SAN
FRANCISCO, Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ballistic
Ventures, the venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding
and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity,
today announced U.S. Army General Paul
Nakasone (Retired) joined the firm as Strategic Advisor.
Gen. Nakasone served as commander of U.S.
Cyber Command, director of the NSA, and chief of the Central
Security Service.
Gen. Nakasone is one of the nation's top experts in
cybersecurity having previously served as commander of U.S. Cyber
Command, director of the National Security Agency (NSA), and chief
of the Central Security Service. He brings deep expertise and
understanding of emerging threats to U.S. national security and
global stability. In his advisory role, he will draw on his
extensive cybersecurity leadership to assess the firm's investments
and offer strategic support to portfolio companies in the fight
against adversarial advances in the cyber domain.
"General Nakasone is uniquely familiar with the most pressing
national security threats facing the U.S. today. His incredible
leadership skills and mission-driven work, honed throughout his
decades-long career, will be highly valuable for our entrepreneurs
as they scale their organizations," said Ted Schlein, co-founder and general partner at
Ballistic Ventures. "General Nakasone's keen ability to bridge the
private and public sector gaps make him one of the most respected
individuals in Silicon Valley,
Washington and beyond, and we're honored to have his support
here at Ballistic."
"Throughout my career, I learned very quickly that partnerships
between the public and private sectors can never be understated,"
said Gen. Nakasone. "I'm thrilled to join Ballistic and work
alongside the firm's leadership, whom I know are experts in
understanding cyber challenges from a national security perspective
and as former cyber operators. I look forward to joining this team
to work more closely with the entrepreneurs who are driving
innovation and strengthening our cyber defenses."
Gen. Nakasone is a leading expert in technology advancement and
global cyber defense. He was the longest-serving leader of
USCYBERCOM and led the NSA, protecting the United States' digital infrastructure and
advancing the country's cyber defense capabilities. As a U.S. Army
officer, he was instrumental in creating the U.S. Cyber Command. He
has held command and staff positions across all levels of the Army
with assignments in the U.S., the Republic of Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Most recently, Gen. Nakasone
joined OpenAI's board of directors and is the founding director of
Vanderbilt University's Institute of
National Security.
Gen. Nakasone joins Ballistic Ventures' distinguished group of
cybersecurity expert advisors. This news follows Kevin Mandia's recent appointment to
general partner as well as Ballistic's close of its $360 million oversubscribed second
fund earlier this year. Learn more about the team by visiting
ballisticventures.com/team.
About Ballistic Ventures
Ballistic Ventures is a
venture capital firm solely dedicated to early-stage cybersecurity
and cyber-related companies. The partners have spent their entire
careers defending against every cyber threat conceivable. Members
of the firm have founded, operated, and funded over 100 successful
cybersecurity firms – including Abnormal Security, AlienVault,
ArcSight, Fortify, Mandiant, and Shape Security – led over 10,000
security professionals globally, and have 40+ years of experience
in venture capital. The Ballistic portfolio includes Aembit,
Alethea, ArmorCode, AuthMind, Codezero, Concentric AI, GetReal
Labs, Mimic, Nudge Security, Oligo, Pangea, Perygee, Reach
Security, SpecterOps, Talon (PANW), Veza, and WitnessAI. Our
experience provides entrepreneurs impactful support from people
focused on the same mission. Our networks and relationships open
doors for our founders. Learn more at ballisticventures.com.
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SOURCE Ballistic Ventures