Sequoia Capital pioneered a "market-first" investing philosophy focused on targeting big markets rather than just picking the best people, which they've industrialized into a repeatable company-building playbook with structured founder support programs like Company Design and Arc. The firm broke from traditional venture capital by creating an evergreen fund structure in 2021 and operating a global Scout Program that has quietly backed over 1,000 startups through a network of seeded operators and founders.