Transformation Principles - by Hemant Taneja (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the CEO of global venture capital firm General Catalyst, this powerful, timely set of principles is an essential guide to long-term success, whether in investing, leading a company, or building a career.

Capitalism has long focused on generating profits, believing that positive impact should be left to non-profits and governments. But in the 2020s, positive impact and exceptional returns are inextricably tied. And this new reality needs a new set of principles--transformation principles-- to guide decision-making for investors, company-builders and anyone navigating a career as they venture beyond.

General Catalyst CEO Hemant Taneja has developed these principles throughout his life, and they have helped General Catalyst--with $30 billion in assets--fund, found and nurture some of the most exciting companies of the past two decades, while having a powerful positive impact on society.

In Transformation Principles, Taneja explains in detail the nine principles behind his firm's outsized success in investing and industry transformation. The principles will help readers:

Understand the critical importance of a company's soul. Navigate through the inevitable twists and turns when creating a new future for us. See through trends that don't matter and focus on what truly matters for enduring success. Help build companies that solve society's hardest problems, making capitalism a force for good. Lean into their better angels, confident that leading with curiosity and generosity results in extraordinary success.

Moving forward, the most enduring successes will come from those companies whose tangible benefits to the world naturally result in compounding returns. Equipped with these nine principles, any individual or organization will be able to see through trends and short-term thinking and instead focus on long-term success that lasts for generations to come.

About the Author

Hemant Taneja is the CEO and Managing Director of the global venture capital firm General Catalyst. He is a multi-year Midas List investor, a best-selling author and a founder. His career includes early investments in market-leading companies like Stripe, Samsara (NYSE: IOT), Snap (NYSE: SNAP), ClassDojo, Grammarly, Gusto, Applied Intuition, and Anduril. He has also hatched numerous companies like Commure, Tendo and Livongo, which was acquired by Teladoc in an $18.5B merger, the largest in digital health history.

Kevin Maney is a veteran journalist, essayist, bestselling author, and TV commentator, focusing on the technology industry and its history. His firm, Category Design Advisors, has helped company leadership teams all over the world identify and design new market categories.