Sequoia launches platform to help startups expand globally

Sequoia India & Southeast Asia has launched a platform that connects startup founders with tech executives who can help them expand to new markets, especially the US.

Called Pathfinders, the platform is seen to be beneficial for startups in India and Southeast Asia that have plans to expand globally, particularly those in the SaaS sector.

Photo credit: Sequoia

According to Sequoia managing director Harshjit Sethi, the firm has onboarded 25 “pathfinders” – referring to tech executives who are experts in sales, marketing, product management, and engineering – to help its portfolio companies over the past year. These executives have also invested in six of Sequoia’s portfolio startups.

“We intend to scale the platform over the next year by onboarding more pathfinders and portfolio companies,” Sethi said in a statement.

Sequoia plans to simplify the process by building an app to connect both parties, which is still in its beta version. With the app, pathfinders can see a list of startups that are looking for support and listen to their virtual pitches. The firm will not charge any fee for the platform and will treat it as a pro bono initiative.

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Some tech executives who have joined as Sequoia’s pathfinders include:

• Palo Alto Networks president Amit Singh
• Former Asana chief revenue officer Oliver Jay
• UiPath chief product officer Param Kahlon
• Rippling co-founder Prasanna Sankar
• Okta senior director of engineering Pratyus Patnaik
• Former Tricentis CEO Sandeep Johri