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Seed through growth \u00b7 US, EU, India, Southeast Asia

Sequoia Capital pitch deck — what they look for.

The original Silicon Valley fund — backed Apple, Google, Stripe, Airbnb.

StripeAirbnbNotionKlarnaWhatsApp

What Sequoia Capital actually looks for

  • A clear "why now" — what changed about the market that makes this opportunity exist today.

  • Founder-market fit visible in the team slide, not just credentials.

  • A defensible business — moats from network effects, data, switching costs, or distribution.

  • A market large enough that a 5% share returns the fund.

How to format the deck for Sequoia Capital

  1. 1

    Sequoia’s "Pitch Deck Template" is 10 slides: Company Purpose, Problem, Solution, Why Now, Market Size, Competition, Product, Business Model, Team, Financials.

  2. 2

    Lead with company purpose in a single line — if you can’t, the deck won’t close anything else.

  3. 3

    "Why now" is the slide most founders skip and the one Sequoia partners most consistently call out as missing.

Source: www.sequoiacap.com/article/writing-a-business-plan

Build a Sequoia Capital-ready deck in 3 minutes

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