Hemant Taneja

I am an investor, founder, and author. I am also the CEO of General Catalyst.

I am an early investor in market-leading companies like Stripe, Livongo (acquired by Teladoc in an $18.5B merger, the largest in digital health history to-date), Samsara (NYSE: IOT), Snap (NYSE: SNAP), Fundbox, Grammarly, Gusto, Applied Intuition, and Anduril.

I am an advocate for Responsible Innovation, aligning innovation with the long-term interests of society by engineering for growth and good with greater intention, fewer unintended consequences, and increased inclusivity. In my 2022 book Intended Consequences: How to Build Market-Leading Companies with Responsible Innovation, I lay out an actionable framework for founders and executives on how to create innovative companies built for growth and for societal good that withstand the test of time. As part of this, I am also co-founder and chairman of Responsible Innovation Labs, a non-profit consortium of leaders aiming to create standards of innovation to serve the needs of a global society, and to help build enduring companies that re-center technology as a force for good.

My 2020 book, UnHealthcare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance, co-authored with Dr. Stephen Klasko, CEO of Jefferson Health, details our thesis for how the healthcare system needs to transform a “sick care” system into a Health Assurance system designed to help people stay well, bend the cost curve, and make quality care more affordable and more accessible to all. In Unscaled, released in 2018, I articulate the need for accountability, transparency and explainability as AI permeates every aspect of our daily lives.

I wound up with five degrees from MIT because I was hoping to pursue an academic career: M.Eng. EECS, S.M. Operations Research, S.B. Biology, S.B. Mathematics, and S.B. EECS. In hindsight, that was excellent training for being a venture capitalist because I am always curious about new areas of innovation.

Alongside my work here at General Catalyst, I serve on the Stanford School of Medicine Board of Fellows, have worked on climate and energy issues as the co-founder and Chairman of Advanced Energy Economy, and I am a founding board member of Khan Lab School, an innovative K-12 school.