General Catalyst and La Famiglia have made a significant move to strengthen the presence of U.S.-based venture capitalists in the European ecosystem. While they refer to it as “joining forces,” it is essentially a merger, with La Famiglia becoming the seed investing arm for General Catalyst across continental Europe. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, the founding partner of La Famiglia, will take on the role of a managing director within General Catalyst’s global partnership, focusing on a long-term vision for Europe, alongside her La Famiglia GP, Judith Dada.
Fürstenberg has a history of championing European resilience and technological sovereignty, indicating her investment focus on areas such as climate, industry, defense, as well as traditional software-driven opportunities. The partnership aims to bridge the gap between their ambitious goals and practical execution.
La Famiglia, an increasingly active seed investor based in Berlin, will continue to operate under its brand while aligning with General Catalyst, a VC with over 20 years of experience and a strong European presence. La Famiglia’s existing fund will complete its current investments, and new seeding investments will be conducted under the umbrella of General Catalyst.
This alliance provides General Catalyst with access to one of Europe’s well-connected seed investing brands and, perhaps more importantly, Jeannette zu Fürstenberg’s extensive network. Fürstenberg regularly organizes high-end events, connecting high-growth founders and investors.
The real question is whether this collaboration will be seamless and yield the expected outcomes. The success lies in the details.
Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst, expressed excitement about welcoming the La Famiglia team, emphasizing their shared values and ambition to make a positive impact in the world. He believes that this partnership will significantly enhance their ability to support early-stage founders in Europe.
Taneja clarified that the goal is not to operate as separate “European” and “U.S.” funds but to think globally. The merger allows them to bring their capabilities to Europe more intentionally, building on their decade-long presence in the region.
La Famiglia will maintain its teams in Berlin and Munich, collaborating closely with General Catalyst’s London office, which opened in 2021.
Fürstenberg highlighted the urgency to drive change and impact in sectors with high growth potential in the European economy. She views the partnership with General Catalyst as a form of “radical collaboration” aimed at achieving sustainable and technologically-driven growth in Europe.
While the announcement is filled with rhetoric about “radical collaboration” and long-term impact, the challenge lies in translating these ideals into tangible results. However, the fact that General Catalyst and La Famiglia have shared a portfolio of companies since 2016, including Helsing, Stripe, Applied Intuition, Maven, and Ramp, is in their favor and indicates a history of successful collaboration.
