Leadership, Security Staff Acquisition & Development, MSP

Six 2023 cybersecurity deals that were each worth more than $100 million

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Cybersecurity venture funding cooled in 2023. Even though Statistica reported that the market slowed from a peak of $6.5 billion in Q1 of 2022 to $1.6 billion in Q2 2023, Crunchbase listed six cybersecurity deals well above $100 million.

It’s also worth noting that there were four cybersecurity deals of exactly $100 million. Companies with good ideas around cloud security, secure access service edge (SASE), network monitoring, and identity threat protection still attracted funding.

As Snehal Antani, co-founder and CEO of Horizon3.ai, wrote in an SC Media Perspectives column Dec. 26: “Attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures always evolve, which means companies will need new cybersecurity tools with improved capabilities. While the incumbents will fulfill some of those features, we should expect a vibrant ecosystem of cybersecurity startups challenging the status quo this year.”

Here's a thumbnail of the top six cybersecurity deals of 2023. We may not see as many nine-figure deals this year, but security pros with good ideas can rest assured that with the right idea, they still have a shot with the VCs.

Netskope

Size of deal: $401 million

Date: Jan. 5

Primary funders: Morgan Stanley Tactical Value, with participation from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and CPP Investments

Type: Convertible notes

Product focus: SASE

CEO: Sanjay Beri

Quote from Sanjay Beri: “Our vision from day one was that traditional network and security perimeters would transform, with users, data, and devices moving outside the confines of corporate network perimeters and requiring a new approach to security. With a cloud-first, data-first, and customer-centric philosophy, we built a market-leading SASE platform and one of the world’s fastest and most-connected security cloud networks. We have enabled enterprises everywhere to allow their users to be mobile, efficient, and flexible while securing them and the data and applications they access, whether they are in the cloud, on the web, or are private applications on-prem and beyond.”

Wiz

Size of deal: $300 million

Type: Private, late-stage

Primary funders: Lightspeed Venture Partners and existing investors Greenoaks Capital Partners, Index Ventures

Product focus: Cloud security

CEO: Assaf Rappaport

Quote from Assaf Rappaport: “While there are many cybersecurity offerings in the market, Wiz's explosive growth proves that organizations choose our platform because it allows security and development teams to efficiently identify vulnerabilities and prevent breaches. Wiz also consolidates many fragmented tools into one platform, from vulnerability assessment to data security and permission analysis. This round of funding will accelerate the growth of our global operations, enable diversification of our customers across a range of industries, and support our commitment to continued innovation.”

Blackpoint Cyber

Size of deal: $190 million

Date: June 8

Primary funders: Bain Capital Tech, Accel

Type: Growth investment

Product focus: Managed detection and response for MSPs

CEO: Jon Murchison

Quote from Jon Murchison: “The MSP market is growing fast, and we are matching that growth by scaling and innovating new cybersecurity solutions."

Deepwatch

Size of deal: $180 million

Date: Feb. 15

Primary funders: Springcoast Capital Partners, Splunk Ventures, Vista Credit Partners

Type: Equity investment and strategic financing

Product focus: Managed detection and response

CEO: Charlie Thomas

Quote from Charlie Thomas: “Business transformation to cloud and digital, coupled with increasing levels of cyber risk drives strong demand for advanced protection from Deepwatch. We are excited to partner with Springcoast Capital Partners, Splunk and Vista Credit Partners to advance our mission to protect the digital economy and defend against the increasing volume and complexity of cyber threats.”

BlueVoyant

Size of deal: $140 million

Date: Nov. 29

Primary funders: Liberty Strategic Capital, ISTARI

Type: Series E for acquisition of Conquest Cyber

Product focus: BlueVoyant, cloud-native network monitoring; Conquest Cyber, risk management

CEO: James Rosenthal

Quote from James Rosenthal: “Despite the extensive range of cybersecurity vendors, a significant gap persists in the market concerning comprehensive solutions that empower clients to assess, operationalize, validate, and mitigate risks. The integration of BlueVoyant's and Conquest Cyber's capabilities addresses this shortfall, bolstering our ability to protect clients' internal and external digital ecosystems in a more comprehensive manner.”

SpyCloud

Size of deal: $110 million

Date: Aug. 23

Primary funders: Riverwood Capital

Type: Growth round

Product focus: Identity threat protection

CEO: Ted Ross

Quote from Ted Ross: “For the last seven years, we have proven that reacting quickly to identity and authentication exposures is the crucial factor in stopping the cycle of cybercrime. As authentication methods improve, businesses need to adjust their defenses to keep up with criminals’ new behavior. SpyCloud allows you to do just that — and we will continue to illuminate and resolve the most critical risks facing security teams today, stopping attacks they haven’t been able to see coming.”

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