# Joel Cutler

> Joel Cutler is the co-founder and Managing Director of General Catalyst, one of the most influential venture capital firms in the world. Since co-founding the firm in 2000 with David Fialkow - a partnership forged at summer camp at age 8 - Cutler has backed transformative companies including Airbnb, Warby Parker, Venmo, Lemonade, and KAYAK, which he literally conceived and assembled from scratch. A law school graduate who never practiced law, a self-described non-visionary who keeps a 'Wall of Shame' of deals he missed, and a travel obsessive who attended Phocuswright for 20+ consecutive years, Cutler operates with a contrarian philosophy: he only wants 'exciting, different, and risky' bets, believes great teams beat great ideas every time, and insists that if you don't fail, you're a bad investor.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Managing Director at General Catalyst
- **Organizations:** General Catalyst, Warby Parker (Board), Multiverse (Board), Empathy (Board), Sesame Health (Board), Zego (Board), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Board), Boston Children's Hospital Trust (Board), NYU Stern Tech MBA Advisory Board
- **From:** Las Vegas, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Government and Economics, Colby College, J.D., Boston College Law School
- **Known for:** Co-founded General Catalyst in 2000, now managing $20B+ in assets, Conceived and assembled the founding team of KAYAK (acquired by Booking Holdings), Early investor in Airbnb, Warby Parker, Venmo, Lemonade, Snap, Stripe

## Career timeline

- **~1986** — Co-founded National Leisure Group with David Fialkow (later acquired by World Travel Holdings)
- **~1990s** — Co-founded Alliance Development Group, Retail Growth ATM Systems, and Starboard Cruise Services (sold to LVMH)
- **2000** — Co-founded General Catalyst Partners in Cambridge, MA with David Fialkow
- **2004** — Conceived KAYAK and assembled founding team (Steve Hafner + Paul English); incubated inside General Catalyst
- **2012** — KAYAK IPO; became early investor in Airbnb and Warby Parker
- **2011-2017** — Repeatedly named to Forbes Midas List of world's best venture capitalists (#37-#55)
- **2021** — Warby Parker IPO (NYSE: WRBY); continued serving on board
- **2022** — Named to Boston Globe Tech Power Players 50 (#22)
- **2024** — General Catalyst raised $8 billion in new funds, its largest fundraise ever
- **2025** — General Catalyst launched £30M medical technology venture fund with NHS and Speedinvest
- **2025-2026** — General Catalyst (with Trian Partners) agreed to acquire Janus Henderson in ~$8B all-cash deal

## Achievements

- Co-founded General Catalyst in 2000, now managing $20B+ in assets
- Conceived and assembled the founding team of KAYAK (acquired by Booking Holdings)
- Early investor in Airbnb, Warby Parker, Venmo, Lemonade, Snap, Stripe
- Forbes Midas List (Top 100 Venture Capitalists): 2011 (#42), 2015 (#55), 2016 (#37), 2017 (#49)
- Boston Globe Tech Power Players 50 - #22 (2022)
- Co-founded and exited 4 companies with David Fialkow before launching General Catalyst
- Guided General Catalyst to $8B fundraise in 2024 - largest in firm history
- Board member at Warby Parker since pre-IPO (2012)

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — General Catalyst launched a £30M medical technology venture fund in partnership with the UK's NHS and Speedinvest
- **2025-03** — General Catalyst (with Trian Partners) agreed to acquire Janus Henderson in an all-cash deal valued at approximately $8 billion
- **2024-10** — General Catalyst raised $8 billion in new funds including $4.5B for core venture funds - the firm's largest fundraise to date

## Links

- Website: https://www.generalcatalyst.com/team/joel-cutler
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-cutler-317743/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/jcut

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/joel-cutler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05