Bill J. Fitzgerald

As a co-founder, former Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, I played a key role in major decisions spanning finance, legal, operations, fundraising, and portfolio management, as well as business expansion strategy and execution.
In March of 2020, I transitioned to the role of Strategic Advisor.
One of our strongest values as a firm is the commitment we have to collaborate with and challenge each other.
That goes back years before we founded General Catalyst, when a number of us worked together at various companies, ranging from startups to national industry leaders.
Today we listen to and mentor our entrepreneurs to take the same approach: build a team based on open, honest communication about roles, responsibilities, risks, and rewards.
This approach has enabled us to seek out different opinions and embrace ambiguity.
Many of our best investments were highly debated decisions at the time, and we were able to have the right conversations and make the right call.
Before co-founding General Catalyst, I co-founded and operated a number of businesses with Joel Cutler and David Fialkow in the travel, information services, specialty retail, consumer direct marketing and payment processing industries.
Prior to that, I was vice president and treasurer of a private equity group that acquired under-performing or strategically challenged businesses.
Prior to that, I was a manager with KPMG and an adjunct professor at Boston College.
I graduated with a B.A.
from the College Of The Holy Cross, and received a J.D.
from Suffolk University Law School.
I am a current or former member of the Massachusetts Bar and Certified Public Accountants Associations, the Association for Corporate Growth, the Financial Executives Institute and Director of the Private Equity CFO Association.
I am an avid sports fan and believe there is no substitute for sacrifice, preparation, teamwork and sportsmanship.