Sequoia Capital Founders: The Visionaries Behind Global Success

Dougherty and Rogers founded Sequoia Capital in 1972, marking the beginning of their vision to invest in and support innovative companies.

Their first investment was in Apple, which would go on to revolutionize the tech industry.

Dougherty and Rogers' focus on early-stage investments allowed them to nurture companies from their inception, providing guidance and resources to help them scale.

This approach paid off, as many of their portfolio companies went on to become household names.

Additional reading: Private Equity Portfolio Companies

Don Valentine, the founder of Sequoia Capital, passed away at the age of 87 due to natural causes.

He was a native of New York who majored in chemistry at Fordham University before joining Raytheon in South California.

Valentine moved north to the Bay Area to work at Fairchild Semiconductor, where he began investing his own small checks into technology companies.

Among his first bets were Atari and Apple, which he invested in from his $3 million venture fund formed in 1974.

He later led Sequoia into numerous other high-flyers, including Cisco Systems.

Valentine continued to lead Sequoia until handing over the reins to Doug Leone and Michael Moritz.

He remained involved with the firm for another 10 years, attending partner meetings and offering his advice and guidance.

The partners have said they were happy for his continued input, even if they didn't always agree with him.

Valentine chose the name Sequoia because it conveyed the longevity and strength of the tallest of redwoods.

He was a humble person who refrained from putting his own name on the business.

Valentine is survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren.