Sequoia Capital has a long history of investing in technology startups. Founded by Donald Valentine in 1972, the firm was named the world’s largest venture capital firm in 2014 with $1.4 trillion in combined stock market value.
The firm invests in early-stage companies that it deems as dentmakers and has offices in the United States, Israel, China, and India. It makes investments in software, internet, mobile, healthcare, and enterprise applications.
It is known for investing in startups at a relatively early stage of the company’s life cycle, allowing the founders to focus on product development and growth strategies. In addition, it uses a scout program to help find startups that have the potential to be big ones.
Among the best-known Sequoia portfolio companies are social media giants Facebook and Twitter, e-commerce site Amazon, online travel company Expedia, and ride-sharing service Uber. They are also the top investors in many other well-known tech startups, including Instagram, SnapChat, Airbnb, and Dropbox.
A decade after it began investing in India, Sequoia Capital has launched two new funds to double down on the country’s vibrant startup scene. The $2 billion India fund, led by Abheek Anand, and an $850 million Southeast Asia fund, led by Neil Shen, will both target startups that are creating digital transformation, bringing online services to offline markets or addressing a specific problem.
“The startup and venture capital ecosystem in India has made great strides in the last decade, but is ripe for improvement,” Sequoia said in a statement. It will also continue to focus on startups that have a clear, focused strategy and deliver real value to customers.
The firm has backed several web3 startups, including CoinSwitch Kuber and Polygon. It has also built a strong reputation for not selling crypto firms’ tokens as soon as their vesting period ends.
The storied venture firm is doubling down on India and Southeast Asia, where it has backed hundreds of startups. It has also broadened the range of check sizes it uses in its Surge program, which focuses on very early-stage startups. Moreover, the firm has expanded its investment in female-led companies through Spark.
