Michael Moritz

Sir Michael Moritz is a Welsh-American venture capitalist, author, and philanthropist best known for his nearly four-decade career at Sequoia Capital, where he became one of Silicon Valley’s most influential investors. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Moritz studied history at Oxford University before moving to the United States in 1976 and earning an MBA from the Wharton School.

Moritz began his career as a journalist at TIME, eventually becoming the magazine’s San Francisco bureau chief. During his years covering Silicon Valley, he wrote "The Little Kingdom: The Private Story of Apple Computer," an early and influential account of Apple and Steve Jobs. He also co-authored "Going for Broke: The Chrysler Story."

In 1986, Moritz joined Sequoia Capital, where he spent 38 years investing in and advising technology companies. His investments included some of the defining companies of the internet era, including Google, Yahoo!, PayPal, LinkedIn, YouTube and Zappos. He served as Sequoia’s managing partner from 1995 to 2012 and was named to the TIME 100 in 2007.

Moritz stepped down from Sequoia in 2023 and subsequently focused on Sequoia Heritage, the wealth-management business he helped establish. He and his wife, novelist Harriet Heyman, also founded the Crankstart Foundation, which supports education, economic mobility, housing security, the arts, medical research, and other philanthropic causes. Their giving has included major support for Oxford University and cultural institutions in the United States and United Kingdom.

Moritz was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 2013 for his philanthropic and other contributions. He is also the author of "Ausländer," a family memoir exploring his parents’ escape from Nazi Germany and the history of his family.