Managing Director at General Catalyst: Niko Bonatsos

Terra API Podcast - Stay Fit, Stay Connected

In this podcast, we had an in-depth conversation with Niko Bonatsos from General Catalyst. Niko shared his story from his upbringing in Greece and his long academic journey that spans across the University of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford University. He talks about the power of connectivity in Silicon Valley that led him to join General Catalyst and what it was like cold-emailing Elon Musk and seeing Steve Jobs walking his dog across the neighborhood in Silicon Valley. The conversation also dives into the similarities and discrepancies between venture funding and the startup environment in Silicon Valley, US, and Cambridge, UK. Lastly, Niko gave us exclusive insights into what he looks for in founders he invests in and the main pitfalls he sees in young entrepreneurs. GC Website ► https://www.generalcatalyst.com/ Niko's Twitter ► @bonatsos -- TERRA ► http://tryterra.co More Podcasts ► https://tryterra.co/podcast Twitter ► https://twitter.com/terraapi LinkedIn ► https://www.linkedin.com/company/terraapi 00:00 Intro 00:45 - Pre-history to General Catalyst 02:08 - What brought Niko to Stanford University 05:34 - Introduction to General Catalyst 11:30 - The evolution of GC and Niko's investment philosophy 17:08 - What Niko is looking for in great founders 18:09 - Why Niko invested in Terra 24:37 - Common mistakes from early-stage founders 34:40 - Thoughts on European Ecosystem 43:20 - The best and worst ways for founders to approach Niko