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Laela Sturdy

Investor

Managing Partner at CapitalG · Board director at Whatnot

San Francisco, CA

Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $1.5M

Find your path to Laela

114 people in our graph share verified history with Laela — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Kelly BartonunlockedLaela: together at CapitalG (2021–2026)
×9Laela: together at CapitalG
×2Laela: together at Whatnot

About

Laela Sturdy runs CapitalG, Alphabet's independent growth fund, which she took over as managing partner in 2023 — becoming the first woman to lead an Alphabet investing arm. Her portfolio includes Stripe, Duolingo, Gusto, UiPath and Whatnot, and under her leadership the fund has leaned into AI-era growth companies. She joined CapitalG shortly after its founding, following operating roles at Google.

Invests in

ConsumerCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareFintech

Beyond investing

Education
Studied at Harvard College (AB, Biochemistry) Studied at Trinity College Dublin (MSc, Multimedia Systems) Studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA)
Awards
Sturdy was awarded a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship in 2002 to pursue an MBA at Stanford University.
Hobbies
Sturdy is an avid basketball player and was captain of her college women's team. Sturdy enjoys listening to live music with her wife and kids in San Francisco.
Family
Sturdy is an immigrant from Jamaica.

From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.

Board director at WhatnotYC W20

Intro paths

YC

Whatnot went through Y Combinator (Winter 2020) — Laela sits on its board, so any YC alum in your network can reach them through the company's founders.

GP

Whatnot's group partner at YC was Brad Flora, Backing expeditions into the future — the partner who ran Whatnot's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗

→

In turn, Laela can intro founders to Whatnot's investors below.

Whatnot's investors · 19

Alkeon InnovationNew YorkAndreessen HorowitzMenlo Park · $500K – $50M checks · since 2021avraHillsborough · since 2022Backwards CapitalNew YorkCapitalGSan Francisco · $50M – $100M checks · since 2025DST GlobalGeorge Town, Grand Cayman · $100K – $200M checks · since 2020Firebolt Ventures Management Company, LlcPalo AltoGreycroftNew York · $100K – $5M checks · since 2022ICONIQSan FranciscoLightspeed Venture PartnersMenlo Park · $1.7M – $87M checksOperator PartnersNew York · since 2021Scribble VenturesPortola Valley · $750K – $1.5M checks · since 2021Sequoia CapitalMenlo Park · $4.4M – $214M checksStandard CapitalSan Francisco · since 2025Summit Peak InvestmentsFort WorthTq Ventures LlcNew YorkTwenty Two VenturesPalo Alto · $50K – $250K checksWonder VenturesLos Angeles · $100K – $1.5M checks · since 2021Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K checks · since 2021

Co-founders at Whatnot

GLGrant LaFontaine
Grant LaFontaineFounder/CEO
LHLogan Head
Logan HeadFounder

Experience

  1. CapitalGManaging Partnercurrent2013 — presentSan Francisco
  2. GoogleManaging Director2007 — 2013Mountain View, CA
  3. Bain & CompanyCase Team Leader2004 — 2006Greater New York City Area
  4. Amnesty InternationalDirector, Art for Amnesty2001 — 2002

Deals · 3

WhatnotBoard seat

via CapitalG · filed Oct 2025 · $225M raise

press ↗

Project 1972Board seat

via CapitalG · filed Jun 2022 · $110.1M raise

DuolingoBoard seat

via CapitalG · filed Nov 2020 · $35M raise

press ↗

Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.

Other disclosed investments

Board seats

Unqork

Sources: curated public sources · SEC Form D filings.

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Laela Sturdy

Google’s CapitalG Names Laela Sturdy as New Leader

Bloomberg Technology

Laela Sturdy Shares the Secret Sauce to CapitalG | Upfront Summit 2022

Upfront Ventures

STARTUP ALLEY: Edith Yeung, Race Capital + Laela Sturdy, CapitalG

TechCrunch

Dialogues on the Future - with Laela Sturdy, General Partner, CapitalG on Connectedness

The Trium Group

Colleagues at CapitalG

Adam Naor
Investor at CapitalG
Alex Nichols
Investor at CapitalG
Alex Tran
Investor at CapitalG
Alice Yang
Investor at CapitalG
Alli McKulla
Investor at CapitalG
Allison Caragan
Executive Business Partner at CapitalG
Andy Chu
Director of Tax at CapitalG
Army Tunjaicon
Vice President at CapitalG

Frequently asked questions

Who is Laela Sturdy?
Laela Sturdy runs CapitalG, Alphabet's independent growth fund, which she took over as managing partner in 2023 — becoming the first woman to lead an Alphabet investing arm. Her portfolio includes Stripe, Duolingo, Gusto, UiPath and Whatnot, and under her leadership the fund has leaned into AI-era growth companies. She joined CapitalG shortly after its founding, following operating roles at Google.
Where does Laela Sturdy work?
Laela Sturdy is Managing Partner at CapitalG and Board director at Whatnot.
What does Laela Sturdy invest in?
Laela Sturdy invests in Consumer, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, Enterprise Software, Fintech.
What check size does Laela Sturdy write?
Laela Sturdy typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
What boards does Laela Sturdy sit on?
Laela Sturdy holds tracked board seats at Duolingo, Project 1972, Unqork, Whatnot.
What companies has Laela Sturdy invested in?
Investments tracked here include UiPath, Chief, Cloudflare, Curated, Duolingo, Glassdoor, Gusto, Isomorphic Labs, Lovable, Stripe, TripAround, UiPath, and 3 more.
Where did Laela Sturdy go to school?
Laela Sturdy studied at Harvard University (BA, Biochemistry); Stanford University Graduate School of Business (MBA).
What awards has Laela Sturdy received?
Sturdy was awarded a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship in 2002 to pursue an MBA at Stanford University.
What podcasts and interviews feature Laela Sturdy?
Tracked appearances include "Google’s CapitalG Names Laela Sturdy as New Leader", "Laela Sturdy Shares the Secret Sauce to CapitalG | Upfront Summit 2022", "STARTUP ALLEY: Edith Yeung, Race Capital + Laela Sturdy, CapitalG", and 1 more.
Does Laela Sturdy lead rounds?
Yes — Laela Sturdy has led 1 tracked investment.

Same school

Shared employers