Alphabet CapitalG names Laela Sturdy new head, David Lawee steps aside [Video]

Alphabet’s growth stage venture arm, CapitalG, has named Laela Sturdy its new leader. The move means CapitalG will be one of the few venture firms to be led by a female partner. The industry still has few women and people of color as partners, let alone in leadership positions.

CapitalG Founder David Lawee, who previously served as Google’s first chief marketing officer and VP of Corporate Development, will be stepping down after a decade at CapitalG and 17 years at Alphabet. 

Generally speaking, CapitalG invests a lot like other growth-stage firms, but with only one limited partner as an investor — its parent company, Alphabet. It is distinct from Alphabet’s early-stage venture arm, GV (formerly Google Ventures). Both are part of Alphabet’s “Other Bets” group, which also includes experimental projects like Waymo self-driving cars.

Sturdy made a big impression on the industry and within the Alphabet firm in the last few years, investing in household names like Stripe and Duolingo…