Nusea

George Bell

As Special Venture Partner at General Catalyst Partners, George focuses on investment opportunities in new media, interactive marketing and digital-driven disruptions of traditional consumer behavior.

George has been involved in the creation and growth of consumer businesses for 25 years. Before General Catalyst, he was CEO of Upromise, the country’s largest college savings service, sold in 2006 to Sallie Mae. George was also Chairman and CEO of Excite@Home, bringing together the Excite portal with the @Home cable broadband platform in a $7 billion merger. George was CEO of Excite prior to the merger, led the company’s IPO, oversaw the acquisition of more than 20 companies and expanded Excite into a worldwide media property. Previously George founded The Outdoor Life Network (now Versus Network), a specialty cable channel reaching 40+MM homes; served as SVP, Times Mirror Magazines, where he oversaw eight special interest magazines, such as SKI and Field & Stream; and has won four national Emmy Awards as a producer and writer of adventure, wildlife and vanishing culture documentaries for ABC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic.

George is also board Chairman of Harris Interactive (NASDAQ: HPOL) a leading marketing services and polling company; Chairman of the New England Advisory Board of Trust for Public Land; and immediate past Chairman of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council.  George is a board member on three General Catalyst portfolio companies, Going.com, a social networking site found in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, Photoshelter, a leading online archive and marketplace for professional photographers and an online consumer health hatch.  He has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award both in Northern California and New England; been featured in TIME, Fortune, Forbes and Business Week; has appeared regularly on CNBC as both guest and co-host; and spoken extensively on new media, convergence, and leadership.

George holds a BA from Harvard College.