General Catalyst launches institute to boost global resilience through innovation
Venture capital firm General Catalyst announced the formation of the General Catalyst Institute, an organization that will work with governments and public policy leaders globally to facilitate the adoption of new technologies to create global resilience.
“We believe humanity is entering an era where instability will be the new normal. This will manifest itself acutely in our supply chains, healthcare, how we educate and keep ourselves safe and how we create value and purpose for future generations,” General Catalyst said in a statement.
“As a result, building humanity’s collective resilience across these interconnected sectors will be critical. In this new and unstable world, governments will be required to be proactive and to respond more quickly to the rapid pace of innovation.”
The organization’s top priorities will be to work closely with governments to shape public policy to support startups using emerging technologies, educate governments on transformative technologies, create public policy tools and guidance for startups to scale and innovate responsibly, and develop partnerships and networks with government, NGOs, academics and experts.
GCI said its first initiative will be to form partnerships with governments worldwide regarding responsible AI policy recommendations to help communities thrive by adopting technology and support startups’ ability to compete and positively impact resilience.
The company used applied AI, systems designed to solve specific problems or tasks using machine learning algorithms to analyze data and generate predictions based on that data, as an example of technology governments can leverage during volatile times.
GCI said it will partner with governments to guide them in leveraging and adopting cutting-edge technologies, like applied AI. It will also invite collaborations and partnerships with academia and experts to develop and scale technology-based policy solutions.
The new organization will also act as a facilitator between entrepreneurs and governments to strengthen various sectors, including healthcare.
Teresa Carlson will lead the company as GCI’s president. Carlson formerly led divisions focused on the public sector and regulated industry at AWS and Microsoft.
The company’s chief public policy officer will be Maryam Mujica, a former litigation attorney who moved into government, eventually working in the U.S. Department of State and the White House’s National Security Council.
Mujica worked on national security issues, such as challenges the U.S. faced in the Middle East, like the Iran nuclear talks, the Benghazi attack, and destabilization due to the civil war in Syria.
GCI will also form a Responsible Defense and Risk Committee, aimed at giving guidance on responsible innovation and risk management in the sectors of technology broadly and defense and intelligence.
Members of the committee include Andrew Makridis, former chief operating officer of the CIA, and Rich Gross, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and former legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
GCI will also have an advisory board chaired by General Catalyst CEO and managing director Hermant Taneja.
THE LARGER TREND
Last October, General Catalyst announced the formation of a new business venture owned by General Catalyst dubbed the Health Assurance Transformation Corporation (HATCo) and its intent to buy a health system that will put technology at the forefront of healthcare prevention and delivery that will run through a value-based care model.
In January, HATCo announced it signed a letter of intent to purchase Ohio-based Summa Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with over 30 locations throughout the Akron and Canton areas.
Holly Maloney, managing director at General Catalyst, recently sat down with MobiHealthNews as part of its Investment Series, where she underscored the value of intentional partnership strategies and understanding what matters to health systems to ensure resilience.
“It’s only when the ecosystems or health systems prepare to become better businesses that resources can be freed up to do what they’re here to do, which is delivering really high-quality care at a lower cost, driving better outcomes and then underwriting that care,” Maloney said.