Michael Moritz, Partner, Sequoia Capital

“You can talk in a grand fashion about a 20-year plan, but you also have to work on what ‘this afternoon’ brings. Having a sense of where your compass is set, and then breaking it down into little steps - knowing they will change over time, but not losing sight - that’s what you need to build an organization.” Michael Moritz, partner at Sequoia Capital, visited campus for View From The Top and shared what he learned as a journalist covering Silicon Valley in the 1980’s and later as an investor within it.
During Moritz’s 33 years in venture capital, Sequoia Capital has provided early funding to tech companies now considered giants (LinkedIn, KAYAK, Google, and Zappos among them). Moritz also advised students on what he looks for in early companies. “To me, the best investments are always those that don’t fit into a convenient bucket,” he said. “What isn’t obvious becomes something really interesting. Look out for the unexpected.”