New York's active cybersecurity VCs powering security companies in 2026

New York's cybersecurity scene raised $3.2B across 94 deals in 2025. Most capital went to enterprise security platforms and financial services security, not consumer privacy tools. The city has deep financial sector relationships through Wall Street but investors here are skeptical of point solutions. You won't get funded building another firewall - they want platforms solving multiple security problems with clear enterprise buying patterns.

Quick list

Why New York excels at enterprise security

New York raised $3.2B in cybersecurity during 2025 across 94 deals. Average Series A is $22M, higher than most sectors because security requires enterprise sales teams and compliance infrastructure. The city has Wall Street, major banks, and Fortune 500 headquarters as early customers and design partners.

New York excels at enterprise security platforms selling to financial services, healthcare, and large enterprises. The city's CISO community is the most sophisticated in the US outside DC. Investors here understand multi-year sales cycles, compliance requirements, and why security budgets grow regardless of economic conditions.

The downside is New York lacks consumer security expertise. Password managers, VPNs, and consumer privacy tools struggle here. Investors want $100K+ ACVs and multi-year contracts, not $5/month consumer subscriptions. You'll also find less deep technical validation than Israeli security funds or SF's infrastructure VCs.

Picking the right New York cybersecurity investor

Local presence matters enormously because NYC investors can connect you to Wall Street CISOs and Fortune 500 security buyers. The city's financial services concentration creates unique go-to-market advantages for security startups that SF and Boston lack.

Portfolio companies should include successful security exits or IPOs. Check if they backed CrowdStrike, Okta, Zscaler, or smaller security platforms. If their portfolio is all horizontal SaaS with zero security experience, they won't understand your threat landscape or compliance requirements.

Check sizes in New York range from $3M-$8M for seed and $18-30M for Series A. That's 50% higher than traditional software because security needs compliance certifications, security audits, and enterprise sales teams before revenue scales. Growth funds write $50M-$150M checks for proven platforms.

Local network is critical because Wall Street drives security buying patterns nationally. Investors who can intro you to JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, or BlackRock CISOs are worth more than larger checks from generalist VCs. Team8 and Georgian have the best enterprise security networks here.

Communication with NYC security investors is technically rigorous. Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You'll see which investors actually open your threat model and architecture slides versus skipping to market size. NYC security VCs spend 65% of deck review time on your technical approach and competitive differentiation - they know the security landscape deeply.

Follow-on capacity is strong for enterprise security. Insight Partners and Battery can fund through IPO. Most NYC security funds have large reserve ratios because security companies take 8-12 years to exit. Ask about their typical holding periods and whether they participate in late-stage rounds.

How to find and approach New York cybersecurity investors

Research local deals by checking Crunchbase for NYC security exits and Wall Street CISO blogs. Most successful NYC security founders came from financial services security teams or intelligence backgrounds. Look at who funded those teams and their advisors.

Leverage local ecosystem through New York Cyber Task Force and NYC Cyber Command relationships. Columbia University's cybersecurity programs connect researchers to investors. Better than generic accelerators for making Wall Street CISO connections that lead to investor intros.

Build relationships first because NYC security investors want technical validation from CISOs they trust. You need design partners at major banks or Fortune 500 companies before investors take you seriously. Cold emails about your security product get ignored. CISO referrals matter enormously.

Share your pitch deck through Ellty with unique tracking links for each investor. NYC security VCs take 21-30 days to review decks versus 10-14 days for software. They're consulting with portfolio CISOs, checking your competitive positioning, and reviewing any published security research. You'll see multiple deck views as they pass it to technical advisors.

Attend local events like RSA Conference where NYC investors scout heavily, Black Hat, and NYC Cyber Security Summit. Team8 and Cyberstarts host technical dinners where security founders meet investors. Skip generic startup events - security investors attend threat intelligence conferences.

Connect with portfolio founders from NYC security companies that raised successfully. Ask them how they explained their threat model and what technical concerns kept surfacing. CrowdStrike and Okta founders say NYC VCs interrogated their competitive moats against incumbent vendors for months. Investors increasingly expect founders to understand GDPR principles for document sharing when handling pitch decks and audience data.

Organize due diligence materials before meetings because NYC investors need comprehensive technical documentation. Set up an Ellty data room with your architecture diagrams, threat model, compliance roadmap, and competitive analysis. They'll want to see your penetration testing results and security audit reports after first meetings.

Understand local pace because NYC security deals take 9-15 months from first meeting to term sheet. Investors want technical validations from multiple CISOs, POCs at Fortune 500 companies, and security audit results. They won't fund based on demos. Expect 15-20 meetings including technical deep dives with their portfolio CISOs.

New York cybersecurity considerations

NYC investors strongly prefer enterprise security platforms over consumer tools. Cloud security, identity management, and threat detection for enterprises get funded easily. Network security and endpoint protection work well here. Consumer VPNs and privacy apps struggle unless you have exceptional enterprise use cases.

Expect extreme technical scrutiny on your security approach. NYC VCs have watched security companies get acquired for pennies after failing to differentiate from incumbents. You need clear explanations of why Palo Alto, CrowdStrike, or Microsoft can't just build your feature. They won't fund "security is important" pitches without deep technical moats.

Lead with Fortune 500 design partners and Wall Street customers. NYC investors want to see JPMorgan, Citi, or Goldman testing your product. They don't care about SMB traction or developer adoption metrics. Show major enterprise CISOs validating your approach and you'll close deals. Talk about product-led growth for security and meetings end.

15 top cybersecurity investors in New York

1. Insight Partners

NYC growth equity giant that backed Checkmarx at $1.15B and led Veeam's $2B acquisition - understand enterprise security buying patterns better than anyone.

• Recent Deals: Checkmarx $1.15B Series D (2021), Veeam $2B Vista acquisition (2020), Armis $300M Series D (2022)
• LinkedIn: Jeff Horing LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud security, application security, network security, security operations platforms
• Stage Focus: Series C, Series D, Growth, Buyout
• Office Location: 1114 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036
• Website: insightpartners.com

2. General Catalyst

Cambridge-based with strong NYC presence - backed Wiz at $12B valuation and understand cloud security economics deeply.

• Recent Deals: Wiz $1B Series E (2024), Snyk $530M Series F (2022), Illumio $225M Series F (2021)
• LinkedIn: Hemant Taneja LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Cloud security, application security, zero trust platforms, DevSecOps tools
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: NYC office at Hudson Yards
• Website: generalcatalyst.com

3. Battery Ventures

Boston-based with NYC office - led Tenable before IPO and understand vulnerability management and security assessment platforms.

• Recent Deals: Tenable $250M growth then IPO (2018), Vanta $150M Series B (2022), Expel $70M Series D (2022)
• LinkedIn: Neeraj Agrawal LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Vulnerability management, compliance automation, security operations, threat intelligence
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Series D, Growth
• Office Location: NYC office covers East Coast
• Website: battery.com

4. Georgian

Toronto-based with NYC office - AI-focused security investors who backed Veracode before $2.3B CA Technologies acquisition.

• Recent Deals: Veracode $2.3B acquisition (2017), Arctic Wolf $401M Series E (2021), 1Password $620M Series C (2022)
• LinkedIn: Ty Danco LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: AI-powered security, application security, identity management, security automation
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: NYC office at Manhattan
• Website: georgian.io

5. Team8

Israeli security fund with NYC office - founded by former Unit 8200 members, back technical founders with intelligence backgrounds.

• Recent Deals: Claroty $400M Series D (2021), Sygnia acquisition (2021), Illusive Networks acquisition by Proofpoint (2021)
• LinkedIn: Liran Grinberg LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Industrial security, OT security, threat detection, security operations
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: NYC office at Bryant Park
• Website: team8.vc

6. Bessemer Venture Partners

Multi-office fund that backed Okta before $6.3B IPO - understand identity and access management better than most VCs.

• Recent Deals: Okta $6.3B IPO (2017), Auth0 $6.5B Okta acquisition (2021), Twilio SendGrid acquisition (2019)
• LinkedIn: Byron Deeter LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Identity and access management, zero trust, authentication platforms, API security
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: 1865 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538 (covers NYC)
• Website: bvp.com

7. Accel

SF-based with NYC office - backed CrowdStrike before IPO and understand endpoint security and threat detection economics.

• Recent Deals: CrowdStrike IPO (2019), Snyk $530M Series F (2022), 1Password participation (2021)
• LinkedIn: Rich Wong LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Endpoint security, threat detection, cloud security, security operations
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: NYC office at Flatiron
• Website: accel.com

8. Emergence Capital

SF-based but invested heavily in NYC security companies - led Zscaler Series B before $32B market cap.

• Recent Deals: Zscaler IPO $32B market cap (2018), Okta participation (2017), Talkdesk $230M Series C (2021)
• LinkedIn: Gordon Ritter LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Zero trust, cloud security, secure access, network security
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Office Location: Invests in NYC from SF
• Website: emcap.com

9. Cyberstarts

Israeli CISO-focused fund with NYC presence - they require CISO validation before investing and back deeply technical founders.

• Recent Deals: Axonius $200M Series E (2021), Noname Security $135M Series C (2022), Hunters.ai $68M Series C (2022)
• LinkedIn: Gili Raanan LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: API security, cloud security, security operations, threat detection
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: NYC presence from Tel Aviv
• Website: cyberstarts.com

10. Evolution Equity Partners

NYC growth equity specializing in security and infrastructure software - back proven platforms at $20M+ ARR.

• Recent Deals: SentinelOne participation (2020), Snyk growth rounds (2020-2021), security infrastructure platforms
• LinkedIn: Michael Farello LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise security platforms, security operations, infrastructure security
• Stage Focus: Growth, Late-stage
• Office Location: 200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166
• Website: evolutionequity.com

11. TenEleven Ventures

Cybersecurity-only seed fund started by Okta founder Todd McKinnon - exclusively invest in security, deep technical validation.

• Recent Deals: Early-stage security startups (2024-2025), identity platforms, cloud security tools
• LinkedIn: Mark Crosbie LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Identity, cloud security, security operations, application security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Office Location: SF-based but invests in NYC
• Website: 1011vc.com

12. Thomvest Ventures

SF/Toronto-based with NYC investments - backed SentinelOne before IPO and Snyk through multiple growth rounds.

• Recent Deals: SentinelOne IPO (2021), Snyk $530M Series F (2022), Armis participation (2021)
• LinkedIn: Umesh Padval LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Endpoint security, application security, cloud security, threat detection
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: Invests in NYC from SF
• Website: thomvest.com

13. Glilot Capital Partners

Israeli security fund with NYC office - founded by former Unit 8200 commander, extremely technical validation process.

• Recent Deals: Armis $300M Series D (2022), Axonius participation (2021), Israeli security startups
• LinkedIn: Arik Kleinstein LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: IoT security, OT security, network security, threat intelligence
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: NYC office covers Americas
• Website: glilotcapital.com

14. YL Ventures

Israeli cybersecurity specialists with NYC office - back technical founders with security research backgrounds early.

• Recent Deals: Axonius $200M Series E (2021), Cybereason growth rounds (2019-2021), Claroty participation (2021)
• LinkedIn: Yoav Leitersdorf LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Enterprise security, threat detection, security analytics, industrial security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Office Location: NYC office at Manhattan
• Website: ylventures.com

15. Canaan Partners

Multi-office fund that backed Zscaler, Imperva, and multiple security IPOs - understand security buying cycles deeply.

• Recent Deals: Zscaler IPO (2018), Imperva $2.1B Thoma Bravo acquisition (2019), Vanta participation (2021)
• LinkedIn: Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Network security, cloud security, application security, security operations
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Office Location: NYC office at Midtown
• Website: canaan.com

Start tracking your New York cybersecurity investor outreach

These 15 investors closed NYC security deals in 2025-2026. Before you reach out, understand that Insight Partners and Battery want proven enterprise platforms at $10M+ ARR, while Team8 and Cyberstarts back technical founders earlier but require CISO validation before investing.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each NYC investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your threat model and competitive analysis. NYC security investors spend 65% of deck review time on your technical differentiation slides - make your architecture diagrams, threat detection approach, and competitive positioning bulletproof before sending.

When NYC investors ask for technical deep dives after your third meeting, share an Ellty data room with your detailed architecture, penetration testing results, compliance certifications roadmap, and security audit reports. They'll want to see your approach to threat modeling, incident response, and how you handle zero-day vulnerabilities. Having everything organized with view analytics shows which partners are actually reviewing your security documentation versus just checking commercial metrics.

Common questions

Do I need to be based in New York to raise from NYC cybersecurity investors?

No - NYC security investors back companies globally. But having Wall Street design partners matters enormously. If you're based elsewhere, get JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, or major NYC enterprises piloting your product before fundraising. NYC investors trust validation from local CISOs more than any other reference.

How does New York compare to SF for cybersecurity fundraising?

NYC has $3.2B in security capital versus SF's $5B+. SF investors understand technical infrastructure and deep engineering problems. NYC investors understand enterprise buying patterns and financial services compliance. NYC wants $100K+ ACVs, SF accepts developer-first models. NYC deals take 9-15 months, SF deals close in 6-9 months.

What's the average Series A size in New York for cybersecurity?

$18-30M depending on your go-to-market approach. NYC security Series A typically happens at $3-5M ARR for enterprise platforms. That's 80% higher than traditional software Series A because security needs compliance certifications, security audits, and enterprise sales teams before scaling revenue efficiently.

Should I raise locally or go to SF for developer-first security tools?

Go to SF for developer-first security, API security, or tools selling to engineering teams. NYC investors don't understand bottom-up adoption in security. Stay in NYC for enterprise security platforms, financial services security, or anything selling to CISOs and security operations teams where top-down enterprise sales matter.

Do New York cybersecurity investors expect profitability?

Not immediately, but they want clear paths to positive unit economics within 48 months. NYC security VCs understand that compliance certifications, security audits, and SOC 2 Type 2 cost money upfront. They want to see how you reach 80%+ gross margins and efficient CAC payback as you scale enterprise customers.

What cybersecurity sectors get funded most in New York?

Cloud security platforms, identity and access management, security operations and threat detection, application security and DevSecOps tools. Financial services security and compliance automation work well here. Consumer security tools struggle unless you have enterprise use cases. NYC wants platforms solving multiple security problems, not point solutions addressing single threats.