Investor Highlight: Sequoia Capital

Today we're looking at the Silicon Valley investment stalwart, Sequoia Capital, founded in 1972 by Donald Valentine, a man who worked at the semiconductor and silicon chip startups that gave the valley its eponymous name. Valentine chose the name Sequoia Capital because he wanted a name that signaled enduring strength, and enduring strength the firm has had. From the firm's early investments in Oracle, Atari, and Apple to today’s big bets on luxury e-commerce with SSENSE and on-demand skilled professionals with Thumbtack, the team has built an incredible reputation over the decades.
 

Ethos & reputation 

Donald Valentine may have handed over control of the firm in the ’90s, but his favorite question for entrepreneurs remains in the ethos of Sequoia: who cares? If founders can't articulate a clear answer, they shouldn't expect a check from Sequoia. The firm has also built a reputation as an intuitive company outside of its investments, predicting the impacts of the 2008 financial crisis as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the news

As a global investment firm hosting international startups in accelerator programs and maintaining outposts in China, Israel, India, and Singapore, the firm is apparently looking at ways to restructure its disbursements of investment returns, in an effort to avoid tax increases proposed by President Biden’s administration. Meanwhile, in reaction to the incredible lack of diversity in the VC landscape further brought to light by the Black Lives Matter movement, the firm has partnered with Lightspeed Ventures and Black VC to find, support, and mentor Black VCs in the industry.

Check out Sequoia's recent investments in this profile.