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General Catalyst

General Catalyst

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage start-ups in education, research, health care, and social work.

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Overview

General Catalyst, formerly General Catalyst Partners (GCP), is a venture capital firm founded in 2000. It was established by Bill Fitzgerald, David Fialkow, David Orfao, and Joel Cutler. General Catalyst is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts with additional offices in New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and London. General Catalyst invests in seed-stage, early-stage, later-stage, and growth-stage companies in the consumer, enterprise, financial technology, cryptocurrency, health assurance, software, transportation, big data, and technology sectors.

In 2011, the firm opened an office in Palo Alto and shortly after raised a $500 million fund. In 2013, it announced a $675 million fund followed by a $845 million fund in 2016. In 2018, the company raised $1.4 billion for its ninth fund. As of October 2019, the firm has sold off its shares in 193 companies and is currently managing a portfolio of 226 companies. In August 2021, General Catalyst announced a deal with for-profit healthcare provider HCA Healthcare to develop digital solutions to streamline workflows and improve patient care; as part of the deal, General Catalyst's portfolio company Commure bought HCA's healthcare app development firm PatientKeeper.

Investment strategy

General Catalyst makes investments in early-stage companies and offers transformational investments in later rounds for entrepreneurs and start-up companies building technology the firm finds innovative or in companies that offer market-leading businesses. The firm invests in companies with the intention to work with the portfolio company through their entire lifecycle, from early- to growth-stages and beyond.

The firm's strategy is split through different company stages, starting at the creation stage, at which point General Catalyst works with entrepreneurs and industry leaders to create new companies and identify existing growth-stage companies to support and scale. These partnerships are not only intended to help companies grow through an accelerated trajectory but also to positively shape the industry the company is in.

Following this very early-stage, General Catalyst splits its investment strategy for seed- and early- (Series A and Series B) stages, with investment amounts for businesses based on the growth of the company and the market the company is in, particularly when the firm feels the company is offering something new in an industry set for change. Growth- and late-stage investments follow, focusing on investments in companies that offer strong potential for scale. Finally, late-stage investments are offered to companies operating with the discipline of a public company preparing to go public.

Industry strategies

General Catalyst further breaks the firm's investment strategy down based on specific industry. For example, in the healthcare industry, General Catalyst has a focus on healthcare companies working to make a more proactive, affordable, and equitable care system, with investments in businesses offering solutions at the intersection of technology, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. Similarly, for consumer-focused companies, General Catalyst looks to invest in product and platform teams that change the way people engage with each other and the world around them, including brands and companies that change industry dynamics. Whereas for enterprise companies, General Catalyst seeks to invest in business platforms that alter the way businesses go about their daily work. And in financial technology and cryptocurrency, General Catalyst looks for investments in companies developing new financial platforms.

Timeline

August 24, 2023
AI start-up Modular raises $100 million in General Catalyst-led funding.
August 7, 2023
General Catalyst leads $45 million round in startup Tractian.
June 29, 2023
General Catalyst to invest up to $150 million to help Lemonade acquire new customers.
April 25, 2023
General Catalyst expects to invest $100 million in Indian start-ups, with an increased focus on the Indian market.
March 14, 2023
General Catalyst targets $5 billion for flagship venture fund.
October 20, 2021
Rossum raises record $100 million Series A from General Catalyst to reinvent B2B document communication.
March 31, 2020
General Catalyst announces that it has secured $2.3 billion in capital commitments across three funds: a $600 million early-stage fund, a $1 billion growth fund for companies with $10 million-plus in annual revenue, and a $700 million "endurance fund" to back large companies doing more than $100 million in sales.

Invested in

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Associated Investment Funds

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Accelerator Batches

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Funding Rounds

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Products

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Acquisitions

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SBIR/STTR Awards

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Patents

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Funding Rounds Participated In

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Further Resources

Title
Author
Link
Type
Date

'We're Certainly Not Slowing Down': General Catalyst's Pedal-to-the-Metal Approach to Behavioral Health Investment

Robert Holly

https://bhbusiness.com/2023/01/03/were-certainly-not-slowing-down-general-catalysts-pedal-to-the-metal-approach-to-behavioral-health-investment/

Web

January 3, 2023

Defying Pullback In Investments, General Catalyst Launches $670 Million Healthcare Fund

Katie Jennings

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiejennings/2022/07/20/defying-pullback-in-investments-general-catalyst-launches-670-million-healthcare-fund/?sh=7a8296c36b07

Web

July 20, 2022

General Catalyst just announced $2.3 billion in new capital commitments across three funds | TechCrunch

Connie Loizos

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/31/general-catalyst-just-announced-2-3-billion-in-new-capital-commitments-across-three-funds/

Web

March 31, 2020

General Catalyst to invest up to $150 million to help Lemonade acquire new customers | CTech

https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjppsxion

Web

June 29, 2023

General Catalyst: Why the VC firm with an unassuming name should have healthcare's attention

Giles Bruce

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/innovation/general-catalyst-why-the-vc-firm-with-an-unassuming-name-should-have-healthcare-s-attention.html

Web

August 29, 2022

References

generalcatalyst.com
Is a
Company
Company
Investor
Investor
Organization
Organization
Venture capital firm
Venture capital firm

Company attributes

Industry
Venture capital firm
Venture capital firm
21
Location
San Francisco
San Francisco
16
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
16
London
London
16
New York
New York
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
16
New York City
New York City
16
B2X
B2B
B2B
CEO
Hemant Taneja
Hemant Taneja
13
Founder
Bill Fitzgerald
Bill Fitzgerald
17
Joel Cutler
Joel Cutler
18
David Fialkow
David Fialkow
19
David Orfao
David Orfao
20
Pitchbook URL
pitchbook.com/profiles.../10123-03
Date Incorporated
2000
Number of Employees (Ranges)
51 – 200
Number of Employees
40
Full Address
Fora - Fitzrovia, 42 Berners Street, London, W1T 3ND16
434 Broadway, Sixth Floor, New York, NY 1001316
564 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA, 9430116
75 Hawthorne Street, 20th Floor, San Francisco, CA 9410516
20 University Road, Suite 450, Cambridge, MA 02138, US21
Investors
Varda Space Industries
Varda Space Industries
Kavak
Kavak
Y Combinator
Y Combinator
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures
Tiger Global Management
Tiger Global Management
Quiet Capital
Quiet Capital
Numerade
Numerade
Founded Date
January 1, 2000
Email Address
info@generalcatalyst.com
skwon@generalcatalyst.com16
Phone Number
+1617234700016
+44207866405016
+1212775400016
+1415659500016
Glassdoor ID
356222
CTO
Jon Rehagen
Jon Rehagen
CFO
Mark Allen
Mark Allen
14
Also Known As
General Catalyst Partners
GCP
NAICS Code
5,231
COO
Paul Fielding
Paul Fielding
15
Wellfound ID
general-catalyst

Venture Capital Firm attributes

Blog
generalcatalyst.com/persp...ctives

Other attributes

Company Operating Status
Active
Strategic Partnerships
Heyday
Heyday
Country
United States
United States
Headquarters
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Latest Signed Investment Fund Date
April 2020
SIC Code
67,672
Total Offering Amount (USD)
7,084,660,000
Wikidata ID
Q5531757

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