Jeannette zu Fürstenberg

Dr. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg is Managing Director of the global VC firm General Catalyst (GC) and in charge of its European business. Jeannette is also Founding Partner of La Famiglia VC, one of Europe’s most distinguished early-stage Venture Capital platforms connecting the established industry and the start-up ecosystem. Today, La Famiglia VC is the nucleus of General Catalyst's Global Seed Investment Program.

Jeannette embodies the role of a passionate generalist with a founder-led approach. Her investments are driven by her vision of a resilient, more prosperous Europe, with technology as a key driver of transformation which is also reflected in her areas of expertise which include AI, climate, industrial transformation, defense and traditional software-centric opportunities. Jeannette’s early investment wins are companies such as Deel, Forto, Groq Helsing, Mistral, and Personio. Having supported their journey from the earliest stages, she also serves on the board of the unicorn companies Helsing and Mistral.

Beyond her investment activities, Jeannette is an active member of advisory boards for various companies and organizations. Her engagement extends to the political sphere through various lobbying efforts to foster a conducive environment for entrepreneurship in Europe, notably contributing to the debate on the EU AI Act and addressing several socio-economic issues related to European prosperity.

In 2011 she initiated “Fürstenberg Zeitgenössisch”, a contemporary art foundation and artist grant program. Jeannette holds a PhD in Philosophy and Entrepreneurship from Freie Universität Berlin.