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Drake Pooley

Strategic Initiatives

Finance & Operations

Locations
New York
Industries

I never stop moving. My career has been defined by trying to understand how to improve the state of our world by observing and working with people around the globe. My favorite moments are when I reach unexpected conclusions that require me to re-wire how I thought about an issue, and having traveled to over 75 countries, it’s happened a lot. These are the moments I experience the most joy.

I’ve worked for a real estate firm in Shanghai, an energy company in Houston, a venture capital firm in Mexico, a growth stage startup in San Francisco, and an airline in the Middle East. I started my career building economic models at the management consulting firm Kearney in New York and Dubai, a far cry from my childhood where my parents ran a surf shop in Texas (yes, there is surf in Texas). As my friends will attest, I speak in numbers and places, and love to use economics to understand history and society.

At General Catalyst, I lead strategic initiatives for the CEO. Broad title, we know. But day-to-day, it’s a relentless focus on the relationships, partnerships, and policy efforts that enable our portfolio and innovation to thrive. My mission is to bring the perspectives of GC and our Famiglia to everywhere we can in the world.

I started my educational journey in community college and ended it at Stanford University for my MBA, where I served as class president and received the top award at graduation as voted by my classmates. Along the way I completed my Bachelor’s at Auburn in Alabama, a Master’s at the University of Virginia, and another Master’s at ESADE Business School in Spain. I live in New York, and write regularly, having been published in the New York Times, Washington Post, and others. I’m a dual US-Lithuanian citizen, and keep the American immigrant experience and the Lithuanian experience overcoming Soviet tyranny close at heart.

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