General Catalyst’s Seed King Exits, Vows to Build a New Bet on Young Founders and Consumer Brands

Niko Bonatsos, one of General Catalyst’s most visible seed-stage architects, is trading his GC badge for a blank-check startup of his own—right as the firm’s leadership reshapes venture capital itself.

Bonatsos has left General Catalyst after leading its seed strategy, citing a mutual decision and calling his time there an 'awesome experience' which provided 'many learnings.'

"My time at GC was an awesome experience which provided many learnings."

Bonatsos plans to launch a new early-stage VC firm with 'friends,' focusing on themes like backing young founders (e.g., AI company Mercor’s Brendan Foody) and consumer startups.

He has not named his new firm, begun fundraising, or specified team size, stating he’s targeting founders and investors at the top of their game.

General Catalyst has diversified into wealth management, AI roll-ups, and non-dilutive late-stage financing, while hiring Yuri Sagalov to lead U.S. seed investing.

Recent GC departures include Deep Nishar, Kyle Doherty, and Adam Valkin, who co-led the firm’s late-stage and early-stage strategies.