Sequoia China Rebranding Is High-Stakes Leadership Test

HongShan is shedding the Sequoia China name during a VC downturn and rising tensions between the US and China. 

Neil Shen, founding partner of HongShan.

Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg
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The venture capital giant formerly known as Sequoia China is slated to host a major gathering of investors this month. The annual meeting is a kind of coming out party for HongShan, which formally split with Sequoia in June, and has $56 billion under management.

But a dismal climate for startups and ratcheting geopolitical tensions mean that the stakes are unusually high as HongShan rolls out its new brand.