{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"20VC: Inside Sequoia\u2019s Investment Committee: Lessons from Don Valentine, Doug Leone and Alfred Lin | How the SpaceX and Citadel Deals Went Down | What Sequoia Specifically Looks for in Founders with Julien Bek","description":"Julien Bek is a Partner at Sequoia Capital, one of the most renowned venture firms in the world.  At Sequoia, he has partnered with companies including Rillet, Tacto, and Auctor. Before joining Sequoia, Julien spent five years at Accel, where he worked with companies including Miro, Melio, and BeReal. He is also an angel investor in Revolut and Attio. AGENDA: 06:35 \u2013 What did Julien only discover about Sequoia after joining the firm? 08:05 \u2013 What does everyone get wrong about Sequoia? 13:00 \u2013 Is Series A the hardest stage at which to invest today? 14:00 \u2013 Is Sequoia less focused on ownership as outcomes become larger? 19:20 \u2013 Does Sequoia simply pay more than everyone else to win deals? 22:00 \u2013 Is the \u201ctriple, triple, double, double\u201d growth model dead? 25:00 \u2013 What is Sequoia\u2019s investment process really like behind the scenes? 27:15 \u2013 Can a partner still invest when the rest of Sequoia votes against them? 30:00 \u2013 Why can a flawless founder pitch actually be a warning sign? 31:00 \u2013 How do you judge whether a founder is exceptional in just 30 minutes? 33:00 \u2013 How can investors tell whether a founder\u2019s story is genuine? 35:10 \u2013 Is arrogance a bad trait in a founder? 36:00 \u2013 Which great founder did Julien completely misread? 37:15 \u2013 How should investors adjust their founder assessment across different cultures? 39:00 \u2013 What does a founder\u2019s childhood reveal about their future trajectory? 40:30 \u2013 What has Julien learned from Doug Leone, Pat Grady, Alfred Lin and Shaun Maguire? 47:00 \u2013 What does it mean when \u201cagents become the new customer\u201d? 49:00 \u2013 Does UI become irrelevant in an agent-first economy? 50:15 \u2013 Will answer-engine optimisation become larger than SEO? 52:00 \u2013 Will AI agents destroy software margins and brand loyalty? 53:00 \u2013 How quickly will enterprises allow agents to make purchasing decisions? 54:00 \u2013 Is AI infrastructure a safer investment than applications? 56:00 \u2013 Do software margins matter less when the potential outcomes are larger? 58:00 \u2013 Could the next trillion-dollar company masquerade as a services business? 01:00:00 \u2013 Which service industries can AI truly automate end-to-end? 01:02:00 \u2013 Are enterprises simply crying out for more help implementing AI? 01:03:10 \u2013 Will AI lead to dramatically smaller teams? 01:06:15 \u2013 Is traditional private equity screwed? 01:07:00 \u2013 The most overfunded and underfunded categories in venture 01:08:15 \u2013 What is the best AI agent company outside Sequoia\u2019s portfolio? 01:09:00 \u2013 Which missed investment still haunts Julien? 01:09:45 \u2013 Which founder trait will Julien never compromise on? 01:10:00 \u2013 Which competing fund makes Sequoia bring its A-game? 01:10:45 \u2013 How Julien missed Revolut\u2014and helped his mother retire by investing anyway 01:14:00 \u2013 What does Julien believe that other Sequoia partners might disagree with? 01:15:00 \u2013 What is Julien most excited about over the next five years of AI? ","author_name":"The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch","author_url":"http:\/\/www.thetwentyminutevc.com\/","html":"