Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
President & Managing Director·General Catalyst
Bio
Professional summary
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg is President and Managing Director at General Catalyst and leads the firm's European business. Her official profile also identifies her as a Founding Partner of La Famiglia VC and says La Famiglia's merger with General Catalyst expanded her seed investment activity globally. She describes herself as a generalist with a founder-led approach, focused on a more resilient and prosperous Europe through technology. Her official areas of expertise include AI, climate, industrial transformation, defense, and software-centric opportunities. The profile lists early investment wins including Deel, Forto, Helsing, Mistral, and Personio, and says she serves on the boards of Helsing and Mistral. She holds a PhD in Philosophy and Entrepreneurship from Freie Universität Berlin.
Investment focus
Stage, sector, and overall fit
Stage
Sector
Thesis
Notable companies
Selected portfolio companies the partner has backed
How to approach
Framing and angles for outreach
Pitch framing
Frame outreach around European resilience, industrial transformation, AI infrastructure, or defense-relevant technology with a strong founder-led narrative.
Partneralization hooks
- 1Leadership of General Catalyst's European business
- 2Board roles at Helsing and Mistral
- 3Interest in strengthening links between established industry and startups
Recent signals
What the partner has said or done recently
Official profile says she moderated an applied AI roundtable hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Official profile highlights recent thought leadership around European AI transformation, orbital/factory-floor technology, and seed investments.
Background
Career, education, and skills
Career history
- General CatalystPresident & Managing Director, EuropePresent
- La Famiglia VCFounding PartnerPast/merged with GC
Education
- Freie Universität BerlinPhD, Philosophy and Entrepreneurship
Skills
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