Inside General Atlantic: How the investment firm invests in growth startups - Cory Eaves, General Atlantic

The Unicorn Bakery podcast features Cory Eaves, an operating partner at General Atlantic (GA), discussing growth equity investing and GA's investment philosophy. Eaves details GA's origins with Chuck Feeney, emphasizing the firm's focus on helping entrepreneurs and maintaining a culture of collaboration and philanthropy. He distinguishes growth equity from venture capital by highlighting the reduced product risk and larger investment sizes, typically ranging from $30 million to hundreds of millions. Eaves outlines GA's investment criteria using the "four M's": market size, business model, management team, and margin potential, noting the importance of a repeatable, scalable business model over customized projects. He also shares insights on navigating the current market slowdown and preparing for a growth round, advising founders to organize their data and thoroughly evaluate potential investment partners.