Welcome to The Adapter’s Advantage: Breakthrough Moments that Lead to Success.

In episode 29. David Fialkow, co-founder of General Catalyst Partners, athlete, and documentary filmmaker, shares his experience helping “the smartest, most creative, most innovative people in the world” tell their stories and accomplish their goals.

Episode 29: Creating Opportunities | David Fialkow

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“ Luck rewards the prepared mind, but the reality is we should always understand that as the situation changes, our thinking and our actions need to [change too].”

David Fialkow is a co-founder and managing director of General Catalyst, a venture capital firm that partners with next-generation leaders from seed to growth stage to build companies. General Catalyst has over $7.0 billion in total capital raised with offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, and Boston.

David’s focus areas include financial services, digital health, AI and data analytics, as well as co-leading General Catalyst’s XIR program. His portfolio of investments includes: CLEAResult (acquired by General Atlantic); Datalogix (acquired by Oracle); Datto (acquired by Vista Equity Partners); Vitrue (acquired by Oracle); TrueMotion; and PathAI.

David is also chairman of the Pan Mass Challenge, a Massachusetts-based bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Always held the first weekend in August, the PMC raises funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a world leader in adult and pediatric cancer treatment and research.

David studied film at Colgate University and earned a law degree from Boston College. He and his wife Nina produce documentary films focused on social justice, including Icarus, which won the Academy Award in 2018.

In this episode, David describes how, when faced with unforeseen challenges, true leaders create opportunities.

From This Episode

Host Mark Magnacca: “For people who are either entrepreneurs or in sales, what do you think is the most important skill people need to learn or improve today?”

David Fialkow: “How do you begin every dialogue and relationship with thinking about what somebody on the other side needs, wants or thinks? I’ve always called this somewhat of a chameleon strategy, but you’ve got to understand that one size doesn’t fit all.

“One area that I think is super important is when you’re talking to somebody, whether it’s somebody you’re recruiting, somebody that you’re trying to sell to, somebody you’re trying to influence, always think first and foremost, ‘What would this person want from me that would make their life better and easier?’”

About The Adapter’s Advantage

Our podcast features leaders from sales, training, and industry who share their personal journeys of transformation and how they are adapting to an ever-changing environment. As your host, I’ll introduce you to some of the most interesting and inspiring people I’ve met over the last twenty years.

The conversations dive into the ups and downs of their journey. Our guests focus on inflection points—the aha moments that, in retrospect, had a critical impact on their success. These interviews will leave you with practical, real-world advice that you can apply to your life.

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