Ballistic Ventures Named Investor of the Year by SC Media

SAN FRANCISCO, AUGUST 29, 2023 – Ballistic Ventures, the venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity, today announced it was named Investor of the Year in the 2023 SC Media Awards.

The SC Awards recognize leaders in cybersecurity, with the Investor of the Year category spotlighting VC firms that demonstrate unwavering support for product development and growth, steadfast commitment to the market, and deep understanding of gaps in existing technologies and services. SC Media noted the Ballistic Ventures team as “industry veterans who have a combined experience of over 40 years in the cybersecurity VC industry and have founded, funded, and operated more than 90 successful cybersecurity firms.”

Led by Founding Partners Kevin Mandia, Barmak Meftah, Ted Schlein, Jake Seid, and Roger Thornton, Ballistic Ventures announced the close of its inaugural fund in May 2022, which was capped at $300M. The firm has invested in innovative companies that challenge traditional categories of cybersecurity, including Aembit, Alethea, ArmorCode, Concentric AI, Nudge Security, Oligo Security, Pangea, Perygee, SpecterOps, Talon Cyber Security, and Veza.

“This recognition reinforces our passion for building an enduring firm that safeguards businesses and national security, while also empowering portfolio founders in realizing their ambitions,” said Ted Schlein, Co-founder and General Partner of the firm. “And we’re just getting started, which makes this recognition all the more exciting for our plans ahead.”

Portfolio Testimonials:

Lisa Kaplan, Founder and CEO of Alethea: “Ballistic has been a true partner in helping Alethea mature to provide scalable technology across a variety of sectors. The next set of threats security professionals will have to worry about is not from those who are attacking to get inside of a company’s systems, but from those who are weaponizing information to break into customer, investor, and stakeholder minds. Ballistic understands that security is more than just a firewall, and has supported Alethea’s growth through being a trusted advisor, leveraging its network to help us get our solution into the hands of clients, and helping us make sure we have the best possible team to solve one of the world’s biggest challenges.”

Oliver Friedrichs, Co-founder and CEO of Pangea: “Ballistic’s strength comes from the deep cybersecurity roots that the partners possess. Coming from a blend of both operational and experienced venture backgrounds, the team has touched almost every major innovation in the cybersecurity field over the past three decades. It’s hard to find a comparable set of investors in our space.”

Tarun Thakur, Co-founder and CEO of Veza: “Going with Ballistic will lead to a massive winning combo for any founder. Coupled with their high work ethics, the Ballistic partners and team have a founder’s mindset and are there for us every step of the way. They’ve been operators themselves, so they understand what it takes to build a company. Their depth of the cybersecurity industry cannot be beat. They also have a huge network with experienced leaders who act as coaches to founders, CEOs and their teams.”

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