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
Laela went through Y Combinator (Winter 2020) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
Their 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 · 18
Co-founders at Whatnot
Experience
- CapitalGManaging Partnercurrent2013 — presentSan Francisco
- GoogleManaging Director2007 — 2013Mountain View, CA
- Bain & CompanyCase Team Leader2004 — 2006Greater New York City Area
- Amnesty InternationalDirector, Art for Amnesty2001 — 2002
Deals · 3
Project 1972Board seat
via CapitalG · filed Jun 2022 · $110.1M raise
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Other disclosed investments
Board seats
Investor
Sources: SEC Form D filings · curated public sources.
Podcasts & interviews
featuring Laela SturdyGoogle’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
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 Duolingo, Gusto, Isomorphic Labs, Lovable, Stripe, UiPath, Whatnot.
- Where did Laela Sturdy go to school?
- Laela Sturdy studied at Harvard University (BA, Biochemistry); Stanford University Graduate School of Business (MBA); Trinity College Dublin (Master's degree, Department of Computer Science / Multimedia Systems).
- 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.
Paths to reach Laela
People who overlapped with Laela at the same organization — a shared school or employer with one of them is a warm way in.
Together at CapitalGLaela: Managing Partner
Together at Amnesty InternationalLaela: Director, Art for Amnesty
Together at WhatnotLaela: Director
Same school
Also attended Harvard University1,558
+ 1,552 more
Also attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business1,384
+ 1,378 more
Also attended Trinity College Dublin114
+ 108 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Google1,715
+ 1,709 more
Also worked at Bain & Company751
+ 745 more
