CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--General Catalyst Partners, a Cambridge, Mass. and Palo Alto, Calif.-based venture capital firm that makes early stage and growth equity investments, announced today that Unica co-founder and former IBM executive, Yuchun Lee, is joining the company as a partner in its Entrepreneur in Residence (XIR) Program, focused on software opportunities. XIRs at General Catalyst are proven entrepreneurs who play leadership roles in transforming high growth businesses and in this role, Lee will work closely with the firm’s growth equity team to identify and build technology based companies with a focus on enterprise software and data analytics. Lee joins other exceptional entrepreneurs in the XIR program including Paul Verrochi, Rob Gierkink, Charlie Baker, Tad Elmer, Chris Heim and Dan Mayleben.
Prior to General Catalyst, Lee served as vice president and general manager of IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management Group, with a global responsibility focusing on the needs of Chief Marketing Officers. He joined IBM in 2010 as part of its acquisition of Unica, a company that Lee co-founded to meet the needs of marketers seeking to embrace technology to reach new customers. As Unica’s CEO since its inception in 1992, Lee’s vision and strategy guided the company through a successful IPO in 2005 and ultimately to its acquisition by IBM.
“Yuchun has a superb breadth of experience successfully leading companies and organizations at all different stages in their lifecycle – from a bootstrapped startup through its high-growth phase and to IPO, and through its acquisition by IBM. With a career leading technology-based organizations spanning nearly thirty years, he brings invaluable knowledge and perspective to our firm, and we’re honored to have him as our partner,” said David Fialkow, managing director and co-founder of General Catalyst Partners.
A respected thought leader in technology and marketing, Lee serves on the board of Vertex Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: VRTX) and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He also co-authored the book “Solving Data Mining Problems Through Pattern Recognition,” and wrote a chapter for the Inside The Minds Books Series titled, “The DNA of Smart Business Growth.”
“The impact of empowered consumers and key software technologies are fundamentally and rapidly altering businesses and their industries. This is something that General Catalyst is intimately familiar with, having led investments in companies like HubSpot, Datalogix and GoodData. Joining the General Catalyst team gives me a platform where I can leverage my operating skills and domain expertise to help entrepreneurs take advantage of this opportunity and scale their businesses effectively,” said Lee. “General Catalyst has built an amazing ecosystem, a talented team of proven leaders and a roster of investments that are transforming their respective industries, and I’m truly excited to be a part of it.”
Prior to founding Unica, Lee held senior-level positions with Digital Equipment Corporation and M.I.T.’s Lincoln and Media Labs. He holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from M.I.T. and a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College.
About General Catalyst Partners
General Catalyst Partners is a venture capital firm that makes early stage and growth equity investments. General Catalyst Partners invests in exceptional entrepreneurs who are building the technology-based companies that will lead innovation and transform industries. Founded in 2000, General Catalyst Partners leverages its principals' extensive operational, business development and technological expertise to provide portfolio companies with a catalyst for success through business-building and partnership development assistance. General Catalyst has offices in Cambridge, MA and Palo Alto, CA. For more information, visit: www.generalcatalyst.com or https://twitter.com/gcvp
