Sequoia Capital
About Sequoia Capital
Don Valentine founded the firm in 1972 in Menlo Park, starting with a first fund of $3 million. In November 2025, Alfred Lin and Pat Grady became co-stewards, the firm's top leadership title, succeeding Roelof Botha. Grady joined in 2007 and has run growth-stage investing since 2015. Lin has been a partner since 2010 and previously served as COO and CFO of Zappos. The two lead the firm's AI push.
Sequoia's stated AI focus covers AI-driven applications in consumer, enterprise, healthcare, robotics and e-commerce, along with cybersecurity. The firm first invested in OpenAI in 2021 and has since added stakes in Anthropic and xAI. Its portfolio also includes Harvey, a legal AI company, and Factory, which works on autonomous software engineering. On the Lounge deals desk, Sequoia is listed as lead on Profound's $180M Series D (2026-09), which a LinkedIn post describes as co-led with Kleiner Perkins.
Sequoia runs separate early-stage vehicles: a $200M seed fund and a $750M fund for Series A companies, both announced in October 2025. Its expansion strategy fund closed at roughly $7B in April 2026, nearly double the $3.4B raised in 2022, and targets late-stage companies in the US and Europe. Check sizes are not published in the sources reviewed, so none are listed.
- OpenAI: AI research and model developer; Sequoia first invested in 2021
- Anthropic: AI model developer; Series H $65B (2026-05), led by Sequoia per the Lounge deals desk
- Harvey: legal AI platform; Series H $550M (2026-09)
- Profound: AI platform for marketing; Series D $180M (2026-09), led by Sequoia per the Lounge deals desk
- Factory: autonomous software engineering; Growth $200M (2026-09), led by Sequoia per the Lounge deals desk
- Fireworks AI: Series D $1.5B (2026-07)
- sequoiacap.com/our-history
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoia_Capital
- techcrunch.com/2025/11/04/sequoia-names-alfred-lin-and-pat-grady-as-ne
- techcrunch.com/2025/10/27/sequoia-unveils-950m-in-new-early-stage-fund
- vcwire.tech/2025/10/29/sequoia-launches-venture-and-seed-funds-totalli
- thenextweb.com/news/sequoia-7-billion-expansion-fund-ai
- mlq.ai/news/sequoia-capital-raises-7-billion-fund-for-ai-and-late-stag
- time.com/collection/time100-ai/2026/pat-grady-alfred-lin
Investing activity
Sequoia Capital appears in 49 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $97.5B, and led 27 of them. The rounds are mostly Seed, Series C and Series A, with a median round size of $100M and the largest at $65B. The most recent are Serval (Series C, $150M, Oct 2026), Nevis (Series B, $70M, Oct 2026) and Flapping Airplanes (Series A, $1B, Oct 2026).
Sequoia Capital most often invests alongside Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures and SV Angel, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI, Foundation models and AI agents for enterprise support.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Sequoia Capital
When was Sequoia Capital founded and where is it based?
Don Valentine founded Sequoia Capital in 1972. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and also operates regional entities in Europe and Southeast Asia.
Does Sequoia Capital invest in AI startups at the seed stage?
Yes. The firm raised a $200M seed fund in October 2025 alongside a $750M fund for Series A companies, and its AI focus spans consumer, enterprise, healthcare and robotics.
Who leads Sequoia Capital's AI investments?
Alfred Lin and Pat Grady have served as co-stewards since November 2025. Grady has led growth-stage investing since 2015 and led the firm's investment in Harvey.
How large are Sequoia Capital's recent funds?
The firm closed roughly $7B for its expansion strategy fund in April 2026. It also launched $950M in early-stage funds in October 2025, made up of a $750M Series A fund and a $200M seed fund.
Which frontier AI companies has Sequoia Capital backed?
Sequoia first invested in OpenAI in 2021 and has increased its stakes in Anthropic and xAI. Its Lounge deals desk record also lists a $65B Anthropic Series H led by the firm in May 2026.
What AI companies has Sequoia Capital invested in?
Sequoia Capital's AI investments include Serval, Nevis, Flapping Airplanes, Blacksmith, TypeSafe AI, Mecka AI, Catalyst and Healthleap. The 49 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Sequoia Capital based?
Sequoia Capital is based in Menlo Park, US.
What stage does Sequoia Capital invest at?
In the rounds tracked on AI Lounge, Sequoia Capital has invested at Seed, Series C, Series A and Series B, with a median round of $100M. Sequoia Capital led 27 of those rounds.
Who does Sequoia Capital co-invest with?
Sequoia Capital's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Lightspeed Venture Partners (9 deals), Andreessen Horowitz (7 deals), Index Ventures (5 deals), SV Angel (5 deals) and Coatue (5 deals).
How can founders reach Sequoia Capital?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Sequoia Capital's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Sequoia Capital to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.