HELLO!

Sizing

We want to be contributors to companies that have the chance to become very significant. This requires us to cut cloth according to circumstances because companies require different amounts of venture capital at various stages. Bear in mind that the very best seed and early stage companies evolve into great growth companies. As a result, Sequoia Capital has had the good fortune to be an investor in a long list of growth stage companies. Here are some very general guidelines about the amounts we invest at different stages.

Setting

For seed and early stages it is helpful if the company is close to our office in the U.S. since these sorts of companies require very frequent contact. Growth stage companies are another matter and we are more than happy to invest in whatever places the founders and managements of these more mature companies have chosen for themselves.

Underdogs

The collision of intelligence and ambition with opportunity is unbeatable. Almost everyone we have ever invested in has been a complete unknown at the time we met. Many have been immigrants or first generation Americans with barely a penny to their name. Underdogs are our favorite kind of people.

Appetite

High-quality fast growing companies form our beat. Many of the companies we are associated with have been in the world of technology -- where sudden change promotes fresh growth. But we also invest beyond our four staples -- services, software, systems and components.

Creators

As the "Entrepreneurs Behind the Entrepreneurs", Sequoia Capital has had the privilege of being the first venture capital investor and business partner in companies that makeup 10% of the NASDAQ's value. Here are some of the people who have chosen us as partners:

Connect

It is easy to reach us. E-mail works. Voicemail works. Direct approaches work. Referrals from people we know are helpful but they are not necessary. We have invested in many companies where, prior to the investment, we knew nobody in the company. If, for some reason, you do not get a quick response -- just send a follow-up email to dempster@sequoiacap.com and you will get a definitive sense of where we stand. We do not like to keep people waiting. Before contacting us, you might find it helpful to read our business plan format.

Roost

Plenty of early stage companies have started or been housed inside Sequoia Capital. We like being involved with companies when they are composed of less than a handful of people. We like being the very first venture capital investors. In recent years companies such as YouTube, Plaxo, Cast Iron, and Mark Logic, have spent their formative months working in our office. Long ago Electronic Arts and PMC Sierra both developed their original business as our guests. We do not have an E.I.R. program. Ours is just for E.I.A.s - Entrepreneurs in Action.

Tomorrow

Our future depends on the present. The way we ensure a rich supply of fresh investments is to make sure that the founders and management of the companies with which we are currently involved are happy with our performance. That means we need to live up to our promises.

Spigot

Most of Sequoia Capital's investors are educational institutions or philanthropies. We like sophisticated, discreet investors who can make up their own minds about whether Sequoia Capital works for them. Many of our limited partners have the very best investment results in their fields. We feel this places extra pressure on us to perform. Alongside their monies we invest a substantial amount of our own.