How to Get Noticed by VC’s with General Catalyst’s Niko Bonatsos (February 7, 2023)

They grew up on the internet, and they’re building the future for themselves. Some are still shy of the legal drinking age, but the GenZ founders Niko Bonatsos works with are reshaping the startup world.

“The youth, Gen Zers have landed on this planet like aliens, and they’re about to take over. They are living in the future ein their heads, and I have no doubt that the ones who are technical can actually start building it,” he says.

In his nearly 10 years at venture capital firm General Catalyst, Niko has worked with the greats – like Snap and Discord. Now he’s shifting his focus to startup newbies. By pairing first time Gen Z founders with more seasoned mentors, he’s helping usher in and train a new generation of entrepreneurs.

On Feb. 7, Niko will host a webinar for Founders Network members where he will share insights from working with Gen Z founders.

During his webinar, he will also discuss:

• Changes in startup culture
• Getting noticed on Tik Tok
• Crypto obsessions
• Mentoring Gen Z

About the Speaker:

Niko Bonatsos is a managing director at General Catalyst, a venture capital firm that partners with founders from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. Working from the firm’s San Francisco Bay Area offices, Niko focuses his investment strategy on finding first-time technology founders with strong product instincts, a robust appetite for learning, and a desire to create innovations with the potential to benefit millions.

In his nine years with GC, Niko has been instrumental in the firm’s investments in Audius, ClassDojo, Collective, Cover, Discord, Dubsmash (acquired by Reddit), Hive, Livongo Health [acquired by Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC)], Microverse, Paribus (acquired by CapitalOne), Remote, Sleeper, Snap (NYSE: SNAP), and Wag! among others.

Prior to joining General Catalyst, Niko attended Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar earning an MS in Management Science and Engineering. He has studied in several countries, earning additional degrees in Manufacturing Engineering & Management and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science and worked as a part of the R&D team for Yokogawa Electric Corporation in Japan.

About General Catalyst:

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that provides early-stage and growth equity investments. General Catalyst backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are building innovative technology companies and market leading businesses, including Airbnb, BigCommerce, ClassPass, Datalogix, Datto, Demandware, Gusto (fka ZenPayroll), The Honest Company, HubSpot, KAYAK, Oscar, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. The General Catalyst team leverages its broad experience to help founders build extraordinary companies. General Catalyst has offices in Cambridge, MA, Palo Alto, CA and New York City.