3.7
2.9 
3.3 
2.5 
2.9 Gaurav Garg?
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-01-14
Has any one worked with him before?
PRIVATE: Members OnlyLesson Learned Only Pitch A Partner
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2008-01-11
We were bounced around the firm for our initial pitch and landed on Joe Dobrenski. Lesson learned, only pitch a real player in the firm.
Joe was a nice enough guy (I suppose), but a complete waste of our time. He was really really really late and then hurried us along. No eye contact or attempt to engage in a meaningful discussion. Bolted for the door after 20 minutes.
If anyone sells Dale Carnegie classes... please call on Sequoia Capital and sell them the basic intro course on how to win friends and influence people.
PRIVATE: Members OnlySimilar Experience To Others
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by mojojojo on 2007-12-28
Lots of meetings resulting in a suggestion to refocus the business on just a few current customers. Why would I need venture funding for that?
PRIVATE: Members OnlyA Bit Arrogant
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-12-19
30+ Minutes Late And Then Rushed Me
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-12-06
The Partner that we were scheduled to meet with (through a referral) was 30+ minutes late. He rushed us through almost every pitch slide in our presentation. As he hurried out of the room after 25 minutes he kept saying, "Let's stay in touch. Let's stay in touch".
Really bad form
PRIVATE: Members OnlyVISIT OUR SPONSOR: (ADVERTISE HERE)
Fantastic Guidance
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by anonymous on 2007-10-01
I raised my series A from Sequoia as a one man operation. I moved to the bay area after securing the round and was incubated at Sequoia for 5 months. That time was probably some of the most formative in both the company's development as well as my own personal growth as an entrepreneur. They have really helped propel my company to the next level, and their reputation is well deserved. Keep in mind though, they truly are all about making their portfolio companies as large and as dominant as possible - as long as you share these goals you should be more than fine with them.
During your working relationship they will give you honest feedback, and if you are not prepared to have your assumptions challenged you might be caught off guard. Despite all the talk about how Sequoia finds people to be expendable, I've never found that to be the case. Overall: great fund, great people, and I would surely do it all again if given the chance.
PRIVATE: Members Only (615 Characters)Some Comments Are Unreasonable
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Complication on 2007-09-22
Worked with Sequoia (both Israel and US). Sequoia is here to make money for their investors and partners. These are the white sharks of Sand Hill road and whomever doesn't know it should! Swimming with sharks can be both rewarding and dangerous.
If you are looking for someone to help you find a market for your technology, they are probably not it.
If however you:
1. Are an execution maven
-or-
2. Have deep pockets to help you keep a lid on dilution
There is no better partner out there.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyProfessional Courtesy: Roelof Botha
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by TeamDater on 2008-03-02
In the spirit of feedback, I emailed Roelof Botha out of the blue, after reading an article on him from Forbes a few months back. Even though he passed on taking next steps right now for investment, he was a complete gentleman, and got back to me on an incredibly timely basis. He gave me a look, and we emailed back and forth.
At the end of the day, that's all you can ask for. I think sometimes both sides forget we are all on the same team, and one is nothing without the other. Having been on our side, I think Roelof relates better than others, and I have respect for him.
PRIVATE: Members OnlySimilar Experience To Previous
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-29
Was initially pleasantly surprised to be scheduled for a full 1.5 hours for our pitch, a luxurious time frame...however, was not at all surprised (despite rumors that there had been a crack down in this area) to find that the scheduled time did not match reality. We began 30 minutes later than scheduled, due to the late arrival of the Sequoia partner.
PRIVATE: Members Only (818 Characters)Not Investing Outside Bay Area
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by wethorn on 2007-08-27
I was trying to get a pitch meeting with Sequoia for our Series A round. It took about a month for them to get back to me, given that people were out on vacations. They declined a meeting, saying that they generally don't invest in early stage companies outside the Bay area.
PRIVATE: Members Only (161 Characters)VISIT OUR SPONSOR: (ADVERTISE HERE)
Memories Mar The Vc Maven
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by anonymous on 2007-08-18
Most of the partners at Sequoia are top-drawer. But a sour apple in the barrel can make it a harder decision for seasoned entrepreneurs to choose Sequoia.
PRIVATE: Members Only (745 Characters)Worth The Effort
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by Anonymous on 2007-08-18
I heard all of the shark and bully comments about Sequoia, and the source is usually other VC firms. I accept that they may not be founder-friendly. Still, for all their fame, Sequioa was accessible and when partners (Leone and Gandhi) said to stay in touch, they meant it, and indeed we did. Mark Dempster is the way to get in the door and he will offer a sense of the firm's interest, but not presume anything. We were not funded but pitching this firm boosted confidence. Making an impression and connection here means you can do it anywhere so for that reason I would not put Sequoia last in your queue.
PRIVATE: Members OnlyFunding Notes
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by anon on 2007-08-09
Great Guys
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by anon on 2007-08-08
Sequoia Capital has been very willing to help our company before we even agreed on a termsheet - they helped close prospective employees, did legwork to help figure out user growth, and continuously offered product feedback. After closing remained very active/helpful investors, which can be extremely beneficial if you are a young entrepreneur without a lot of experience.
Contrary to a lot of other reports, I found Sequoia to be very humble - attitude throughout the process was "you are our customers, and we are only as good as our next investment."
Getting funding was very painless. We agreed on terms ~48 hours after our pitch and closed everything ~2 weeks later. Deal was expensive but fair.
TIPS ON GETTING FUNDED:
- get angels who are good friends with Sequoia
- build a product and have some users/customers before pitching
- obsessively focus on execution
- they prefer youth and passion to business experience, so come pitch in jeans and tshirt!
Ask any questions in comments below
PRIVATE: Members OnlyTam Investor
Fund: Sequoia Capital
Posted by bubblepopper on 2007-08-07
Sequoia is a "TAM" (Total Addressable Market) investor. Unfortunately, they view as expendable the founders and employees who take huge personal risk to help them address these markets. As an entrepreneur, I think they are the stereotype of the VC to be avoided.
To sum up:
"Knock knock."
"Who's there?"
"Sequoia Capital?"
"Sequoia Capital wh--"
"HIT YOUR NUMBERS!"
Having said that, they are extremely bright guys, and because they are so powerful it's easy for them to bring in their buddies for additional rounds. And to state the utterly obvious, I would love to be a Sequoia LP.
PRIVATE: Members Only (1114 Characters)