Retired U.S. Army General Paul Nakasone Joins Ballistic Ventures as Strategic Advisor

News provided by

Aug 01, 2024, 09:07 ET

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 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.

SOURCE Ballistic Ventures