The often hard-charging venture capital industry hasn’t been immune to the economic uncertainty that has hung over markets this year. There were 79 venture capital transactions surpassing the $100-million mark in the first quarter, down from 90 in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from EY. Deal volume also inched lower. Information technology continued to dominate venture capital deals – EY’s data shows that IT represented 74% of investment, accounting for seven of the top 10 deals, as investors stayed focused on companies with significant AI opportunities. Brian Sozzi welcomes to the Opening Bid mic General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja. General Catalyst is one of the world’s pre-eminent venture capital firms. The company counts itself as an early backer of big names in tech such as Airbnb (ABNB), Circle (CRCL), Stripe (STRI.PVT), Canva, Anduril Industries (ANIN.PVT), and GitLab (GTLB). In May, the company said it invested in 17 growth rounds and 9 seed rounds. Taneja has been with the company for more than 23 years, including nearly five as CEO. He reveals some of his biggest investment themes and takes people inside he is telling the many founders he advises.

Megaphone Podcast Copy Template  ShareAsk GeminiFileEditViewInsertFormatDataToolsExtensionsHelp $%123 Default (Arial)     Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid, brings you a high-octane take on the freshest analyst calls, wildest stock moves and shrewdest commentary in the business world. Executive Editor Brian Sozzi puts Wall Street's finest through their paces in this essential conversation for every investor - before the stock market opens.

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