Doug Leone, an Italian immigrant who started with blue-collar work like cleaning toilets, filters founders through his trauma, hardship, purpose framework, preferring entrepreneurs who have been punched in the face by life over those with pure academic pedigree. He architected Sequoia's transformation from a Silicon Valley firm into a multi-continent platform spanning the U.S., China, India, and beyond, while building a performance-obsessed culture that applies operating-style rigor to venture capital. Doug Leone, an Italian immigrant who started with blue-collar work like cleaning toilets, filters founders through his trauma, hardship, purpose framework, preferring entrepreneurs who have been punched in the face by life over those with pure academic pedigree. He architected Sequoia's transformation from a Silicon Valley firm into a multi-continent platform spanning the U.S., China, India, and beyond, while building a performance-obsessed culture that applies operating-style rigor to venture capital.