New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has added more cybersecurity companies to its portfolio than any other VC in the last five years. NEA is also the most active early-stage investor, as well as the most active smart money VC in cybersecurity since 2012.
Rounding out the top five most active smart money VCs in cybersecurity are: Accel Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Since 2012, a16z has backed the most cybersecurity unicorns, including: Tanium ($3.7B), Okta ($1.2B), Lookout ($1B), and Illumio ($1B).
To analyze smart money trends, we looked at the activity of the top 24 VC firms, selected according to portfolio valuations and their investment outcomes.
Visualizing the smart money in cybersecurity
We used our Business Social Graph tool to visualize how smart money VC investors and their portfolio companies in cybersecurity are interrelated.
Of the top 5 smart money investors in cybersecurity, a16z and Accel Partners have co-invested the most. Co-investments between a16z and Accel Partners include: CoreOS, Lookout, Illumio, and Sookasa.
Click on the image below to enlarge.
Quarterly smart money activity
Q3’16 was the 6th quarter in a row with 12+ deals in cybersecurity with smart money VC backing, and at 19 deals involving smart money VCs, that’s the most deals in a single quarter since Q2’14.
Note: To analyze smart money trends, we looked at the activity of 24 top VC firms, selected according to portfolio valuations and investment outcomes. Some of the investors are linked to relevant research briefs. Here’s our full list of 24 smart money investors:
- Sequoia Capital
- Benchmark Capital
- Accel Partners
- Greylock Partners
- Andreessen Horowitz
- Union Square Ventures
- First Round Capital
- Bessemer Venture Partners
- Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
- New Enterprise Associates
- Founders Fund
- Lightspeed Venture Partners
- Foundry Group
- Index Ventures
- Khosla Ventures
- Social Capital
- Emergence Capital Partners
- True Ventures
- Floodgate Fund
- General Catalyst Partners
- CRV
- Spark Capital
- Battery Ventures
- Redpoint Ventures
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