SAN MATEO, Calif., July 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ken Gonzalez is joining Trident Capital Cybersecurity (TCC) as a managing director. Prior to TCC, Gonzalez was a senior executive responsible for corporate development and global alliances at industry leaders FireEye and McAfee.
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Trident Capital Cybersecurity is a $300 million cybersecurity venture firm focused on investing in early stage and select growth equity companies.
Gonzalez will co-invest with fellow managing directors Alberto Yépez, Don Dixon and Sean Cunningham. Investment focus areas include securing the Internet of Things (IoT), next generation identity platforms, behavioral data analytics, privacy, and secure payments and fraud prevention.
“TCC, one of the most experienced investment teams in cybersecurity, is on an incredible growth trajectory,” Yépez said. “We are adding experienced operational executives with demonstrated success to help us identify early stage cybersecurity companies with the potential to grow into industry powerhouses.”
“Ken brings the mind-set of corporate buyers of cybersecurity startups, excellent strategic insight and a global network of trusted channel relationships that will help scale our portfolio companies,” Yépez added. “Throughout his career, Ken completed 23 acquisitions in cybersecurity and fostered multiple OEM licenses and global alliances -- experience that will become handy to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.”
Gonzalez was previously senior vice president of corporate development and global alliances at FireEye, a publicly listed company. Prior to FireEye, he was chief strategy officer at Avast Software, a developer of next generation cybersecurity solutions, where he was responsible for corporate strategy, business development, inbound licensing and M&A. Prior to Avast, he was senior vice president of corporate development at McAfee, where he led the team through multiple acquisitions, inbound licensing and complex partnerships, ultimately concluding with the company’s $7.7 billion sale to Intel. While there, he worked closely on deals with TCC Managing Director Sean Cunningham, then at Intel Capital.
“Moving into the investment side of the cybersecurity business is a natural progression for me,” Gonzalez said. “I have led teams that made more than twenty successful cyber acquisitions in my career. Today, cyber is an excellent investment market and I wanted to be part of the next wave of cybersecurity investing.”
Projected global spending on cybersecurity products and services will exceed $1 trillion cumulatively over the five-year period ended in 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
“This growth in the cybersecurity market is fueled by sophisticated hackers who spin creative new attacks around the clock and by global governmental agencies at the national, regional and local levels that continually issue new corporate compliance requirements,” Gonzalez said.
As a result, Gonzalez said, there is always an opportunity for innovative startups to create new cybersecurity solutions. “I chose Trident Capital Cybersecurity because of its stellar cyber investment record, its understanding of technology and because it is renowned for its connections in the cyber ecosystem,” Gonzalez said. “The firm also pays close attention to helping entrepreneurs build their companies and is active on their boards. That’s important to me.”
Gonzalez is a graduate of Harvard Business School and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also served in the U.S. Army as an infantry officer with the 82 nd Airborne Division and the 75 th Ranger Regiment.
About Trident Capital Cybersecurity
Trident Capital Cybersecurity is a $300 million venture fund focused on cybersecurity investing in early stage and select growth equity companies. The firm is well known as the venture capital firm with the best connections in cybersecurity. Its 47-person Cybersecurity Industry Advisory Council, including industry CEOs, customers and former top-level government leaders, is often commended for its insights, connections and go-to-market support of TCC portfolio companies. TCC’s current portfolio companies include 4iQ, Appthority, Attivo Networks, Bayshore Networks, ID Experts and IronNet Cybersecurity. Including deals at predecessor firms – Trident Capital and Intel Capital -- TCC partners have made a total of: 31 cybersecurity investments during a nearly 20 year period, with 17 exits. These have included Accertify (acquired by American Express), Qualys, Signio (acquired by VeriSign), Solera Networks (acquired by Blue Coat Systems) and Sygate (acquired by Symantec). Managing Directors Alberto Yépez, Don Dixon, Sean Cunningham and Ken Gonzalez jointly lead the investment team. For more information, visit TCC.
Media contact: Jennifer Jones at Jennifer@jenniferjones.com 650-465-5831
