The story
General Catalyst was founded in 2000 in Massachusetts by Joel Cutler and David Fialkow.
In 2010, the company opened a Silicon Valley office. In 2021, the firm managed more than $8 billion in assets. 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.
In 2021, the firm opened a London office. By September 2022, General Catalyst had invested in 17 European startups. 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.
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.
In June 2022, the company made an investment in Multiverse as part of a $220 million investment round.
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. In the same month, General Catalyst acquired Venture Highway, an early-stage investor based in New Delhi.
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.
In May 2025, the company launched a £30 million medical technology venture fund with the UK's National Health Service along with Speedinvest.
Read the full text
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. 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.
From Wikipedia’s article on General Catalyst, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.6