor Fabian Heilemann built a unicorn, exited a startup to Google and now runs his own VC – while meditating daily, surfing big waves, and showing up for his three kids.
According to tech's loudest proponents of '996' hustle culture, none of that should be possible.
In this exclusive interview, we spoke to Heilemann about his work philosophy, finding balance while building, and why he just called out Harry Stebbings on LinkedIn.
"You should always have moments of reflection," he tells Impact Loop.
According to tech's loudest proponents of '996' hustle culture, none of that should be possible.
In this exclusive interview, we spoke to Heilemann about his work philosophy, finding balance while building, and why he just called out Harry Stebbings on LinkedIn.
"You should always have moments of reflection," he tells Impact Loop.
Harry Stebbings, founder of London-based venture firm 20VC, published a LinkedIn post last week that drew immediate fire across European tech.
In it, he described a decade of deliberate imbalance – missed birthdays, heart palpitations, psoriasis – and framed those costs as proof of commitment. "To build something truly special, you have to sacrifice what so few are willing to," he wrote.