Michael Moritz

Seed/Early
+
Growth

“Follow your instincts.”

Backstory

When I was trying to break into the venture business in the mid-1980s I went to meet the leaders of six firms. All, bar one, told me they did not know what to do with a history major and journalist who had never worked in a technology company, was poor at math and couldn’t tell a voltage regulator from an amplifier. The exception was Don Valentine to whom I owe the opportunity for joining and, eventually, helping build for approaching forty years, what is now known as Sequoia.

On the lookout for

Curiosity. People who speak in complete sentences about a topic that absorbs them. When we first get involved with a tiny company, nothing is obvious. If you’re looking for certainty, you wind up with bores engaged in mundane activities. We have a fondness for obsessives on a mission. This was the case when we met the founders of what became Yahoo!, PayPal, Google, Klarna and Stripe and we hope it’s true when we meet you.

Get in touch with Michael

Personal Side

Giving / Reading / Writing / Painting / Cycling

Press & Media

Stanford GSB: Interview with Michael Moritz

Video

Watch

Charlie Rose: Interview with Michael Moritz

Video

Watch

Slush: A Moment With an Iconic Venture Capitalist

Video

Watch

View From the Top: Look for Unexpected Opportunities

Podcast

Listen

Current Companies

[24]7.ai
[24]7 helps businesses create a personalized, predictive and effortless customer experience.

Current Stage
Growth
Partner
Partnered In
2003
Getir
Getir is the pioneer of 10-minute grocery delivery.

Current Stage
Growth
Partners
Partnered In
2021
Instacart
Instacart facilitates instant grocery delivery from local stores.

Current Stage
Growth
Partners
Partnered In
2013
Klarna
Klarna is a payment solution simplifying the purchasing process.

Current Stage
Growth
Partner
Partnered In
2010
Strava
Strava is the world's social network for athletes.

Current Stage
Growth
Partner
Partnered In
2014
Stripe
Stripe is building an economic infrastructure for the internet.

Current Stage
Growth
Partners
Partnered In
2010
TrialSpark
TrialSpark is an end-to-end platform for tech-driven drug development.

Current Stage
Growth
Partner
Partnered In
2017
Watershed
Watershed is a software platform that helps companies get to zero carbon fast.

Current Stage
Early
Partners
Partnered In
2020

Enduring Companies

Berkeley Lights
Berkeley Lights takes new approaches to biological processes.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
2015
GameFly
GameFly is a video game rental service offering a monthly subscription.

Current Stage
Acquired
Partner
Partnered In
2002
Google
Google organizes the world's information.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
1999
Green Dot
Green Dot builds technology for faster, more efficient electronic payment and money management.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
2003
KAYAK
KAYAK is a travel meta search that allows easy consolidation of booking receipts into one itinerary.

Current Stage
Acquired
Partner
Partnered In
2005
LinkedIn
LinkedIn, now part of Microsoft, is a social network for professionals.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
2003
LinkExchange
LinkExchange developed an internet advertising network for SMBs, now part of Microsoft.

Current Stage
Acquired
Partner
Partnered In
1997
PayPal
PayPal is the digital payment solution behind the digital wallet.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
1999
Yahoo
Yahoo is a global media company.

Current Stage
IPO
Partner
Partnered In
1995
Zappos
Zappos, now part of Amazon, is an online shoe retailer driven by customer service.

Current Stage
Acquired
Partners
Partnered In
2004