Douglas Leone
Douglas Leone
Douglas M. Leoneis an American venture capitalist and a partner at Sequoia Capital. He joined Sequoia in 1988 and has been a Managing Partner since 1996. His focus is on internet, software and communication investments. He has been ranked in the top 10 investors in the United States by Forbes Magazine multiple times. Doug also led Sequoia's international expansion into China and India...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBusinessman
CountryUnited States of America
capital companies term tried
We've tried to build Sequoia Capital with an eye for the long term that we really look for in the companies we like to partner with.
people
We want people who come from humble backgrounds and have a need to win.
capital instance
I'll say this: I can't think of one instance in my 20 years in venture capital in which I have wanted to sell a company before the entrepreneur.
china companies three
If you start a successful company in China at 11 A.M., by 2 P.M. there's three more companies like it.
invest means spread winning
In a globalized world, one application can spread like wildfire and there's only one winning company, which means you have to invest more than you've ever had.
choose compete market
If you choose a market that already exists, say, networking equipment, you have to compete with an established company like Cisco. Even if your product is marginally better, Cisco can fudge it and outsell you.
business somebody
You have to be willing to risk things; otherwise, somebody else will put you out of business.
companies five less million
We like companies that can get big and powerful on $50 million or less and not two, three, four or five billion.
bunch gets good money secret word
We have co-opted seed funds. You know, Y Combinator, that was completely our money. We have secret handshakes with a whole bunch of people. Very dangerous, because word gets out that so-and-so's money is Sequoia's money, that would not be a good thing.
business continue india maintain necessary offices run trips
I routinely make trips to China and India where we have offices to continue to maintain the linkages that are necessary to run a successful business.
business ceo great helping names seeing
Our business is all about helping someone - a founder, a CEO - building a great business. It's not about seeing our names in the press.
clear coming india number
We look at the number of engineers coming out of India; we look at the growth of the economy, and it's clear that India is a place we want to be.
large trick
The trick is, a market has to be nonexistent when you start. If the market is large early on, you will have too many competitors. You have to make it large.
button capital honoring press
If I could press a button and have all of Sequoia Capital on the Midas List, I would choose to do that over a honoring a single individual.