Which Sequoia partner negotiated WhatsApp’s 2011 investment for months? Jim Goetz did. In April 2011, Sequoia Capital invested about $8 million for more than 15% of WhatsApp after months of negotiations led by Goetz.
The investment came while WhatsApp was still a relatively small messaging startup founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton. Its growth accelerated as smartphone users adopted the app for internet-based messaging, especially across international borders where SMS costs could be high.
Goetz later became strongly associated with Sequoia’s WhatsApp investment. Sequoia invested another $50 million in 2013, when WhatsApp was valued at roughly $1.5 billion. Facebook agreed to acquire WhatsApp in 2014 for approximately $19 billion, making the early investment extraordinarily valuable.
The common mix-up is with other famous venture capitalists such as John Doerr or Marc Andreessen. They were prominent technology investors, but the partner identified with negotiating Sequoia’s original WhatsApp deal was Jim Goetz.