In this new series, we’re spending time with a few of our Sequoia clients at the world’s most innovative companies. These leaders bring deep experience to shaping their organizations and together they represent the supportive, people-focused community that continues to inspire us.

Today, we’re excited to chat with Libby Juelsgaard, SVP of People at Function Health. With more than two decades of experience building exceptional teams at high‑growth companies like Lyft, Twitter, and Mural, Libby brings both wisdom and heart to her work. Function Health, recently named a TIME 100 Most Influential Company, is driven by an audacious and human-centered mission: empowering everyone to live 100 healthy years.

It’s a mission that’s resonating widely. In November 2025, Function Health raised an oversubscribed $298M Series B led by Redpoint Ventures.

Below, Libby shares how she approaches health, a few of the ideas shaping her work today, and an incisive hot take.

Sequoia: How is your company approaching health like mental health, fitness, and stress-related support as work becomes more tech-driven?

Libby: Burnout is deeply personal. The same input does not produce the same outcome for every person, so there is no universal solution a company can perfectly design.

That said, leaders have a responsibility to create an environment where burnout can be talked about openly and safely. A manager’s job is not to fix it, but to listen and help someone find the right level of support to get out of the red zone.

I think about elite teams a lot. High performance requires recovery. Managing your energy is part of the work, and our job as leaders is to create the clarity and space for people to do that well.

Sequoia: What’s one benefit you think more companies will add in 2026 that wasn’t common before?

Libby: I believe more companies will add proactive, data-driven health benefits that give employees real ownership over their health.

We are at an inflection point. For the first time, people have access to comprehensive health data with actionable insights that go beyond what traditional care offers. New tech innovations are removing the typical pain points and barriers that have made proactive care a challenge for many. Data does not replace expertise; it enhances it. When paired with context, it helps us move from reactive care to proactive health.

When employees feel informed and empowered, not confused or dependent, the ripple effect on their lives and our workplaces is real.

Sequoia: If you could give one piece of advice to HR leaders setting their 2026 people-spend strategy, what would it be?

Libby: The most expensive line item is not benefits or software. It is the company’s time.

My hot take: HR has lost the plot on performance management. Overly taxing performance systems with ratings and calibrations create the illusion of rigor while consuming enormous leadership energy without reliably improving outcomes.

If you are serious about people spend, audit where your organization is investing its time. Protect it. Invest in clarity, shared standards, direct feedback, and ownership.

Design for measurable impact, not optics. Time is the most valuable resource you manage.

Libby Juelsgaard is SVP of People at Function Health, where she leads the company’s people strategy in service of its mission to help 8 billion people live 100 healthy years. She partners closely with leadership to build high performance, high ownership teams capable of scaling bold, category defining work.

Libby brings more than 20 years of experience leading People organizations at high growth companies including Twitter, Lyft, and Mural. She is passionate about building elite teams, designing for clarity and impact, and creating environments where people feel empowered to do the best work of their careers. She is also a mom of three and deeply committed to building a life that honors both ambition and family.

In March, you can catch Libby speak on the panel “Designing the Workplace for a Hundred-Year Life” at Transform 2026 alongside Ginny Cheng, Global Head of Talent, OURA; Cher Murphy, Partner and Practice Leader, ON Partners; and Rochelle Noone, CHIRO, Stanford Medicine Partners.

Function Health partners with Sequoia on their Benefits, 401k, Wellness, and compensation programs, working with Sequoia Consultants Mark Mangiola and Jeff Coyne, Eileen Heyrich, Vivek Vishal, and Matt Gromek.