Overview
- Sequoia, which announced the changes on Wednesday, November 4, has closed its London office and confirmed that several UK staff will leave the firm.
- The firm said it is sunsetting its Arc accelerator and Scouts programme, combining early‑stage and growth teams, and removing partner layers and the Monday partner meeting to speed decision making.
- Some partners will remain in Europe while others relocate, with Luciana Lixandru staying in Europe, Anas Biad moving to San Francisco, and Julien Bek’s future at the firm not yet clear.
- Sequoia stressed the move is strategic not financial after raising roughly $10 billion across recent funds and said it will keep backing European founders from its Bay Area headquarters.
- The pullback reduces Sequoia’s structured local routes for sourcing deals and follows a wider pattern of some US VCs shrinking London footprints, a shift that could change who leads big European rounds and how local founders get support.