General Catalyst
American venture capital firm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General Catalyst (GC) is an American venture capital firm headquarted in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 2000, it invests across seed, venture, and growth stages and manages more than US$43 billion in assets as of December 2024. The firm has invested in more than 800 companies. Its portfolio includes Airbnb, Stripe, Snap, Canva, HubSpot, Anduril, Mistral, and Helsing.
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Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | Cambridge, Massachusetts, US |
Number of locations | |
Area served | |
Key people |
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| Products | Investments |
| AUM | US$43B+ (December 2024)[1] |
Number of employees | 250+ |
| Website | generalcatalyst |
History
General Catalyst was founded in 2000 in Massachusetts by Joel Cutler and David Fialkow.[2][3][4][5][6]
In 2010, the company opened a Silicon Valley office.[3] In 2021, the firm managed more than $8 billion in assets.[7] In February 2022, it raised $4.6 billion for its 11th general fund. This brought the firm's total raised in its 20-year history to $14.75 billion.[8]
In 2021, the firm opened a London office.[9][10] By September 2022, General Catalyst had invested in 17 European startups.[11] By April 2023, the company had invested in 25 Indian startups, including CRED, Uni, Spinny, Orange Health, FarMart, and Loop Health with investments ranging in all stages.[12]
In March 2023, following regulators' closure of Silicon Valley Bank during a depositor run, General Catalyst organized a joint statement signed by more than 110 venture capital firms expressing support for the bank and its customers.[13]
In June 2022, the company made an investment in Multiverse as part of a $220 million investment round.[14]
In June 2024, General Catalyst acquired La Famiglia, a German venture capital firm, after which La Famiglia's founding partner Jeannette zu Fürstenberg became a managing director at General Catalyst, overseeing its European business.[15] In the same month, General Catalyst acquired Venture Highway, an early-stage investor based in New Delhi.[16][17]
In October 2024, General Catalyst announced the raise of $8 billion in new funds, including $4.5 billion for their core venture funds, making it their largest fundraise yet.[18]
In May 2025, the company launched a £30 million medical technology venture fund with the UK's National Health Service along with Speedinvest.[19]
In December 2025, General Catalyst agreed with Trian Partners to acquire Janus Henderson in an all-cash deal valued at about $7.4 billion, with Janus Henderson shareholders to receive $49 per share in cash.[20] In March 2026, after Janus Henderson received a rival bid from Victory Capital, Trian and General Catalyst increased their offer to $52 per share, valuing the company at about $8 billion. Janus Henderson said the revised Trian-General Catalyst deal was the only actionable proposal and remained on track to close by mid-2026.[21][22]
Investments
Funds
The following table lists General Catalyst's investment funds, based on publicly available filings and press reports.
| # | Fund name | Category | Date announced | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | General Catalyst Group VI, L.P. | Venture capital | December 2011 | $500 million[23] |
| 7 | General Catalyst Group VII, L.P. | Venture capital | December 2013 | $675 million[24][25] |
| 8 | General Catalyst Group VIII, L.P. (incl. Supplemental) | Venture capital | January 2016 | $825 million[26][27] |
| 9 | General Catalyst Group IX, L.P. | Venture capital | March 2018 | $1.375 billion[28] |
| 10 | General Catalyst Group X, L.P. (Early Venture, Endurance, and Growth Venture) | Venture capital | April 2020 | $2.3 billion[29][30] |
| — | General Catalyst Group X – Health Assurance, L.P. (Health Assurance Fund I) | Healthcare / Venture capital | 2021 | $600 million[31][32] |
| 11 | General Catalyst Group XI, L.P. (Creation, Endurance, Ignition) | Venture capital | February 2022 | $4.6 billion[33][34] |
| — | General Catalyst Group XI – Health Assurance, L.P. (Health Assurance Fund II) | Healthcare / Venture capital | July 2022 | $670 million[35][36] |
| 12 | General Catalyst Group XII, L.P. (incl. Creation, Endurance, Health Assurance, Ignition sub-funds) | Venture capital | October 2024 | $8 billion (total; $4.5 billion core venture)[37][38] |
| 13 | General Catalyst Group XIII, L.P. | Venture capital | March 2026 | Not disclosed[39] |
| — | General Catalyst Excelsior Fund, L.P. | Venture capital | August 2024 | Not disclosed[40] |
| — | General Catalyst NHS MedTech Venture Fund | Healthcare / Venture capital | May 2025 | £30 million[41] |
Healthcare fund
In 2021, General Catalyst raised $600 million for a new Health Assurance Fund.[42][43]
In July 2022, the firm raised an additional $670 million.[8] The money is invested in healthcare businesses.[42][44][45] General Catalyst was the most active VC investor between 2020 and October 2023, according to Pitchbook.[46]
In October 2023, the company announced plans to acquire a health system and "then use it as a proving ground for technology that its portfolio companies sell, including generative artificial intelligence-powered solutions applied to health care problems."[47]
General Catalyst spent $485 million to purchase Summa Health and convert a non-profit health network into for-profit.[48]