Sequoia Capital Overview
Sequoia Capital is the most storied venture capital firm in history. Don Valentine founded it in 1972 with Atari as its first investment. The portfolio reads like a history of technology: Apple, Cisco, Oracle, Google, YouTube, WhatsApp, Airbnb, and Stripe. Sequoia became fully independent from its Asia affiliates in 2023 — the US/Europe, India/Southeast Asia, and China teams now operate as separate firms.
In Europe, Sequoia established a dedicated team in 2022 led by Luciana Lixandru, formerly a partner at Accel. The European team focuses on seed through Series B and has backed companies like Mistral AI (Paris) and Wayve (London). The office is in London but the team covers the continent, with particular strength in AI, deeptech, and enterprise software.
Sequoia Capital AUM
Sequoia manages $85B+ globally across its US/Europe operations. The firm restructured its fund model in 2021, moving to an open-ended structure that allows it to hold public positions indefinitely rather than distributing shares at IPO. This gives Sequoia unusual flexibility to support companies from seed through the public markets.
Sequoia Capital Key People
- Roelof BothaManaging Partner
- Luciana LixandruPartner, Europe
- Julien BekPartner, Europe
Sequoia Capital Portfolio
Sequoia Capital Interview Process
Sequoia's European team is small and does not run formal on-cycle recruiting. Most hires come through direct network or referral. When the team does hire, the process involves deep investment thesis discussions, company evaluations, and partner interviews that test your ability to identify what makes a company exceptional rather than merely good.
The US team recruits more formally with analyst and associate roles. The bar is extraordinarily high — Sequoia receives more applications per role than almost any other VC firm globally.
Sequoia Capital Careers
For the European team, candidates with operator backgrounds at top European tech companies are valued alongside traditional finance profiles. If you are targeting Sequoia Europe, the most credible approach is direct outreach to Luciana Lixandru or Julien Bek with a specific, thoughtful view on a European market or company.