Laela Sturdy

Born in Jamaica, raised in a multinational family in the US, and shaped by years living in Europe, I developed a sense for seeing the similarities in seemingly different places and people, as well as what makes them unique. I bring that same lens to investing: looking for the universal traits of generational businesses alongside the standout spikes that make a company or founder exceptional.

I believe deeply that an investment is a partnership. We're investing money, but more importantly we're investing energy, time, and every resource at our disposal to help make the team successful. Company building is rarely up-and-to-the-right, and we work hard for our founders in the good times, and harder in the bad.

Before joining CapitalG a few months after its founding, I spent the better part of a decade leading teams at Google. I saw up close what it takes to operate a unique company at scale, and developed an intuition for the sometimes hidden aspects of what makes a business truly special (spoiler alert: it's the people).  I also refined my view on leadership, which I first developed playing collegiate basketball. One of the great joys of my job now is leading our firm, and my operational experience gives me a unique lens as I counsel our founders on their own leadership challenges.

Partnering with extraordinary founders like Patrick Collison (Stripe), Luis von Ahn (Duolingo), Daniel Dines (UiPath), Grant LaFontaine (Whatnot), and many more has been the joy of a lifetime, as has building CapitalG with my incredible partners and team.