Sequoia Capital—Sequoia Capital published formal DEI commitment and hired first female investing partner in US after 44 years
In December 2020, Sequoia Capital published a formal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including NAACP donation matching and internal programs like Team Member Resource Groups focused on intersectionality. This followed the 2016 hiring of Jess Lee as the firm's first female investing partner in the US in its 44-year history. In 2020, the firm also hired Luciana Lixandru as its first partner based in Europe. However, World Benchmarking Alliance assessments noted limited public disclosure on gender equality targets, women in leadership proportions, and gender pay gaps.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEI Programs | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Gender Equity | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.497 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (medium ×1) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Sequoia published formal DEI commitment page with NAACP donation matching and intersectionality programs
In December 2020, Sequoia Capital published a formal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion on its website. The page highlighted NAACP Empowerment Programs donation matching and Team Member Resource Groups focused on intersectionality and sharing authentic selves at work.
Sequoia Capital hired Jess Lee as first female investing partner in the US in firm's 44-year history
In 2016, Sequoia Capital hired Jess Lee, making her the first female investing partner in the United States in the firm's 44-year history. In March 2020, the firm also hired Luciana Lixandru as its first partner based in Europe.