Roelof Botha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roelof Botha
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Roelof Botha, September 2010
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Roelof Frederik Botha
19 September 1973 (age 51) Pretoria, South Africa
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| Alma mater | (MBA) |
| Occupation | Venture capitalist |
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Roelof Frederik Botha (born September 19, 1973) is a successful businessman from South Africa and America. He is known for investing in new companies and helping them grow. This type of investor is called a venture capitalist.
Botha is a top partner at Sequoia Capital, a famous investment firm. He helps guide many companies, including MongoDB, Evernote, Bird, Square, and Unity. He also worked with well-known companies like Instagram and YouTube in the past.
Forbes magazine often lists him among the best venture capitalists. He was ranked 9th in 2021 on their "Midas List."
Contents
Roelof Botha's Journey: Education and Career
Roelof Botha was born in Pretoria, South Africa. When he was six, his family moved to Cape Town. He grew up in a place called Hout Bay.
He studied at the University of Cape Town. In 1996, he earned a degree in Actuarial Science, Economics, and Statistics. After college, he worked as a business analyst for two years.
Later, he moved to the United States. He went to Stanford University and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
Working at PayPal
In 2000, even before finishing his MBA, Botha joined PayPal. He started as a director helping the company grow. He then became the vice-president of finance.
In September 2001, he was named the CFO of PayPal. This means he was in charge of all the company's money. PayPal became a public company in February 2002. Later that year, eBay bought PayPal.
Joining Sequoia Capital
After PayPal was sold, Botha decided to join Sequoia Capital in 2003. Sequoia Capital is a company that invests in new and growing businesses.
At Sequoia, Botha helped invest in many successful companies. These include YouTube, Instagram, and Square. He also helped plan when PayPal bought Xoom.
In 2017, Botha took on a bigger role at Sequoia. By 2022, he became the Senior Steward of Sequoia's global operations. This means he helps lead the company's work around the world.
As of 2022, he continues to invest in many new companies. On October 9, 2023, Botha became the chairman of the board for Unity Technologies.
Botha's Family Connections
Roelof Botha comes from an interesting family. His father, also named Roelof, is an economist. An economist studies how money and resources are used.
His uncle was Piet Botha, a well-known rock musician. Roelof's grandfather was Pik Botha. He was a famous South African politician. He served as the country's last foreign minister under the Apartheid government. He also served as a minister under Nelson Mandela.
Roelof Botha is married to Huifen Chan. They have a daughter named Saskia Botha.
