Ken Chenault

At General Catalyst, I am most interested in identifying companies with breakout characteristics, including those that are scaling quickly and have the potential to become significant, global institutions. I also work closely with our portfolio companies, particularly those with an eye towards global markets and responsible innovation, as they scale their teams and products.

I spent 37 years at American Express, most recently as Chairman and CEO, a position I held from 2001 to 2017. I am proud to serve on the boards of Airbnb, Berkshire Hathaway, Chief, Guild Education, and the Harvard Corporation and numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Human Centered Artificial Intelligence Institute Advisory Council at Stanford University. I also serve on the Board of Governors of the NCAA and the Board of Trustees for NYU Langone Health.

I received a BA in history from Bowdoin College and a JD from Harvard Law School. My family and I live in New York City.