Talk:Sequoia Capital/Archives/2023

Early history and investments
Sequoia was founded by Don Valentine in 1972 in Menlo Park, California, at a time when the state’s venture capital industry was just beginning to develop. Valentine named the firm after the redwood trees that grow in Northern California and are known for their strength and longevity.

Sequoia formed its first venture capital fund in 1974, and was an early investor in Atari the next year as Valentine believed electronic entertainment would soon shift from bars and cafes to home usage. Atari's Nolan Bushnell then introduced Valentine to Atari technician Steve Jobs, who explained his idea for a personal computer. In 1978, Sequoia became one of the first investors in Apple after Valentine wrote a $150,000 check to Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

In the 1980s, Electronic Arts and Sierra Semiconductor both incubated in the Sequoia offices. Sequoia was an early investor in Oracle in 1983, six years after the company was founded, and also invested in Cisco in 1987.

Partners Doug Leone and Michael Moritz assumed leadership of the firm in 1996. Leone had joined Sequoia in 1988 after working at Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard. Moritz had been a journalist covering the technology and venture capital industries before joining Sequoia in 1986.

Global expansion
In 1999, Sequoia established a dedicated investment fund for Israeli startups, and the firm expanded its operations further into global markets in the early 2000s. In 2005, Sequoia Capital China was established. In 2006, Sequoia Capital expanded to India with the acquisition of Westbridge Capital Partners, an Indian venture capital firm. This acquisition eventually became Sequoia Capital India. Notable investments from Sequoia's international operations have included Amobee, CloudShare, and Snaptu in Israel, Alibaba, Bytedance, and Meituan in China, and Byju, Ola and Freshworks in India.

2010s
In 2012, Moritz took a step back from the day-to-day operations of the firm after being diagnosed with an unspecified illness. Doug Leone became Global Managing Partner. Jim Goetz led Sequoia’s US business from 2012 until 2017, when he was succeeded by Roelof Botha. Botha had joined Sequoia in 2003 after serving as CFO of PayPal, and went on to lead Sequoia’s investments in YouTube, Instagram, Square, Eventbrite, 23andMe, MongoDB, and Unity Technologies, among others.

In 2015, Michael Moritz was questioned about Sequoia's lack of any women investing partners. Moritz argued that there were few qualified female candidates, because American women "tend to elect not to study the sciences when they’re 11 or 12", and said that Sequoia would not "lower our standards" to hire women.

In 2016, Sequoia hired Jess Lee, making her the first female investing partner in the United States in the firm's 44-year history.

In 2019, Sequoia made more new seed-stage investments than Series A deals. Sequoia's seed investments from the late 2010s include Faire, Middesk, and Rec Room.

Other notable investments in the late 2010s include AMP Robotics, Figma, Maven, Snowflake, StarkWare, UiPath, and Zoom.

2020 to present
In March 2020, Sequoia announced it would hire Luciana Lixandru as its first partner based in Europe.

On March 5, 2020, Sequoia Capital sent a notice to its portfolio companies warning that the global economy could be restrained by the coronavirus, and urging these companies to “question every assumption about your business."

In July 2021, Sequoia published a piece about "the Latin American startup opportunity" that signaled it would increase its focus there. The firm previously invested in regional unicorns Nubank and Rappi.

In October 2021, Sequoia announced The Sequoia Fund, a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business. The Sequoia Fund is an open-ended capital vehicle for all future Sequoia sub-funds. This new structure enables Sequoia to remain involved with and invested in companies after their public market debuts. Sequoia also announced it was registering as an investment advisor, providing flexibility for the firm to invest in more crypto assets and secondary stock. A quarter of Sequoia’s new investments in 2021 were crypto-related, including DeSo, Fireblocks, and FTX.

In October 2021, Sequoia Capital China participated in a US$65 million funding round in Animoca. In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sequoia Capital’s China unit is a major investor in Chinese semiconductor firms, raising U.S. national security concerns.

As you can see, this History section incorporates some material that is currently in the Investments section. This is because it feels like the Investment section should focus on a high-level overview of the firm's investment portfolio and investment history, while individual investment announcements are best discussed within the context of the firm's history. You can see what I have in mind by looking at my full draft of the article, which you can find in my user space here.

Please note that I have not changed the first two sentences about Michael Moritz addressing Sequoia's lack of women investing partners, since this is obviously a controversial matter. I did, though, remove "Following criticism of Moritz's comment" from the next sentence, as this language suggests a degree of causality that is not supported by the source.

I have also moved two recent claims added to the article (about Animoca and Wall Street Journal reporting) from the end of the Investments section to the end of the History section. I made one very small edit to the second sentence, changing "Sequoia Capital" to "Sequoia Capital's China unit". This revision reflects the language from the cited source ("Sequoia Capital’s China unit has made at least 40 investments in Chinese chip-sector companies since 2020"). Generally, with the existing information in the article, I erred on the side of including it in my draft. I defer to editors though as to whether all of those existing details need to be kept.

I am hoping editors can review my draft above and implement if they feel it's an improvement. Please let me know how I can assist with this process. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 19:01, 6 December 2021 (UTC)


 * To my personal opinion, this text is not "distant" enough. Especially the section about their entry in the electronics industry is far too detailed. You also made a long list of investments in companies. Many of them are in Wikipedia-terms not notable, as in having no own article. It is common use to not mention those companies (but feel free to write those articles). The Banner  talk 11:07, 7 December 2021 (UTC)


 * I agree with The Banner, the proposed text is far too detailed to be on Wikipedia. Please summarise the information and focus on information about the company, not the backgrounds of the people who run the company or investments in non-notable enterprises. Z1720 (talk) 18:39, 9 December 2021 (UTC)


 * Thanks User:The Banner and User:Z1720, this feedback was very helpful and gave me some more insight into what would be appropriate to include (I'd looked at similar pages but I am aware that other pages may not always been the best guide). Below, I'm reposting, with an edited version. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 23:34, 21 December 2021 (UTC)

=Version 2= This is an updated request for the History section, to share an edited version of the draft I previously offered above. Based on the feedback from The Banner and Z1720, I have made a number of edits to remove details, particularly those about individuals and to reduce the lists of companies.

Early history and investments
Sequoia was founded by Don Valentine in 1972 in Menlo Park, California, at a time when the state’s venture capital industry was just beginning to develop. Valentine named the firm after the redwood trees that grow in Northern California and are known for their strength and longevity.

Sequoia formed its first venture capital fund in 1974, and was an early investor in Atari the next year. In 1978, Sequoia became one of the first investors in Apple.

In the 1980s, Electronic Arts and Sierra Semiconductor both incubated in the Sequoia offices. Sequoia was an early investor in Oracle in 1983, six years after the company was founded, and also invested in Cisco in 1987.

Partners Doug Leone and Michael Moritz assumed leadership of the firm in 1996.

Global expansion
In 1999, Sequoia established a dedicated investment fund for Israeli startups, and the firm expanded its operations further into global markets in the early 2000s. In 2005, Sequoia Capital China was established. In 2006, Sequoia Capital expanded to India with the acquisition of Westbridge Capital Partners, an Indian venture capital firm. This acquisition eventually became Sequoia Capital India.

2010s
In 2012, Moritz took a step back from the day-to-day operations of the firm after being diagnosed with an unspecified illness. Leone became Global Managing Partner. Jim Goetz led Sequoia’s US business from 2012 until 2017, when he was succeeded by Roelof Botha.

In 2015, Michael Moritz was questioned about Sequoia's lack of any women investing partners. Moritz argued that there were few qualified female candidates, because American women "tend to elect not to study the sciences when they’re 11 or 12", and said that Sequoia would not "lower our standards" to hire women.

In 2016, Sequoia hired Jess Lee, making her the first female investing partner in the United States in the firm's 44-year history.

2020 to present
In March 2020, Sequoia announced it would hire Luciana Lixandru as its first partner based in Europe.

On March 5, 2020, Sequoia Capital sent a notice to its portfolio companies warning that the global economy could be restrained by the coronavirus, and urging these companies to “question every assumption about your business."

In October 2021, Sequoia announced it would implement a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business that would allow it to remain involved with companies after their public market debuts.

As stated in my last two requests, I have a financial conflict of interest as I am an employee of Sequoia. I am hoping editors can review my draft above and implement it if they feel it's an improvement. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 22:34, 7 January 2022 (UTC)

Early history and investments
Sequoia was founded by Don Valentine in 1972 in Menlo Park, California, at a time when the state’s venture capital industry was just beginning to develop.

Sequoia formed its first venture capital fund in 1974, and was an early investor in Atari the next year. In 1978, Sequoia became one of the first investors in Apple. Partners Doug Leone and Michael Moritz assumed leadership of the firm in 1996.

Global expansion
In 1999, Sequoia established a dedicated investment fund for Israeli startups. In 2005, Sequoia Capital China was established, later followed by Sequoia Capital India.

2010s
In 2012, Moritz took a step back from the day-to-day operations of the firm. Leone became Global Managing Partner. Jim Goetz led Sequoia’s US business from 2012 until 2017, when he was succeeded by Roelof Botha.

In 2016, Sequoia hired Jess Lee, making her the first female investing partner in the United States in the firm's history.

2020 to present
In March 2020, Sequoia announced it would hire Luciana Lixandru as its first partner based in Europe.

In October 2021, Sequoia announced it would implement a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business that would allow it to remain involved with companies after their public market debuts.


 * This my alternate version, much shortened. I think it can even shorter and with less sources. Feel free to strike any text/sources surplus to requirements. The Banner  talk 00:52, 8 January 2022 (UTC)
 * User:VS for Sequoia Capital Can you live with this version? The Banner  talk 22:25, 12 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi User:The Banner. Thank you for taking the time to put this revised draft together. My preference would be for a few more details, such as the memos from 2020 and 2021, but (absent any feedback from other editors) I would certainly be comfortable moving forward with your version, which is a marked improvement over the current text. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 05:19, 14 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I do not think adding those memos would improve the article. The Banner  talk 06:29, 21 January 2022 (UTC)


 * I understand, happy to move forward with your revised draft whenever you’re ready to add it. Appreciate you taking the time to engage here! — Preceding unsigned comment added by VS for Sequoia Capital (talk • contribs) 20:22, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks for agreeing, hopefully the others here will throw in their opinion. The Banner  talk 20:38, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

Hi User:Z1720, thanks again for your input last month on my first history request, and thanks to User:Shrinkydinks for the offer to take a look at this. I'm pinging you both as User:The Banner has put together a revised version that is a marked improvement over the current text. Any objections to moving forward with their suggestion? Thanks! VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 21:13, 26 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Hello again User:The Banner- hope all is well. It's been a few weeks since you posted this revised draft and we haven’t received any feedback from other editors. Do you feel comfortable implementing? VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 19:26, 3 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Apologies for tagging you again here, User:The Banner, but I'm not certain what is needed at this stage to move forward and was hoping you’d provide some clarity. You and I are comfortable with your version of the History and other editors haven’t offered feedback or objections since the last request over a month ago. If you prefer not to add it to the page without others weighing in, I have been looking into other options to make sure that other editors have a chance to comment. One option appears to be a request for comment. I can try that, unless you're ready to go ahead and add the draft. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 02:51, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I am a bit disappointed that no one else responded to this discussion. So I will add my version pretty soon, hopefully in the next 48 hours. The Banner  talk 10:03, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I did not make the 48 hours (life interfered) but it is now placed. The Banner  talk 09:43, 12 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Thank you for placing the updated History section, User:The Banner. I think the version we landed on is a big improvement and truly appreciate your willingness to engage.VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 22:57, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

Connections to the Chinese military
Does Sequoia Capital or any of its branches or subsidiaries have a relationship with the Chinese military or Chinese military contractors? 173.88.246.138 (talk) 06:45, 9 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Do you suggest any improvements to this article? The Banner  talk 09:42, 9 January 2022 (UTC)

Investments + Programs and partnerships request
Hello again Wikipedia editors. I am back with a new request for a revised Investments section and a new Programs and partnerships section.

The proposed Investments section incorporates claims from the current article and also adds new ones related to Sequoia Capital's structure and notable investments. This section cites the book Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Finance by Marco Da Rin and Hellman Thomas several times.

The proposed Programs and partnerships section details several Sequoia initiatives for investors and founders. These initiatives have all received extensive media coverage for their notability and influence.

Investments
Sequoia Capital is structured as a limited liability company. Investors, referred to as limited partners, contribute money to a fund that the firm's general partners then invest in business ventures. Sequoia's limited partners have primarily been university endowments, charitable foundations, and other large institutions.

Sequoia specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private technology companies, including those in the clean tech, consumer internet, crypto, financial services, healthcare, mobile, and robotics sectors. Sequoia has been recognized for its strong track record of early investments. The firm has also distinguished itself from other top venture capital firms by diversifying its investments and not just focusing on U.S. early-stage venture capital.

Sequoia is an umbrella brand for three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China. Notable investments for Sequoia Capital India include Byju and Ola. Notable investments for Sequoia Capital China include Alibaba, Bytedance, and Meituan. In October 2021, Sequoia Capital China participated in a US$65 million funding round in Animoca. In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sequoia Capital’s China unit is a major investor in Chinese semiconductor firms, raising U.S. national security concerns.

Sequoia's notable early investments include Atari and Apple in the 1970s, Cisco and Oracle in the 1980s, Yahoo and Google in the 1990s, Airbnb and LinkedIn in the 2000s, and Stripe, Square, and WhatsApp in the 2010s. In 2019, Sequoia made more new seed-stage investments than Series A deals. 2020 was reported to be one of the firm’s best years, with eight Sequoia portfolio companies going public in the United States. The Airbnb and Doordash IPOs collectively earned the firm stakes worth more than $23 billion. That same year, Hurun Research Institute identified Sequoia as the world's top unicorn investor, noting it had invested in one in five of all private companies valued at $1 billion or more.

In July 2021, Sequoia published a piece about "the Latin American startup opportunity" that signaled it would increase its focus there. The firm previously invested in regional unicorns Nubank and Rappi.

In October 2021, Sequoia announced The Sequoia Fund, a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business. The Sequoia Fund is an open-ended capital vehicle for all future Sequoia sub-funds. This new structure enables Sequoia to remain involved with and invested in companies after their public market debuts. Sequoia also announced it was registering as an investment advisor, providing flexibility for the firm to invest in more crypto assets and secondary stock. A quarter of Sequoia’s new investments in 2021 were crypto-related.

Programs and partnerships
In 2009, Sequoia launched its scout program, which functions as an individual investor network, managed by Sequoia, that provides founders and other individuals with capital to invest in promising early-stage startups. Sequoia Scouts have invested in over 1,000 companies, including Stripe, Faire, and Uber. Sequoia was the first venture capital firm to offer a scout program, and the model has since been emulated by others in the industry.

In December 2020 Sequoia expanded the scout program to Europe. In 2021, Sequoia partnered on the BLCK VC Scout Network to provide training and education to current and aspiring Black scouts.

Sequoia's Company Design program is a multi-week "crash course" for pre-seed, seed, and Series A founders that includes training from Sequoia partners.

As with my previous request, I am hoping editors can review what I've put together above and implement if they feel it's an improvement. I am happy to answer any questions about content and sources. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 20:29, 31 January 2022 (UTC)


 * Oppose as corporate spam The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 20:07, 3 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi Banner. Thanks for weighing in. I confess that I was hoping for more specific feedback to ascertain what editors do or do not like about my proposed drafts. Are there specific passages here that you think don't work? Some that do? I am very open to working with you and other editors to get this right, but would appreciate constructive feedback to inform my next revision. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 18:38, 4 February 2022 (UTC)


 * I figure some of The Banner's concerns may be about the length of my draft, so I've taken a stab at a revised version of the Investments section that strips out some of the content. For now, I've not included the Programs and partnerships material, so we can just focus on the investment information.
 * To be totally clear about what I'm trying to do with this draft: I'm trying to create a high-level overview of the firm's investments, reducing likelihood of additions over time for every single investment or fundraising round, and just giving readers an idea of the firm's notable investments that are highlighted in media coverage (similar to how a company would highlight notable products on their page). The existing Investments section includes details about the memos that The Banner had noted above they didn't feel belonged on the page, so I'm proposing trimming that completely. I've left the two more recent additions, including the sentence about Sequoia's China unit's investment in semiconductors as it feels more appropriate for editors to decide if those should be kept or removed. You can find my edited version below. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 02:57, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

This is an updated request for the Investments section to share an edited version of the draft I previously offered above. I have made a number of edits to remove some details.

Investments
Sequoia Capital is structured as a limited liability company. Investors, referred to as limited partners, contribute money to a fund that the firm's general partners then invest in business ventures. Sequoia's limited partners have primarily been university endowments, charitable foundations, and other large institutions.

Sequoia specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private technology companies, including those in the clean tech, consumer internet, crypto, financial services, healthcare, mobile, and robotics sectors. Sequoia's notable investments include Atari and Apple in the 1970s, Cisco and Oracle in the 1980s, Yahoo and Google in the 1990s, Airbnb and LinkedIn in the 2000s, and Stripe, Square, and WhatsApp in the 2010s.

Sequoia is an umbrella brand for three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China. Notable investments for Sequoia Capital India include Byju and Ola. Notable investments for Sequoia Capital China include Alibaba, Bytedance, and Meituan. In October 2021, Sequoia Capital China participated in a US$65 million funding round in Animoca. In November 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sequoia Capital’s China unit is a major investor in Chinese semiconductor firms, raising U.S. national security concerns.

In 2019, Sequoia made more new seed-stage investments than Series A deals. 2020 was reported to be one of the firm’s best years, with eight Sequoia portfolio companies going public in the United States. That same year, Hurun Research Institute identified Sequoia as the world's top unicorn investor, noting it had invested in one in five of all private companies valued at $1 billion or more.

In October 2021, Sequoia announced The Sequoia Capital Fund, a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business. The Sequoia Capital Fund is an open-ended capital vehicle for all future Sequoia sub-funds. This new structure enables Sequoia to remain involved with and invested in companies after their public market debuts. Sequoia also announced it was registering as an investment advisor, providing flexibility for the firm to invest in more crypto assets and secondary stock. A quarter of Sequoia’s new investments in 2021 were crypto-related.

To recap my last request: I have a financial conflict of interest as I am an employee of Sequoia. Again, I am hoping editors can review my draft above and implement it if they feel it's an improvement. Please let me know how I can assist. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 02:57, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Investments
Sequoia Capital is structured as a limited liability company. Investors, referred to as limited partners, contribute money to a fund that the firm's general partners then invest in business ventures. Sequoia's limited partners have primarily been university endowments, charitable foundations, and other large institutions.

Sequoia specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private technology companies, including those in the clean tech, consumer internet, crypto, financial services, healthcare, mobile, and robotics sectors. Sequoia has been recognized for its strong track record of early investments. The firm has also distinguished itself from other top venture capital firms by diversifying its investments and not just focusing on U.S. early-stage venture capital.

Sequoia is an umbrella brand for three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China.

In 2019, Sequoia made more new seed-stage investments than Series A deals. That same year, Hurun Research Institute identified Sequoia as the world's top unicorn investor, noting it had invested in one in five of all private companies valued at $1 billion or more.

In July 2021, Sequoia published a piece about "the Latin American startup opportunity" that signaled it would increase its focus there. The firm previously invested in regional unicorns Nubank and Rappi. In October 2021, Sequoia announced The Sequoia Fund, a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business.

Programs and partnerships
In 2009, Sequoia launched its scout program, which functions as an individual investor network, managed by Sequoia, that provides founders and other individuals with capital to invest in promising early-stage startups. Sequoia Scouts have invested in over 1,000 companies. Sequoia was the first venture capital firm to offer a scout program, and the model has since been emulated by others in the industry.

In December 2020 Sequoia expanded the scout program to Europe. In 2021, Sequoia partnered on the BLCK VC Scout Network to provide training and education to current and aspiring Black scouts.


 * I know that I am tough, but hereby my despammed alternate version. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 10:01, 9 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi User:The Banner, thank you so much for working with me on this. I'm largely fine with your changes, but I'm struggling to understand how we can have an Investments section that makes scarcely any mention of the specific companies in which Sequoia has invested. It seems like that's exactly the sort of information a reader would come to an article like this to find, which is possibly why another editor, User:Samanthany, recently added a subsection titled Select recent investments.


 * After my initial request in early December, you and User:Z1720 both suggested that I should focus only on companies with their own Wikipedia entries. That's why I had included those specific examples in my draft above. In your version, it looks like the only companies mentioned are two without Wikipedia entries (Nubank and Rappi), which confused me.


 * I understand how referencing an excessive number of companies could seem promotional, especially when presented as simply a long list of investments. In my draft I tried to contextualize why certain investments were being mentioned and primarily focus on companies that had Wikipedia entries of their own and that had been highlighted in sourcing about Sequoia. This seems to be how investments are covered in articles about other venture capital firms. This framing also reflects the language in the academic textbooks (e.g., Fundamentals of Entrepreneurial Finance) and reliable news source (e.g., The Wall Street Journal) that I cited throughout.


 * Is there a way we could keep the Investments sections as straightforward and factual as you prefer while still providing the reader with some information about specific investments that reliable sources have deemed notable? A list like Samanthany added is one option, but I wonder if you might prefer these mentions to occur within the body of the text. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 23:05, 15 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I missed the addition of the "select recent addition". And to be true, I disagree with that. But as compromise a short list (10-20) of notable companies should be possible. But as a list, sourced and all but without additional info. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:22, 15 February 2022 (UTC)


 * About the unicorns, I expected it to be something else but did not look it up. On hindsight, it can be removed. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 23:22, 15 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Great, thank you. I can work on putting together a list of investments as you suggest and distinguish Sequoia Capital investments from Sequoia Capital China investments and Sequoia Capital India investments. In the meantime, I have no objections to you moving over the revised Investments section that you put together. Thank you. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 02:40, 17 February 2022 (UTC)
 * The max of 20 companies applies to the whole list, not each of the three sublists. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 09:17, 17 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Hello, User:The Banner. I'm back with a revised draft that incorporates your feedback:

Investments
Sequoia Capital is structured as a limited liability company. Investors, referred to as limited partners, contribute money to a fund that the firm's general partners then invest in business ventures. Sequoia's limited partners have primarily been university endowments, charitable foundations, and other large institutions.

Sequoia specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private technology companies, including those in the clean tech, consumer internet, crypto, financial services, healthcare, mobile, and robotics sectors. Sequoia has been recognized for its strong track record of early investments. The firm has also distinguished itself from other top venture capital firms by diversifying its investments and not just focusing on U.S. early-stage venture capital.

Sequoia is an umbrella brand for three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China.

In 2019, Sequoia made more new seed-stage investments than Series A deals. That same year, Hurun Research Institute identified Sequoia as the world's top unicorn investor, noting it had invested in one in five of all private companies valued at $1 billion or more.

In July 2021, Sequoia published a piece about "the Latin American startup opportunity" that signaled it would increase its focus there. In October 2021, Sequoia announced The Sequoia Capital Fund, a new fund structure for its U.S. and European business. In February 2022, Sequoia announced a crypto sub-fund as part of this new structure.

Notable investments

 * 2020s: BitClout, Bolt, FTX
 * 2010s: 23andMe, Instacart, Klarna, Nubank, Snowflake, Stripe, WhatsApp, UiPath
 * 2000s: Airbnb, Palo Alto Networks, ServiceNow, Unity Technologies, YouTube
 * 1970s-1990s: Apple, Cisco, Google, Nvidia

Programs and partnerships
In 2009, Sequoia launched its scout program, which functions as an individual investor network, managed by Sequoia, that provides founders and other individuals with capital to invest in promising early-stage startups. Sequoia Scouts have invested in over 1,000 companies. Sequoia was the first venture capital firm to offer a scout program, and the model has since been emulated by others in the industry.

In December 2020 Sequoia expanded the scout program to Europe. In 2021, Sequoia partnered on the BLCK VC Scout Network to provide training and education to current and aspiring Black scouts.


 * I cut out the mentions of investments by Sequoia Capital China and Sequoia Capital India to keep things simple. Please let me know if this works. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 01:16, 24 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I have implemented The Banner's investment draft. This request is now moot. Quetstar (talk) 17:10, 26 February 2022 (UTC)


 * Thank you, Quetstar, for helping to move this along. I will post a new request that is specifically about the Recent investments subsection. I am hoping that you or The Banner can make one change here, though: I had added an additional source (this Wall Street Journal article) to the claim about Sequoia's restructuring that clarified the name of the new fund is the Sequoia Capital Fund, not (as currently listed) the Sequoia Fund. If you could correct that one mistake it would be appreciated. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 21:17, 1 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Hi there, Quetstar and The Banner. Checking to see if you've had a chance to look at this clarification. Per above, the only thing I'm asking for is that a Wall Street Journal article be added as a source and that the name "Sequoia Fund" (incorrect) be changed to "Sequoia Capital Fund" (correct, per new source). Also pinging Txguy, since they've been active on this page recently. Thanks! VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 23:07, 14 March 2022 (UTC)
 * The WSJ source is behind a paywall, so I am deferring the matter to other editors. Quetstar (talk) 00:55, 15 March 2022 (UTC)


 * In my draft above, I included the relevant passage from the WSJ article ("The plan to register was made as part of a restructuring under which Sequoia would set up an evergreen fund to manage holdings of publicly traded companies on behalf of its investors. Mr. Botha said in October that the firm already held about $45 billion in public company stock. Sequoia Capital has created the evergreen fund, called Sequoia Capital Fund, and expects it to be closed in the first quarter of this year, according to a person familiar with the situation.") as a quote within the citation. This article from TheStreet would also work as a source, as it specifies that the new investment structure is called the Sequoia Capital Fund. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 04:20, 18 March 2022 (UTC)

Senior leadership
Sequoia has traditionally been led by a global managing partner. In 2022, however, this title was changed to "Senior Steward"; this role was described by Doug Leone as "setting the overall tone" as well as "being in charge of centralised functions, including compliance, finance and culture". The appointment of Roelof Botha as Senior Steward marks the third transition in Sequoia’s leadership.

List of senior leadership

 * 1) Don Valentine (1972–1996)
 * 2) Doug Leone and Michael Moritz (1996–2012)
 * 3) Doug Leone (2012– July 2022)
 * 4) Roelof Botha (as of July 2022)

Because I have a COI, I will refrain from making these edits myself. CityPride, you added this section so I'm hoping you can review what I've put together. I would also be grateful if WhinyTheYounger, The Banner, Quetstar or any other editors active on this page have time to look this over. (My request above about the article introduction is still open as well, so if anyone could also review my suggestions there I would be extremely grateful.) VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 05:25, 18 May 2022 (UTC)


 * Looking at it, the notability of some of those people is - in my humble opinion - shaky. Complete removal is in my opinion a serious option. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 08:37, 18 May 2022 (UTC)
 * I unfortunately do not have the capacity to evaluate this fully at the moment but I will say that I am not quite as skeptical of the list of senior leadership inclusion given that each is apparently notable enough for an article in their own right. Whether or not that basis is sound is a question for WP:AFD, not here, unless they're blatant speedy deletes, in my opinion. The text of the senior leadership section comes off as highly promotional, however, particularly in the inclusion of corporate buzzwords/jargon after "setting the overall tone" WhinyTheYounger (WtY) (talk, contribs)  02:19, 27 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you for the feedback, The Banner and WhinyTheYounger. I certainly think the senior leadership identified in this section are all notable, but (a) they already have their own respective articles, and (b) their roles within Sequoia are already covered in the current History section. As such, I agree with The Banner that this section is unnecessary and would be fine with it being removed. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 21:26, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

Sam Bankman-Fried
Have added reference to the investment made in FTX plus its relationship with Sam Bankman-Fried, these being a very important part of the companies investment history. Regards -- Devoke water  13:19, 1 April 2023 (UTC)

History section request
Hello Wikipedia editors. I work with Sequoia Capital and am hoping to work with all of you to update the information in the article. I should say, I think most of the content here is really good, but some of the specific numbers are out-of-date and other passages feel like they could be further developed. Because I have a COI, I will refrain from making any edits myself and will post all my requests here on the Talk page so editors can review them and make sure they align with Wikipedia guidelines. I am new to this site, so I am very open to any suggestions you may have about how to succeed here.

To begin with, I'd like to address the History section, which is very short right now and does not present a full picture of Sequoia's development over the last five decades. I have put together a revised section that splits History into several subsections and provides additional details about each period.

Notable investments request
Hello again Wikipedia editors. I have a new request for a Notable investments subsection to replace (and rename) the current Recent investments one. I appreciate editors wanting to note some of the firm’s investments, which is likely why the Recent investments was added, however the existing list is inaccurate as is. For instance, several of the investments are not Sequoia Capital investments, but investments by the separate entities Sequoia Capital India or Sequoia Capital China, so it is confusing at best and misleading to list them all together as Sequoia Capital investments. I’ve put together an accurate list of the firm’s notable investments that editors can use to update the section. Any of the investments I’ve listed below would be appropriate to include, I suggested about 20 but editors can include as many as they feel is appropriate. For ease of reference, I’ve organized them by decade and I’ve included citations to reliable sources.


 * 2020s: BitClout, Bolt, FTX
 * 2010s: 23andMe, Instacart, Klarna, Nubank, Snowflake, Stripe, WhatsApp, UiPath
 * 2000s: Airbnb, Palo Alto Networks, ServiceNow, Unity Technologies, YouTube
 * 1970s-1990s: Apple, Cisco, Google, Nvidia

As with my previous request, I am hoping editors can review what I've put together above and implement if they feel it's an improvement. I am happy to answer any questions about content and sources. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 21:21, 1 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Stripe is a link to a disambiguation page. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 21:42, 1 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Apologies, fixed that link. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 22:16, 1 March 2022 (UTC)


 * Hello again, The Banner. Checking to see if you'd had a chance to look closer at this since I corrected the Stripe link. As I posted on your Talk page, my intention here was to include a list of accurate investments (given the current list features some inaccuracies). I would also appreciate any feedback from Quetstar, Txguy, or other editors watching this page. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 04:18, 15 March 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm currently working through the edit request backlog and can take a look at this this week, unless any of the above-mentioned users feel particularly eager to handle it. Given the evidently adequate sourcing, I have no initial objections. I'll need to do additional research to verify that there are not notable investments that have not been left out (e.g., investments that attracted highly negative coverage) as a matter of due diligence. WhinyTheYounger (WtY) (talk, contribs)  03:52, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Really appreciate you reviewing this list, WhinyTheYounger. If you have a chance, could you also take a look at my request above (about changing “Sequoia Fund” to “Sequoia Capital Fund”)? VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 17:10, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅ The proposed edits seem reasonable to me, and I will implement them. Thank you for your patience; I understand that sometimes it feels like a trap when it comes to COI editing — you can't do it yourself, but you have to wait months to have someone maybe do it for you, often with sometimes... curt details of their reasoning. (In fairness, though, this is volunteer work, and most of us have interests in areas and topics that are not assisting in corporate PR, no offense, and filling these requests often involves dealing with people who are much less willing to adapt to our norms and mechanics.) Anyways — the investments section proposal is fine. Also, I'm implementing the WSJ/Sequoia Capital Fund naming fix you requested in the above section. WhinyTheYounger (WtY) (talk, contribs)  18:45, 26 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Thank you so much for your assistance here, WhinyTheYounger. Very much appreciated. I should say that I have been thankful for all the feedback I've received here from editors over the past few months, and I'm glad we've been able to work together to improve article content and sourcing. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 00:27, 29 March 2022 (UTC)

Introduction request
Hello Wikipedia editors. I am back with a new request for a revised Introduction section. My understanding is that the Introduction is supposed to summarize the main content from the article, so that's what I've tried to do here:

Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Sequoia specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private companies across technology sectors. Notable companies that Sequoia has invested in include 23andme, Airbnb, Apple, Cisco, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, Stripe, WhatsApp, and YouTube. The firm has distinguished itself from other top venture capital firms through successful early bets in large tech companies. Sequoia has been structured to encompass three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China.

This version lists the same number of notable investments as the current intro, but I've only included companies that are mentioned in the body of the article. As with my previous request, I am hoping editors can review what I've put together above and implement if they feel it's an improvement. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 20:57, 1 April 2022 (UTC)


 * I'm hoping that editors who have previously been active on this page can prioritize a review of this request, as it corrects a rather glaring inaccuracy in the current text (i.e. referring to different global "offices" of Sequoia Capital when some of the identified locations are actually different entities). I am again tagging WhinyTheYounger, The Banner, Quetstar, and CityPride for assistance here. Please let me know if you have any questions. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 05:26, 18 May 2022 (UTC)


 * Summerized: no. This looks like corporate spam. The Banner  <i style="color:maroon">talk</i> 08:43, 18 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Denied per The Banner. Quetstar (talk) 10:30, 18 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Adding a note for context (six weeks later, but oh, well) as to why I also would've been hesitant to implement this request. "The firm has distinguished itself from other top venture capital firms through successful early bets in large tech companies" is the sentence that I imagine triggered the Spidey-senses of Quetstar and The Banner. It is not directly attested in the body, as far as I can tell, though I suspect it is probably true. If you can find an article (or two or more, preferably) attesting to Sequoia's comparative success relative to peer firms in early-stage tech investments, writing a line to that effect and putting it in the body would not be difficult. I imagine that's a relevant enough detail that could warrant inclusion in the lead; see generally WP:MOSLEAD. WhinyTheYounger (WtY) (talk, contribs)  17:15, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

Senior leadership request
Hello again Wikipedia editors. Back in early April, an editor added a new section called Senior leadership that details changes in the firm's leadership over time. I can understand how this information might be useful to readers, but the way it's currently framed is inaccurate. As the cited source (Financial Times) specifies, “Sequoia has dropped the global managing partner title that had been given to predecessors, with Botha instead becoming Sequoia’s ‘senior steward’.” Given this, it isn’t accurate to list out "senior stewards" going back to Don Valentine. I've put together a suggested revision that clarifies this and corrects the other inaccuracy (namely that Roelof Botha represents the third transition in Sequoia’s leadership, not the third generation as this would actually be the fourth generation), and adds an additional source since the cited FT article is behind a paywall:


 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: Removing section for redundancy WhinyTheYounger (WtY)  (talk, contribs)  17:43, 29 June 2022 (UTC)

Revised Introduction request
Hello again Wikipedia editors. I'm posting a revised request for the Introduction that more narrowly addresses the factually inaccurate claims about locations. In the proposed version below, I've kept most of the current Introduction language intact but (a) slightly revised the second sentence to note that Sequoia "specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private companies across technology sectors" as described in the Investment section of the article, (b) removed the claim about Sequoia being "the most active VC fund company in India in 2019" (since that claim is about Sequoia Capital India), and (c) replaced the second paragraph with language pulled directly from the existing Investments section. I also put the notable investments in alphabetical order, since that seems to be standard formatting.

Sequoia Capital is an American venture capital firm. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private companies across technology sectors.

Sequoia is an umbrella brand for three different venture entities: one focused on the U.S. and Europe, another on India and Southeast Asia, and a third on China.

Notable successful investments by Sequoia Capital include Apple, Cisco, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn, PayPal, Reddit, Tumblr, WhatsApp, and Zoom.

Again, the list of locations in the current Introduction is factually incorrect because some of these offices are affiliated with Sequoia Capital India and Sequoia Capital China, which are different entities from Sequoia Capital. If editors feel the second paragraph with locations isn't necessary, I'm fine with removing it, though my edits were meant to address the current inaccuracies. I'm hoping that The Banner, CityPride, WhinyTheYounger, and Quetstar can address and resolve this problem. VS for Sequoia Capital (talk) 21:35, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

I’ll take a look at implementing this this week, thanks for your patience. WhinyTheYounger (WtY) (talk, contribs)  19:13, 25 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Yellow check.svg Partly done: Removing some redundant citations from sentences already in the body (not a major issue, just something that can be done per MOS:CITELEAD) and rewording sentences so they differ somewhat from the sentences in the body for the sake of style. WhinyTheYounger (WtY)  (talk, contribs)  17:18, 29 June 2022 (UTC)