Sequoia to close London office as several employees leave

Sequoia Capital will close its London office, and several employees will leave the venture firm, according to the company and Reuters. The Sequoia London office closure comes six years after the firm established its European headquarters in the UK and alongside a wider overhaul of its operating model.

Sequoia gave no number for the affected employees in the reporting reviewed. It said the decision was not a judgment on the London team, but that it did not see a need for a local presence. The firm said it believes it can provide support to European founders from its Bay Area base.

The move closes the office Sequoia opened during its European expansion. City A.M. reported that Sequoia hired former Accel investor Luciana Lixandru to lead regional operations in 2020, and that its London investment team had grown to six partners by 2023.

Which Sequoia partners will remain in Europe?

PitchBook reported that Lixandru said she would remain in Europe as a Sequoia partner, supporting portfolio companies and investing personally, rather than relocating to San Francisco. Fellow partner Julien Bek also said he would remain in Europe, according to PitchBook.

Anas Biad has confirmed that he will move to the US while continuing to work with European founders, PitchBook reported. George Robson had not publicly set out his future plans at the time of that report. Reuters’ report does not specify a closure date or identify the employees who will leave.

Office closure is part of a broader restructuring

Sequoia said a roughly 20-year expansion across businesses and geographies had added hierarchy, and that it wants to flatten its structure. The firm is also ending its Arc accelerator and Scouts programmes, streamlining operating and investing teams, and removing the distinction between its early-stage and growth investing groups, according to City A.M. and Benzinga.

The firm said it had raised about $10 billion in new funds, without giving a time period or further detail, Reuters reported. That disclosure puts the London decision in the context of organizational changes rather than an identified funding shortfall, though Sequoia has not provided financial detail tying the two together.

The office closure does not, by itself, show that US investors are stepping back from European venture rounds. PitchBook found US investors participated in 22.2% of European VC rounds in the first nine months of 2026, the highest share of this decade, and in more than €48 billion of deals. The data measures participation in rounds, not the number of US firms with European offices.

Sequoia separated its China and India/Southeast Asia businesses into independent firms in 2024, Reuters reported. Its current announcement is narrower: a London office shutdown, staff departures, and a claim that European founders can be supported from California.

This story draws on original reporting from Sifted.