Snapchat's Early Investor General Catalyst Plans To Raise $6B For Tech Startups In US, Europe And India Despite Funding Drought

In a surprising turn of events, venture capital firm General Catalyst, an early investor of companies like Snap Inc., Stripe and Mistral, is on the brink of raising nearly $6 billion for tech start-up investments, despite the current fundraising drought in the sector.

What Happened: General Catalyst could finalize its latest fund as early as next month, Financial Times reported on Sunday. The firm plans to utilize the new funds to invest in various sectors including defense, space, climate, fintech, and healthcare in the U.S., Europe, and India.

This significant investment indicates that institutional investors, endowments, and foundations, also known as limited partners, are still willing to support well-known firms even amid a broader fundraising crunch.

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Under the leadership of Hemant Taneja, who took over in 2021, General Catalyst has been focusing on “responsible innovation” and fostering closer ties with policymakers and regulators, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.

The current scenario has created a two-tier market, where new entrants find it challenging to survive. Despite this, General Catalyst’s unconventional approach of expanding into other countries and targeting sectors with established incumbents has found favor with limited partners.

Why It Matters: The fundraising plans of General Catalyst come on the heels of Andreessen Horowitz‘s $7.2 billion fundraise, marking the largest funds raised since the end of 2022, according to PitchBook data. However, overall fundraising for US venture capital firms has seen a significant decline, with the total raised last year amounting to $81 billion, less than half of 2022’s total.

This fundraising success is noteworthy, especially in light of recent concerns over the tech sector’s “frothiness” expressed by Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, the world’s largest wealth fund. Furthermore, the demand for tech accountability, as supported by Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen, adds another layer of complexity to the tech investment landscape.

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