E5: General Catalyst CEO on the Case for Operational Rigor in VC, with Hemant Taneja

Hemant Taneja is the CEO of General Catalyst, and runs the firm like a true business: defining its mission and values, approaching the product from a problem-solving perspective, and more. If you’re looking to improve your sourcing, tracking, and due diligence, check out: http://synaptic.com/turpentine

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

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SPONSORS:

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RELATED SHOWS:

If you like Turpentine VC, check out our show The Limited Partner with David Weisburd, where David talks to the investors behind the investors: https://link.chtbl.com/thelimitedpartner

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X / TWITTER:

@htaneja (Hemant)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@generalcatalyst

@TurpentineVC

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(00:53) How Hemant took over as CEO of General Catalyst

(03:31) Why General Catalyst decided to operate like a true company

(05:15) The vision for General Catalyst

(08:15) How GC thinks about a16z and the future of investing

(10:52) GC's governance in relation to their vision

(11:59) Sponsor: Synaptic

(13:01) Hemant on how macro determines GC's strategy

(14:59) The future of VC and how the asset class is evolving

(17:04) More on GC's responsible innovation thesis

(19:28) The difference between GC and a16z

(20:32) Hemant explains GC's unfair advantage in healthcare

(22:47) How GC's strategy is differentiated

(24:05) GC's incubation strategy

(26:02) GC's customer value strategy

(27:23) How Hemant thinks about launching firm products

(29:11) On GC's global resilience practice

(30:49) Sponsor: Pesto Tech

(31:40) On why GC has been so successful in digital health, and the future of that space

(33:23) Hemant’s request for startups in healthcare

(35:13) Opportunity areas for emerging managers today

(37:06) Hemant's approach to talent cultivation and retention

(39:24) Where does General Catalyst fit into the venture ecosystem?

(41:11) On radical collaboration