Sequoia Capital is one of the leading venture firms in China. Over half of the company’s assets under management were invested in China. Out of over 500 companies Sequoia China had invested since its inception, 53 were valued at more than 1 billion each. From 2018 to 2020, Sequoia China partner Neil Shen had topped the Forbes Midas List, a ranking of the world’s 100 top venture capitalists. Below are some key factors for Sequoia’s incredible success.
Steve Jobs had a big fan base in China, that was part of the reasons that Sequoia was able to attract a group of excellent Chinese entrepreneurs
Chinese entrepreneurs admired Silicon Valley’s famed entrepreneurs, such as Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. When the venture firm that had partner with Jobs came to China, entrepreneurs all wanted to work with Sequoia to become the next Jobs.
A decentralized governance structure turned out to work well for Sequoia
Doug Leone, managing partner of Sequoia Capital, wanted decentralization. Neil Shen was expected to create his distinctive plan for Sequoia China. Though Shen’s “odd” investment decisions often baffled Leone, he still offered support, not interference.
Shared values, culture and financial interests united Sequoia together.
“There is no such thing as motherhood. It has to be two ways, meaning that it’s not just the U.S. sharing in the success of China, India and Southeast Asia but also vice versa,” said Neil Shen. Sequoia’s shared values, culture and financial interests across partners in all regions united the organization together.