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Jim Goetz

  • Seed/Early
  • +
  • Growth
Every legendary founder started as an unknown underdog.

Backstory

The risk-seeking part of my personality defined my early days. Accepting dares as an adolescent led to plenty of trouble with the establishment. I eventually learned to channel that spirit productively when I co-founded VitalSigns, which Sequoia eventually backed. But what really shaped my arc was mentorship. When I decided to join Sequoia rather than start another business, it was because I wanted to be mentored by others. For six months, I silently shadowed Michael, Doug, Don and Pierre Lamond to board meetings. They wanted me to see how different they all were, and encouraged me to find an approach authentic to me.

A few years in, most partners hit a period of self-doubt. The lemons have fallen from the tree, but the winners haven’t shown up yet. You think, “I suck.” The psychological elements of venture and seed keep us humble. Prospect theory, domain of gains, and endowment effect all become important considerations. It’s been a joy for me to help younger partners pull through that phase of development.

Trusting and empowering the next generation is something Don, Michael and Doug started—and I’ve been very happy to continue it. Sequoia has stood the test of time because our culture is larger than any of us; it’s not about one person’s power or economic need. You don’t see that much on Sand Hill Road or Wall Street, and I’m honored to be part of it.

On the lookout for

The collision of ambition and intelligence is the foundation. A modern business model is part of the ante. An ability to develop culture and magnet qualities for talent are wonderful soft skills. Prior success leading an organization or honing your skills at another great startup is a fantastic path to entrepreneurship.

We also look for tenacity and a growth mindset. People assume entrepreneurship is “up and to the right,” but it’s really defined by struggle and challenges. Having gone through that darkness myself, I love being on the journey with them, helping them craft their own authentic culture and being present during critical moments.

I could rattle off 10 categories we’re actively landscaping, but I’m more interested in what’s not in our landscapes.

Get in touch with Jim

Personal Side

  • Detroit native
  • Beginning biohacker
  • Slang enthusiast
  • Philanthropist
  • Miami Transplant

Press & Media

Companies

Current Companies

Company Name  Short Description Current Stage  Founders First Partnered  collapse
CarbonCarbon is transforming 3D printing through the process of light extrusion.Growth
  • Joseph DeSimone
  • Alex Ermoshkin
  • Steve Nelson
Early (2013)Collapse
ClariClari is an end-to-end sales analytics and forecasting platform for revenue teams.Growth
  • Andy Byrne
  • Kurt Leafstrand
  • Venkat Rangan
Early (2012)Collapse
DashlaneDashlane secures users' digital identity across a wide range of platforms and devices.Growth
  • Jean Guillou
  • Guillaume Maron
Growth (2019)Collapse
HalloAppHalloApp is a secure social network based on people's personal contacts.Seed
  • Neeraj Arora
  • Michael Donohue
Seed (2020)Collapse
NeevaNeeva is search reimagined—ad-free, private and deeply personal.Acquired
  • Vivek Raghunathan
  • Sridhar Ramaswamy
Early (2019)Collapse
ObservableObservable is a web-based platform for data practitioners.Growth
  • Michael Bostock
  • Melody Meckfessel
Seed (2016)Collapse
SemgrepSemgrep is a code scanning platform for finding first and third-party security vulnerabilities in your code base.Growth
  • Drew Dennison
  • Isaac Evans
  • Luke O'Malley
Seed (2017)Collapse
Versa NetworksVersa Networks is an elastic network services platform.Growth
  • Apurva Mehta
  • Kumar Mehta
Early (2012)Collapse

Enduring Companies

Company Name  Short Description Current Stage  Founders First Partnered  collapse
AdMobAdMob, now part of Google, is a pay-per click marketplace for mobile apps.Acquired
  • Omar Hamoui
Early (2006)Collapse
BarracudaBarracuda Networks provides security, application delivery and data protection Solutions.IPO
  • Dean Drako
  • Zach Levow
  • Michael Perone
Early (2005)Collapse
DrawbridgeDrawbridge is an identity resolution that helps companies connect and supercharge their data.Acquired
  • Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan
Early (2010)Collapse
GitHubGitHub is the system of record for code.Acquired
  • PJ Hyett
  • Chris Wanstrath
Growth (2015)Collapse
HubSpotHubSpot builds all-in-one marketing software.IPO
  • Brian Halligan
  • Dharmesh Shah
Early (2011)Collapse
JasperJasper, now part of Cisco, builds cloud-based platforms for the Internet of Things.Acquired
  • Daniel Collins
  • Amit Gupta
  • Jahangir Mohammed
Early (2005)Collapse
KarmaKarma, now part of Facebook, was a mobile social gifting and commerce startup.Acquired
  • Ben Lewis
  • Lee Linden
Early (2012)Collapse
MetaswitchMetaswitch, now part of Microsoft, powers voice, data and unified communications services.Acquired
  • Ian Ferguson
Growth (2008)Collapse
Nimble StorageNimble Storage, now part of Hewlett-Packard, builds hardware and software for data storage.IPO
  • Umesh Maheshwari
  • Varun Mehta
Early (2008)Collapse
Palo Alto NetworksPalo Alto Networks is a global cybersecurity leader focused on the cloud.IPO
  • Rajiv Batra
  • Nir Zuk
Early (2005)Collapse
PeakStreamPeakstream, now part of Google, provides a software platform for High Performance Computing.Acquired
  • Matthew Papakipos
  • Asher Waldfogel
Early (2005)Collapse
QuantennaQuantenna manufactures next-generation low-power wireless semiconductors focused on Wi-Fi networks.IPO
  • Farrokh Farrokhi
  • Andrea Goldsmith
  • Behrooz Rezvani
Early (2006)Collapse
Ruckus NetworksRuckus Networks, now part of CommScope, is a pioneer in the wireless infrastructure market for high bandwidth applications and services.IPO
  • Bill Kish
  • Victor Shtrom
Early (2002)Collapse
ThousandEyesThousandEyes provides network intelligence for the cloud.Acquired
  • Mohit Lad
  • Ricardo Oliveira
Seed (2011)Collapse
WhatsAppWhatsApp, now part of Facebook, is an end-to-end encrypted mobile messenger app.Acquired
  • Brian Acton
  • Jan Koum
Early (2011)Collapse