Discord and Mercor investor to launch own fund. Nico Bonatsos leaves General Catalyst

Investor Niko Bonatsos, who has long led the seed strategy at venture capital firm General Catalyst, has announced his departure from the firm.

He plans to launch his own venture fund for early-stage investments.

• Bonatsos is known in the market for supporting successful projects, including Discord and AI startup Mercor, which is valued at $10 billion.

• Unlike some of his colleagues who left earlier, Bonatsos called his departure a mutual decision, describing his work at General Catalyst as a “wonderful experience.”

• The new fund does not yet have an official name, and the capital raising process has not begun. Bonatsos plans to work with his “friends” — experienced founders and investors. 

About the changes at General Catalyst

Bonatsos’ departure was part of a wave of personnel changes at General Catalyst. Deep Nishar, Kyle Doherty, and Adam Valkin had previously left the company. These changes are taking place against the backdrop of the firm’s evolution: GC is transforming into an “investment and transformation company,” developing wealth management, private equity-style AI asset acquisitions, and regular income-backed lending.

As a reminder, in May 2025, the fund invested $1 billion in Grammarly. The new capital will allow it to expand its customer base and increase product reach.

Read more: Ukrainian company Reface raises $18M from PvX Partners. The goal of the funding is to attract new users