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General partners sit at the center of venture capital—leading deals, shaping firms and backing the companies that define the next cycle. But few ever reach that level.

To identify who’s next, The Information went beyond titles and headlines. We spoke with dozens of venture capitalists, founders and limited partners to surface the investors already operating at a GP level—before the promotion comes.

This year’s list focuses on track record: leading high-impact deals, earning board seats at breakout companies and consistently sourcing the opportunities others miss. It’s a look at who is quietly gaining influence—and where venture capital is headed next.

What sets these investors apart:

• Getting into the most competitive deals early — and often
• Turning early bets into real outcomes, not just paper gains
• Building influence with founders, not just deploying capital
• Leaning into emerging sectors like defense tech, hard tech, and AI infrastructure

Here's how we identified this year's Venture Capital’s Rising Leaders list:

The path to GP is narrowing—but a new generation is still breaking through. And where they're placing bets offers a clear signal into what's coming next across AI, defense, and deep tech.

This is the kind of reporting Pro was built for. Venture Capital's Next General Partners 2026 is available now with your Pro subscription—giving you access to the full list, along with tools like Org Charts, Deep Research and more.