Sequoia Partner: George Robson

In the latest conversation at Imperial College London, Kyriakos is joined by George Robson, Partner at Sequoia. Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/sequoia-partner-george-robson George went from leading global products at Revolut to joining Sequoia Capital - one of the most selective VC firms in the world. At Revolut, he helped scale the team from a few hundred to thousands and launched products used by millions. Now at Sequoia, he backs Europe’s most ambitious founders. In this episode, George shares: What made Revolut’s culture so intense and effective How Sequoia actually decides who to fund The founder red flag they won’t tolerate Why “talent density” beats speed in the early days Whether you’re raising your first round, building a team, or just curious how the top VCs think this episode is packed with real insight from both sides of the table. Follow George Robson on X Follow Kyriakos Eleftheriou on X TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Intro: From Revolut to Sequoia 03:15 – What made Revolut’s culture brutally effective 06:40 – Nik Storonsky’s “gym” metaphor and hiring filter 10:30 – The pod structure that unlocked speed and ownership 13:50 – Why Revolut grew like a Darwinian startup lab 17:10 – Inside Sequoia: culture, filters, and pace 21:45 – What founders often misunderstand about VC 24:30 – 50/50 founder equity splits: why it’s a red flag 28:00 – How Sequoia filters for world-class founders 31:00 – The 4 traits George looks for before investing 35:20 – Working with founders after the check lands 38:50 – Europe vs US: what’s still misunderstood 43:00 – How to pitch Sequoia the right way 46:30 – What great founders don’t do in a pitch 50:15 – Why storytelling and obsession matter 53:45 – What George would do differently as a founder 56:00 – Lightning round: hot takes on VC, speed, AI 59:10 – Closing thoughts: how to build for the long game