Leading VC firm General Catalyst and La Famiglia, one of Europe’s most renowned seed investors based in Berlin, announced they are joining forces. The combined entity will enable La Famiglia to turbocharge and globalize its investment thesis of creating meaningful change by fostering cooperation between young digital disruptors and established industrial market leaders.
For General Catalyst, this deal brings the opportunity to build on its 20+ year history, including 10+ years of European investing, and tap into one of Europe’s most successful and well-respected seed brands – which is deeply rooted in the local founder space as well as the continent’s established industrial network – to accelerate its seed and creation strategies in Europe.
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg (Founding Partner of La Famiglia) will become part of General Catalyst’s global partnership as a Managing Director, General Catalyst’s term for a General Partner. And Jeannette will drive a long-term vision for Europe, work toward expanding General Catalyst’s creation offering on the continent, and partner to oversee the development of a global seed investment program built around the La Famiglia offering as the foundation.
Judith Dada (General Partner at La Famiglia) will join General Catalyst as a partner. And Judith will utilize her extensive European seed network to further scale GC’s seed offering in Europe.
The firms worked closely together since 2016. And they have co-hosted events and co-invested in Europe and in the US. The shared portfolio companies include Helsing, Stripe, Applied Intuition, Maven, and Ramp. Plus, the two firms share common philosophies, including a belief in ‘radical collaboration’, a more patient and intentional way of investing, a deep desire to create long-term impact; and conviction in the potential of Europe, its tech talent pool, and extraordinary seed ecosystem.
La Famiglia will retain its teams in Berlin and Munich, working closely with GC’s London office, which opened in 2021. And this gives the combined entity important local proximity to some of Europe’s most important tech markets. The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are very excited to welcome the La Famiglia team into the GC family – they share our values and our ambition to have a positive impact in the world. Their capabilities will significantly bolster our ability to help founders at the seed stage, especially in Europe. I also think that our intentional focus on global resilience will serve as a great platform for Jeannette’s passion for accelerating the role of innovation in transforming the European economy.”
— Hemant Taneja, CEO, General Catalyst
“Looking at the European economy right now, I have a strong sense of urgency to truly drive change and impact in the most relevant sectors that offer the most growth potential. I fundamentally believe we need to act fast if we want to achieve tangible results. In teaming up with GC, we live the spirit of ‘radical collaboration’ that I believe is needed to drive sustainable and technologically enabled growth in the European economy. A global platform, complementary expertise, and the strong alignment of values that I feel with Hemant and the broader GC team will be a meaningful accelerator in this endeavor.”
— Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, Founding Partner, La Famiglia
“Seed investing is at the heart of the La Famiglia brand. I’m thrilled to be working with the GC team to jointly develop the seed approach. Working closely with visionary founders from the very beginning, supporting them through our network and proven operational excellence will be even more exciting with the whole GC family.”
— Judith Dada, General Partner, La Famiglia
