Cloudflare's Worst VC Stories: The Sequoia Pass and the Andreessen Ambush
“A Sequoia partner passed on Cloudflare because he didn't think a woman could lead a security infrastructure company. Seriously.”
What this teaches
Cloudflare's CEO shares two of the company's worst fundraising stories: a Sequoia partner who passed because he didn't think a woman (co-founder Michelle Zatlyn) could lead a security infrastructure company, and an unprepared meet-and-greet with Marc Andreessen that turned out to be a full pitch. Posted during the June 2026 viral VC horror-story wave.
Why it matters
A founder of an ~$87B company naming a top firm's bias-driven pass, with the co-founder in question now COO. Widely covered by TechCrunch and Newcomer.
Key lessons
- Passes are often about investor bias, not the business
- Great companies get rejected by the best firms for bad reasons
- Treat every investor meeting as a pitch
This is an editorial summary. The full thread, and the credit, belongs to Matthew Prince.
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