Sequoia Arc2027 deadline, funding, equity and how to apply
Sequoia's program for pre-seed founders building from 0 to 1, run with Sequoia partners. Investment is typically around $1M, with terms set per company.
- Up to $1M
- Funding
- Negotiated per company
- Equity
- Four-day Arc Intensive
- Program length
- Dates TBA
- Applications
About Sequoia Arc
Sequoia Arc is Sequoia Capital's program for pre-seed and seed founders. It started in 2022 as a seven-week program, first in Europe and then in the Americas, with Sequoia investing about $1 million per company. It has since been reshaped. Today Sequoia describes Arc as its twice-yearly open call for pre-seed and seed founders, combined with a four-day company building program called the Arc Intensive. The open call is one of several ways Sequoia finds early companies, alongside cold outreach, referrals and data signals. Unlike YC or Techstars, Arc has no standard deal. Sequoia says every pre-seed or seed partnership is unique and that terms are set company by company. Reported checks have generally been around $1 million. Every early-stage company Sequoia partners with is invited to the Arc Intensive, which runs in small groups of about 10 companies so founders get one-on-one time with the Sequoia team. Founders who have described their Arc experience include the teams behind Pydantic, Summer Health and Listen Labs. Partner companies also get access to Ampersand, Sequoia's founder resource hub, and more than 200 perks, including up to $350,000 in Microsoft Azure credits and up to $250,000 in Cloudflare credits. Arc suits founders who want Sequoia as their lead investor from the first round.
What Sequoia Arc looks for
Sequoia says Arc is for outlier early-stage founders at the pre-seed or seed stage who want to build enduring companies. It does not publish a scoring rubric. The program is framed around the company story Sequoia evaluates at every stage: a clear founder and culture story, a sharp customer problem, a product insight, a credible go-to-market plan and a business model that can scale. Sequoia works with a small number of early companies each year.
How the Sequoia Arc program works
The Arc Intensive is a four-day program for about 10 companies at a time. Workshops follow Sequoia's company story framework: founder and culture story, customer story, product story, go-to-market story and business story. A dedicated session uses Sequoia's published product-market fit framework, with one-on-one time to apply it to each company. Guest speakers have included Sequoia partners and founders from companies such as Ramp, Klarna, Notion and HubSpot. After the Intensive, founders keep one-on-one access to Sequoia partners and operators, the Ampersand self-serve founder hub and the Sequoia builder community. Partner companies are also eligible for more than 200 perks, including NVIDIA savings of up to $500,000, Microsoft Azure credits of up to $350,000 and Cloudflare credits of up to $250,000.
How to apply to Sequoia Arc
- 1Watch Sequoia's Arc page for the next open call, which runs twice a year.
- 2Submit the Arc application with your company story: team, customer problem, product and early traction.
- 3Alternatively, get recommended. Sequoia runs a recommendation form so people in your network can refer you.
- 4If selected, meet with Sequoia partners and agree investment terms, which are set per company.
- 5Join an Arc Intensive cohort of about 10 companies.
Startup perks after acceptance
Accelerator startups qualify for most startup credit programs. These are the ones founders claim first.
Notable Sequoia Arc alumni
Companies that went through or were backed by Sequoia Arc.
Sequoia Arc vs similar accelerators
| Program | Funding | Equity | Location | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia Arc | Up to $1M | Negotiated per company | In person | Next deadline not announced yet |
| Wayra (Telefónica) | Up to $5.8M | Minority stake | Madrid | Rolling admissions |
| EIC Accelerator | Up to $2.9M | None on grant | EU | November 4, 2026 (8 days left) |
| PearX | Up to $2M | Pear targets about 7% own… | San Francisco Bay Area | Rolling admissions |
| Dreamit Ventures | Up to $1.5M | Not published | New York | Rolling admissions |
| Seedcamp | Up to $1.3M | Not published | London, UK | Rolling admissions |
Sequoia Arc FAQ
When is the Sequoia Arc application deadline?+
Sequoia Arc has not announced its next deadline yet (Twice-yearly open call; next round not yet announced). We check the official site every month and update this page when dates are published.
How much does Sequoia Arc invest?+
Sequoia does not publish a fixed amount. It says every pre-seed or seed partnership is unique and terms are company specific. When Arc launched in 2022, TechCrunch reported Sequoia investing about $1 million per company, and $1 million remains the commonly reported figure.
When does Sequoia Arc open applications?+
Sequoia runs Arc as an open call twice a year. As of late October 2026, the next call had not been announced on Sequoia's site. Founders can also be referred through Sequoia's recommendation form, which feeds into the same process.
How long is Sequoia Arc?+
The current Arc Intensive lasts four days and runs in small cohorts of about 10 companies. It covers the founder, customer, product, go-to-market and business story, plus product-market fit. The original 2022 version ran for seven weeks. Support from Sequoia partners continues after the four days.
What perks do Sequoia Arc companies get?+
Sequoia partner companies are eligible for more than 200 perks. Examples include up to $500,000 in NVIDIA savings, up to $350,000 in Microsoft Azure credits, up to $250,000 in Cloudflare credits, up to $100,000 in Datadog credits and $30,000 each from Anthropic and Vercel.
Sources: sequoiacap.com, sequoiacap.com, techcrunch.com, startupintros.com