Nov 8, 2017

Sequoia Capital raising dedicated seed fund

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

AP Photo/Keith Ridler

Sequoia Capital is raising up to $180 million for a new fund that will focus exclusively on seed-stage opportunities, Axios has learned from multiple sources.

Why it matters: Sequoia has a particularly strong track record in the seed space, having cut small, early checks for such companies as Airbnb, LinkedIn, Stripe, Palo Alto Networks and YouTube.

The $180 million size sounds huge for seed, but it's actually more about changes to book-keeping than changes to strategy. Namely: Sequoia already has raised a pair of "scout" funds, and the new vehicle is viewed as the third in that series. The only difference is that Sequoia Scout III also will include seed deals (generally <$2m) that historically have been done out of Sequoia's flagship fund (although completed seed deals will not be transferred over).

Sequoia declined to comment.

Go deeper

Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 10,920,457 — Total deaths: 522,385 — Total recoveries — 5,789,032 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12 p.m. ET: 2,753,754 — Total deaths: 128,871 — Total recoveries: 781,970 — Total tested: 33,462,181 — Map.
  3. Public health: The states where face coverings are mandatory — Fauci says it has been a "very disturbing week" for the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
  4. Business: Top business leaders urge the White House to develop mandatory mask guidelines.
  5. Economy: The economy may recover just quickly enough to kill political interest in more stimulus.
  6. States: Florida reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases, and its most-infected county issues curfew.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Rashaan Ayesh
2 hours ago - Sports

Washington Redskins to review team name amid public pressure

Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins have announced they will be conducting a review of the team's name after mounting pressure from the public and corporate sponsors.

Why it matters: This review is the first formal step the Redskins are taking since the debate surrounding the name first began. It comes after weeks of discussions between the team and the NFL, the team said.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Dan Primack
3 hours ago - Economy & Business

Scoop: Instacart raises another $100 million

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Visuals

Grocery delivery company Instacart has raised $100 million in new funding, on top of the $225 million it announced last month, the company tells Axios. This brings its valuation to $13.8 billion.

Why it matters: This funding comes at what could be an inflection point for Instacart, as customers it acquired during coronavirus lockdowns decide whether they want to continue with the service or resume in-person grocery shopping.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow