Douglas Leone

About

Douglas Leone is an American billionaire venture capitalist and former Senior Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital. Born in Genoa, Italy, in 1957, Leone immigrated to the United States with his family at eleven years old, growing up in Mount Vernon, New York. He pursued engineering and business management, completing a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University, a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Columbia University, and a Master of Science in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to entering venture capital, Leone gained enterprise technology experience working in sales and management roles at Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard, and Prime Computer. He joined Sequoia Capital in 1988 and was elevated to managing partner in 1996, co-leading the firm alongside Sir Michael Moritz. Under Leone's management, Sequoia orchestrated significant international expansion, establishing dedicated funds and regional teams across China, India, and Europe, which solidified the firm's position as a global leader in venture investment. Over his career at Sequoia, Leone led investments in high-profile enterprise and tech companies including ServiceNow, RingCentral, Medallia, and PlanGrid. In 2022, he stepped down from his role as Senior Managing Partner, passing the firm's leadership to Roelof Botha while remaining involved as a general partner.

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