Why We Invested in [redacted]
Today we’re pleased to announce our investment in [redacted]. This company was founded by elite security professionals Max Kelly (formerly at the NSA, previously CSO at Facebook) and John Hering (formerly founder and CEO of Lookout) to provide a new level of proactive security protection to its clients. [redacted]’s approach to protecting mid-to-large entities with customized, layered defense and orchestrated response is unique in the market, providing a level of protection, intelligence, and response, including the pursuit of the people behind an attack, previously unavailable to companies of this size. [redacted] holds attackers accountable so attacks cease, validating the company’s tagline – “We make nothing happen.”
The frequency and severity of cyber-attacks continue to escalate. In 2021 we have witnessed some of the most impactful attacks of all time, including the Florida Water System attack, the Colonial Pipeline attack, and the Microsoft Exchange Server attack (impacting over 60,000 private companies in the US alone). Many mid-to-large-sized entities have become high-value targets, including those with substantial intellectual property or financial assets. Despite the high value of these organizations as potential targets, they cannot staff a world-class security team in-house. Further complicating this issue is the fact that companies are now relying on many cloud-based platforms to run their businesses, and these platforms can open them to substantial security risks.
The mid-to-large market has been traditionally difficult for security companies to reach and serve effectively. These companies require “right-sized” technology (rather than overly complex enterprise solutions) and a specific level of service to make the technology suit particular needs. MSSPs have historically attempted to offer a solution via centralized security services, but have been hampered by the use of outdated, “wrong-sized” technology stacks to do so, usually patched together entirely with third-party technology.
[redacted] is here to supply a new answer: a tech-enabled partner that will deliver elite security solutions via a state-of-the-art security platform, built with mid-to-large companies in mind.
[redacted] was designed for modern companies that rely on the cloud-based tech stack that the [redacted] team knows how to protect. The company has developed its own proprietary technologies to serve customers’ needs, as well as some selective partnerships with the latest security innovators such as Ten Eleven’s Cado Security. Additionally, the unique experience of the company’s founders and highly skilled technical team enables [redacted] to offer an unparalleled level of response. This includes security intelligence and attribution that lets [redacted] “level the playing field” and disrupt the adversaries, so that these attackers change tracks quickly and move away from the target. For these reasons, we believe [redacted] will be incredibly successful in its mission of providing the best all-in cyber protection the mid-to-large market.
We’re pleased to be joined in this investment with Valor Equity Partners and SVB Capital. Along with these experienced co-investors, we hope to be a valuable partner to [redacted] as they scale and bring their security solution to a broader audience, giving more mid-sized entities the benefit of a tech-enabled, elite security unit working tirelessly on their behalf to identify and disrupt the threats they face every day.
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