# Laela Sturdy

> Laela Sturdy is the Managing Partner and CEO of CapitalG, Alphabet's $7 billion independent growth equity fund. A first-generation American born in Jamaica and raised in South Florida, she played Division I basketball at Harvard, earned an MBA from Stanford, and built a track record at CapitalG where every one of her early investments became a unicorn — including Stripe, Duolingo, UiPath, and Webflow. She became sole leader of CapitalG in March 2023, making her one of a tiny handful of women running an established multibillion-dollar venture firm.

- **Role:** Managing Partner & CEO at CapitalG (Alphabet)
- **Organizations:** CapitalG, Alphabet, Google, Duolingo (board), Webflow (board), UiPath (board), Unqork (board), Whatnot (board), Aspen Global Leadership Network
- **From:** Kingston, Jamaica
- **Nationality:** American (first-generation, Jamaican-British heritage)
- **Education:** AB in Biochemical Sciences (cum laude), Harvard University, MSc in Multimedia Systems, Trinity College Dublin, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Named Managing Partner & CEO of CapitalG in March 2023 - one of very few women to sole-lead a multibillion-dollar venture firm, All 10 early CapitalG investments became unicorns, collectively valued at ~$200 billion, Co-led Stripe Series D in 2016 at $9.2B valuation (Stripe now ~$95B, most valuable US startup)

## Career timeline

- **1998-2002** — Harvard University - studied Biochemical Sciences, played Division I basketball, named NCAA First Team All Ivy League, captained team
- **2002-2004** — Trinity College Dublin (George Mitchell Fellowship) + Stanford GSB MBA (Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow)
- **2004-2007** — Management consultant at Bain & Company; advised media, retail, CPG, and private equity clients
- **2007** — Joined Google, initially focused on YouTube product and go-to-market strategy post-acquisition
- **2007-2013** — Google - helped launch AdWords Express, Google Offers; founded Women@Google; rose to Managing Director of Emerging Businesses
- **2013** — Joined CapitalG (then Google Capital) as General Partner
- **2015** — Led investments in Gusto and Duolingo (board member since May 2015)
- **2016** — Co-led Stripe Series D at $9.2B valuation
- **2018** — Joined UiPath board (March 2018)
- **2019** — Joined Unqork board
- **2020** — Joined Webflow board (December 2020)
- **2021** — Duolingo and UiPath IPOs - CapitalG's $160M Duolingo investment became $2.3B+ stake
- **2023-03** — Named Managing Partner & CEO of CapitalG, succeeding founder David Lawee
- **2023** — Ranked #9 on Fast Company's Queer 50; named to Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist
- **2024** — Named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in Finance; TechCrunch profile on CapitalG; 20VC podcast appearance
- **2025** — Whatnot GMV surpasses $6B (doubled year-over-year); continues leading CapitalG's AI-focused investment thesis

## Achievements

- Named Managing Partner & CEO of CapitalG in March 2023 - one of very few women to sole-lead a multibillion-dollar venture firm
- All 10 early CapitalG investments became unicorns, collectively valued at ~$200 billion
- Co-led Stripe Series D in 2016 at $9.2B valuation (Stripe now ~$95B, most valuable US startup)
- CapitalG's $160M Duolingo investment grew to a $2.3B+ stake at IPO
- NCAA First Team All Ivy League - Harvard women's basketball
- Founded Women@Google
- Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans (2002)
- George Mitchell Postgraduate Fellowship - Trinity College Dublin
- Fast Company Queer 50 - #9 (2023)
- Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in Finance (2024)
- Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist 2023
- Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars #20 (2017)
- CapitalG manages ~$7 billion AUM with 16+ IPOs and 9 M&A exits under its belt

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Whatnot, a CapitalG portfolio company, surpassed $6B in GMV - double 2024's total
- **2024-08** — Featured on 20VC podcast with Harry Stebbings discussing Stripe, UiPath, Duolingo lessons
- **2024-02** — TechCrunch published detailed profile of CapitalG's current strategy under her leadership
- **2024-01** — Named to Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in Finance
- **2023-08** — Invested in Lovable (AI startup)
- **2023-03** — Named Managing Partner & CEO of CapitalG, succeeding founder David Lawee
- **2023-01** — Ranked #9 on Fast Company's Queer 50 list

## Links

- Website: https://capitalg.com/team/laela-sturdy/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laela-sturdy-376543
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/laelasturdy

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/laela-sturdy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-27