Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast General Catalyst’s Jeannette zu Fürstenberg on how to scale European moonshot ideas
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Oct 11, 2024 
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, Managing Director at General Catalyst and cofounder of La Famiglia VC, discusses pivotal investment strategies in Europe's tech landscape. She emphasizes the role of AI in enhancing productivity and shares insights on funding ambitious deep tech projects. The conversation also covers how Helsing is modernizing defense with innovative AI solutions, tackling the complexities of attracting talent in this sector, and the importance of collaboration between academia and industry to foster a vibrant startup culture across Europe.
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Origins Of The GC–La Familia Union
- Jeannette describes meeting Himant and co-investing with General Catalyst before the merger.
- That track record of joint investments led to a strategic merger to support European scale-ups.
Bigger Platform, Broader Founder Reach
- The merger expanded General Catalyst's European muscle and reinstated Seed as a global strategy.
- Jeannette values cross‑ecosystem visibility and moves founders between the US and Europe.
Global Resilience As Investment Thesis
- General Catalyst uses a 'global resilience' thesis focusing on sovereign capabilities like energy and health.
- AI and applied tech are seen as key levers to shore up national and continental resilience.