General Catalyst announced it has launched General Catalyst Institute, an organization that aims to evolve how VC partners with governments worldwide.
GCI will be headed by global tech business executive and policy leader Teresa Carlson as President. This Institute will focus on building global resilience by partnering with governments, public policy leaders, and entrepreneurs across AI, healthcare, defense and intelligence, manufacturing, and energy.
GCI’s mission is to promote global resilience by backing transformative technologies and shaping public policy that advances our societal impact. The company’s geopolitical environment has become more multipolar and competitive. And energy systems are evolving in response to climate change and the level of conflict in many regions worldwide is increasing. The world’s democracies — which had been strengthening consistently since World War II — now face threats from extreme polarization, lack of trust in institutions, and the rise of nationalism.
Along with these global changes, there is rapid velocity of technological transformation, which has the potential to feel like a series of compounding industrial revolutions. And in this new and unstable world, governments will be required to be proactive and to respond more quickly to the rapid pace of innovation.
Applied AI is a clear example of this trend and it is having a profound effect globally across all industries. And GCI’s top priority will be to work with and serve as a trusted partner to governments and public policy leaders on how to respond, utilize, and adopt cutting-edge technology, like applied AI during these transformative times. GCI welcomes collaboration and partnerships with experts and academics to shape and scale policy solutions integrating these powerful technologies.
The Institute’s work will build on General Catalyst’s leadership in identifying and nurturing breakthrough technology companies that create a more globally resilient world. And GCI will also be a facilitator between government and entrepreneurs, adopting a long-term, strategic view on the AI, healthcare, defense and intelligence, manufacturing, and energy sectors — which are the collective building blocks of global resilience.
Teresa Carlson, who joined the firm as a Catalyst Advisor in 2023, will lead the Global Institute as its first President. Carlson previously led both the public sector and regulated industry divisions for AWS and Microsoft. For over two decades, Carlson has established her reputation as a leading expert on the intersection of technology, business, and public policy. Along with Carlson’s invaluable professional experience, she brings a strong passion for making the world a better place through transformative technologies. Maryam Mujica will lead global policy engagement as the Chief Public Policy Officer.
For promoting policies that advance global resilience through transformative technologies, we are focusing on the following priorities:
1.) Collaborate with governments to shape public policies to enable emerging technologies and start-ups to better meet the need to build humanity’s resilience;
2.) Forge durable partnerships and networks with government, NGOs, academics, and third-party experts around the theme of global resilience;
3.) Provide education for governments regarding the most transformative technologies; and
4.) Create public policy guidance and tools for start-ups to grow and innovate responsibly.
Given the speed of its development, one of the first initiatives will be to partner closely with governments globally with regard to responsible AI policy recommendations. And GCI seeks to ensure nations and societies can thrive by adopting this revolutionary technology, while empowering start-ups to meaningfully compete and positively impact global resilience.
GCI will also form a Responsible Defense and Risk Committee, which will provide guidance and recommendations on responsible innovation and risk management in the defense & intelligence, and technology sectors more broadly. And GCI is also excited to welcome founding members:
1.) Andrew Makridis, former Chief Operating Officer of the CIA
2.) Rich Gross, Brigadier General (US Army, Ret.) and former Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Separately, a GCI Advisory Board with distinguished experts — which is chaired by Hemant Taneja — will provide strategic guidance and enhance GCI’s impact and global reach.
KEY QUOTES:
“We want to build the future and create positive change through the power of transformative technologies. I’ve talked to policymakers around the world who share this view, and are eager to lead their countries through this era of instability into a more resilient future. To get there, we must build up ourselves, our partners, and our allies, and effectively take advantage of our rapidly developing technology and ingenuity.”
-Teresa Carlson, GCI’s President
“Humanity’s future depends on its ability to become more resilient in this era of unique instability and change. Technology plays an absolutely essential role in that process. Teresa brings decades of vision and practical experience in connecting the public sector with emerging technologies, and designing solutions that propel their mission forward. The Institute is a natural extension of General Catalyst’s work with leading companies like Anduril, Helsing, Re: Build, Mistral, Commure, Cobot, Stripe, and Cityblock Health, which have changed the way people around the world live and work. The technology that underpins these leading companies can be leveraged by the public sector, and we are committed to partnering with governments to create the conditions needed to help humanity thrive.”
-Hemant Taneja, GC’s CEO and Managing Director
