Roelof Botha
VCPartner (Advisory), Sequoia Capital
Sequoia veteran; backed YouTube, Instagram, and Square
Background
Roelof Botha grew up in South Africa, earned a BSc in Actuarial Science from the University of Cape Town, and an MBA from Stanford GSB. He joined PayPal in 2000 and served as CFO from 2001 to 2003, taking the company public in 2002. He joined Sequoia Capital as a partner in January 2003 and led foundational early investments in YouTube (Series A), Instagram, Block (Square), MongoDB, 23andMe, and Natera. He served as Sequoia's Managing Partner and Senior Steward from 2022 until November 2025, overseeing more than $50 billion in profits returned to LPs. He stepped down from the managing partner role in November 2025 and transitioned to an advisory capacity, retaining board seats including the chairmanship of Unity Technologies (since October 2023).
Investment Thesis
Be contrarian and right; back unconventional founders and original thinkers who others overlook across consumer, fintech, and deep tech.
Investment Focus
Stages
Typical check: $5M–$100M
Sectors
Based in: USA, Europe, Global (North America)
Notable Investments
YouTube
Led Series A; acquired by Google for $1.65B
Backed before $1B Facebook acquisition
Block (Square)
Fintech and payments platform; board member
MongoDB
Open-source database; board member; IPO 2017
Unity Technologies
Game engine; board chairman since Oct 2023
Natera
Genetic testing company; board member
Eventbrite
Event ticketing platform; former board director
23andMe
Direct-to-consumer genomics; early Sequoia investment