Office address: 2800 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Website: sequoiacap.com
Year established: 1972
Company type: venture capital firm
Employees: 350+
Expertise: seed stage investments, early stage investments, growth stage investments, information technology, healthcare, financial services, clean tech, consumer internet, crypto, mobile, robotics
Parent company: N/A
Key people: Alfred Lin and Pat Grady (co-stewards), Marie Klemchuk (CFO), Cindy Lee (general counsel), Avon Puri (chief digital officer), Jung Son (chief legal officer), Caleb Tennis (chief information security officer), Tristan Zier (CoS)
Financing status: corporation
Sequoia Capital, based in Menlo Park, is a venture capital firm best known for backing Google, Airbnb, and Apple early on. The company partners with founders from the idea stage through IPO and invests on behalf of nonprofits and schools. It has invested in startups for over 50 years and runs the Arc program for pre-seed and seed stage founders.
Sequoia Capital launched in 1972 under Don Valentine, at a time when "Silicon Valley" was still a new phrase. Valentine came from the early semiconductor world and played a role in the growth of personal computing.
The company's first fund, worth $3 million, made early investments in Apple and Atari. Valentine picked the name "Sequoia" after the long-living tree, rather than naming the firm after himself.
Over the following decades, Sequoia built a strong reputation for spotting winners early. Sequoia Capital backed major players like:
It also stood out for investing on behalf of nonprofits such as the Ford Foundation and Boston Children's Hospital. By 2005, Sequoia had expanded into China, and over decade later, it hired Jess Lee as its first female investing partner in the US.
Rising US-China tensions pushed Sequoia Capital to reshape its global operations in the 2020s. In 2023, the firm said it would break into three independent units due to regulatory pressures. The separation was completed by 2024, and Sequoia no longer operates in China or Southeast Asia.
The former China arm now operates independently as HongShan, while the India and Southeast Asia unit became Peak XV Partners. Former managing partner Roelof Botha led the firm through these shifts and faced internal leadership challenges.
Sequoia Capital offers funding and resources for startups at every stage of growth:
The firm provides hands-on support through its partners and operators. Founders also get access to over 50 years of company building expertise.
Sequoia Capital says it looks for founders who think differently and are willing to fight for their ideas. The company also states that it values underdogs, independent thinkers, and those with a strong drive to win. Below are key aspects of the firm's ethos:
The firm invests mainly on behalf of nonprofits and schools such as the Mayo Clinic and Ford Foundation. According to Sequoia Capital, this approach gives the team a stronger sense of purpose in their work.
Alfred Lin is a co-steward at Sequoia Capital, a partner since 2010, and is known for backing Airbnb and DoorDash. Lin previously helped build LinkExchange, which sold to Microsoft, and later held roles at Venture Frogs and Zappos. He moved to the US from Taiwan at age six and studied statistics before turning to business.
Pat Grady is also a co-steward, leading the growth-stage business since 2015, and is known for backing OpenAI and Snowflake. Before Sequoia, Grady worked in inside sales after college and held construction jobs in high school. He attended Boston College, where his tuition was partly funded by returns from Sequoia investments.
As of December 2025, Sequoia Capital's operations team includes experienced leaders from various industries:
Sequoia Capital brings in operators with founder and executive backgrounds to its team. The firm says it favors quick leadership changes to keep fresh ideas flowing.
Sequoia Heritage, one of the firm's investment entities, backed the 2024 acquisition of SVB Capital alongside Brookfield Asset Management. The venture unit was valued at up to $572 million and was among the most prized assets from Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. This deal signals Sequoia's continued push to grow its footprint in venture capital.
Sequoia Capital scored a major win when Klarna, the Swedish buy-now-pay-later company, went public in 2025. The listing raised $1.37 billion and drew strong demand from investors.
The firm now holds about 22 percent of voting power in Klarna after the offering. This shows Sequoia's long-term fintech investments are paying off.
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