Three major investors have left the general catalyst amid the company's recent series of changes. This now describes itself as an “investment and transformation company.”
The late managing directors include Kaildherty, who co-led the Late Stage Strategy for General Catalysts, known as Endurance, and Adam Balkin, one of the three leads of the company's early stage fund, according to several people close to General Catalyst.
Nishal, Doherty, and Valkin did not respond to requests for comment. General Catalyst declined to comment.
The reason for the departure remains unknown, but the general Catalyst Limited partners have explained many other changes in the company's leadership.
According to LP, following the merger with early stage company La Famiglia in October 2023, he appointed La Famiglia founder Jeannette Zu Fürstenberg. About six months later, General Catalyst acquired Indian VC Firm Venture Highway and placed founder Neeraj Arora among the company's most senior investors.
Individuals close to the general catalyst also state that strategic changes in companies beyond ventures have influenced how investors compensated. Common catalysts have shifted their compensation structures to favor cash bonuses over stocks, these people said.
Former LinkedIn executive Deep Nishihar joined SoftBank's Vision Fund General Catalyst in 2021. At SoftBank, Nishihar led Slack to 10 times more genomics.
Kyle Doherty joined General Catalyst in 2017 after spending five years as Director of Individual Investment at Cotue. Doherty's investments include digital banking startup step and insurance company ETHO. According to his LinkedIn, he left the general catalyst in July.
Meanwhile, Valkin began his tenure at the company in 2013. Balkin serves on the Rapid Committee, a fintech startup that raises capital with a sharp valuation decline of $3.5 billion, and the Rapid Committee, a fintech shift technology that ultimately nurtured funds in 2021 at a valuation of more than $1 billion. He also supported the classpath, which was acquired by Mindbody in 2021.
This departure comes as the general catalyst managing $32 billion in assets has evolved from a partnership model company to a company, buying Ohio hospital systems, and adding non-venture strategies such as purchasing asset management businesses and hospital systems.
The company has long been rumored to be hoping to become a public company. Over the past few weeks, several people have told TechCrunch that the company is getting closer to the idea of an IPO. Axios on Friday reported that the general catalyst was in the “very early stages” of public offerings.