Sequoia Partner: George Robson

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In the latest conversation at Imperial College London, Kyriakos is joined by George Robson, Partner at Sequoia.

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.

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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