Silicon Valley Loses a Visionary
Don Valentine, the founder of Sequoia Capital, one of the most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley, passed away on October 25, 2019, at his home in Woodside, California. He was 87 years old.
A Tribute from Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital posted a tribute to Valentine shortly after his passing, calling him "one of a generation of leaders who forged Silicon Valley." The firm’s partners praised Valentine for his pioneering vision and indelible impact on the technology industry.
Early Life and Career
Valentine was born in New York and majored in chemistry at Fordham University. He began his career at Raytheon in Southern California before moving to the Bay Area to work at Fairchild Semiconductor. It was during this time that Valentine started investing his own small checks into technology companies he met through his work.
The Birth of Sequoia Capital
According to Sequoia Capital, Valentine soon attracted the attention of an early mutual fund group, Capital Group, which staked him and allowed him to form a $3 million venture fund in 1974. Among his first bets from that pool of capital were Atari and Apple. He later led the firm into numerous other high-flyers, including Cisco Systems.
Leadership and Legacy
Valentine continued to lead Sequoia until he handed over the reins well before retirement age to Doug Leone and Michael Moritz. Although he stepped down as CEO, he remained involved with the firm for another 10 years, attending partner meetings and providing guidance and advice.
In 2017, partner Roelof Botha was made U.S. head of the firm, working under Leone, who oversees the firm’s global operations. Other top executives include Neil Shen, the founder and managing partner of Sequoia Capital China, and Moritz, who stepped away for health reasons in 2012 but remains actively involved with the firm.
A Statement from Doug Leone
Leone issued a statement about Valentine’s passing, writing: "We are deeply saddened to share that Don Valentine passed away on October 25, 2019. Don’s life is woven into the fabric of Silicon Valley. He shaped Sequoia and left his imprint not just on those of us who had the privilege to work with him or the many philanthropic institutions that invested with Sequoia, but also on the founders and leaders of some of the most significant technology companies of the later part of the twentieth century."
The Name Sequoia
Valentine chose the name Sequoia because it "conveyed the longevity and strength of the tallest of redwoods," according to the firm’s tribute. The partners also noted the "humility of someone who refrained from putting his own name on our business."
Personal Life
Valentine is survived by his wife, Rachel; three children; and seven grandchildren.
A Legacy in Silicon Valley
Valentine joined TechCrunch at a Disrupt event back in 2013. He appeared alongside another pioneer of the venture industry, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers cofounder Tom Perkins. Perkins passed away in June 2016 at age 84.
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