15 zero trust investors funding network security and access control in 2026

Zero trust is finally moving from buzzword to actual deployments. Identity and access management tools are getting the most funding. Most investors want to see enterprise contracts and integration with existing security stacks, not just another ZTNA point solution.

Quick list

Finding investors who understand zero trust architecture

Experience: Look for funds that have backed identity or network security companies before. Most generalist VCs think zero trust is just MFA and miss the architecture shift. Find partners who've invested through the VPN to SASE transition. Review our guide on sending decks before outreach.

Network: Ask if they can intro you to CISOs at mid-market or enterprise companies. Zero trust sells top-down through security teams. Distribution partnerships with MDM or SIEM vendors matter more than having a16z on your cap table.

Alignment: Seed investors often don't understand why zero trust takes 12-18 months of enterprise pilots. Security procurement is slow. Make sure they've funded security companies through long sales cycles before.

Track record: Check if their portfolio companies actually have Fortune 500 customers. Zero trust that only works for 50-person startups isn't defensible. Look at whether they supported companies through compliance certifications like FedRAMP or SOC 2 Type II.

Communication: Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links. You'll see who actually opens your architecture diagrams and integration roadmap slides. Most investors skip the technical details, which tells you they don't understand the product.

Value-add: Generic promises about "our CISO network" usually mean they know two security people. Ask specifically which security vendors or cloud platforms they can connect you to for partnerships. Integration partnerships close more deals than brand name investors.

Getting in front of zero trust security investors

Identify potential investors: Search Crunchbase for "zero trust," "network security," and "identity" deals from 2024-2025. Seed funds won't lead your Series B, no matter how good your logo retention is. Look at who invested in companies like Tailscale, Zscaler, and Okta early. For founders comparing document-sharing tools during this stage, exploring Docsend-alternatives can help streamline your outreach process.

Craft a compelling pitch: Lead with which zero trust use case you're solving and for whom. Don't spend slides explaining why perimeter security is dead - they know. Show your integrations with existing security stacks. Most investors are tired of "zero trust for X" pitches without showing how you fit into their 15 existing security tools.

Share your pitch deck: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on - if they skip your compliance and integration roadmap, that's useful information. You'll know who's serious based on whether they view your technical architecture and competitive differentiation slides.

Utilize your network: Message portfolio founders on LinkedIn and ask about term sheet timelines and actual help during enterprise sales cycles. Most will be honest about whether their investor actually understands security buying processes. Make sure any shared materials follow proper GDPR rules to avoid compliance issues.

Attend networking events: RSA Conference has the most security investors. Black Hat and DEF CON work if you're technical. Skip generic startup events - zero trust investors aren't there. S4 Capital has good European security investors. Before sharing anything post-event, ensure your documents follow secure sending practices.

Engage on online platforms: Connect with partners on LinkedIn after you've been introduced. Cold DMs rarely work for security - it's too technical to explain in a message. Security Twitter can work if you're building in public with technical content.

Organize due diligence: Set up an Ellty data room with your security certifications and penetration test results before they ask. It speeds up the process. Include your compliance roadmap and any design partner agreements with enterprise security teams. Protect sensitive details with our screenshot guard to maintain confidentiality.

Set up introductory meetings: Lead with which zero trust pillar you're solving and current enterprise pipeline. Don't waste 20 minutes on market size slides - they know the TAM for security. Get to your integration strategy and how you fit into existing security stacks quickly.

Why this matters in 2026

Remote work and cloud adoption mean perimeter security doesn't work anymore. Companies are finally replacing VPNs with real zero trust architectures instead of just adding MFA.

The Biden administration's 2021 zero trust mandate is pushing government agencies and contractors to adopt zero trust by end of 2026. Investors are backing platforms that can handle federal compliance requirements. Cloud security posture management and identity platforms are seeing the most deal activity.

15 best zero trust investors

1. Accel

They led Wiz's massive $1B Series E which includes zero trust cloud security and already invested in CrowdStrike and Tenable for endpoint and vulnerability management.

• Recent Deals: Wiz $1B Series E (2024), Snyk zero trust developer security (2024), 1Password enterprise zero trust (2025)
• LinkedIn: Accel
• Sector Focus: cloud security, zero trust, identity management, endpoint security
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: accel.com

2. Insight Partners

Early investor in Zscaler before it went public, now actively looking at next-gen zero trust network access platforms and identity security.

• Recent Deals: Zscaler follow-on (ongoing), Armis device security (2024), Axonius asset management (2025)
• LinkedIn: Insight Partners
• Sector Focus: network security, zero trust access, identity platforms, growth stage
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: insightpartners.com

3. Lightspeed Venture Partners

Led Tailscale's $100M Series B for mesh VPN and zero trust networking that works across any infrastructure without traditional VPN complexity.

• Recent Deals: Tailscale $100M Series B (2024), Orca Security cloud security (2024), Stellar Cyber security operations (2025)
• LinkedIn: Lightspeed Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: network security, zero trust networking, cloud security, DevSecOps
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: lsvp.com

4. Sequoia Capital

Invested in Okta for identity management, now looking at zero trust access control and fine-grained authorization platforms for enterprise.

• Recent Deals: Okta enterprise features (ongoing), Vanta compliance automation (2024), Thoropass security compliance (2025)
• LinkedIn: Sequoia Capital
• Sector Focus: identity security, access control, compliance, enterprise security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: sequoiacap.com

5. Addition

Backed Authzed's $12M Series A for fine-grained authorization and zero trust access policies, focused on developer-first security infrastructure.

• Recent Deals: Authzed $12M Series A (2025), Cerbos authorization engine (2024), Warrant access control API (2024)
• LinkedIn: Addition
• Sector Focus: authorization, access control, zero trust, developer security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Palo Alto, USA
• Website: addition.com

6. CRV

Early investor in Duo Security before Cisco bought it for $2.35B, still active in multi-factor authentication and zero trust device verification.

• Recent Deals: Duo Security exit (2018), Stytch passwordless auth (2024), WorkOS enterprise SSO (2025)
• LinkedIn: CRV
• Sector Focus: authentication, MFA, zero trust, identity verification
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: crv.com

7. Greylock Partners

Funded Palo Alto Networks early, now backing zero trust network security platforms and cloud-native security mesh architectures.

• Recent Deals: Palo Alto Networks follow-on (ongoing), Cato Networks SASE (2024), Elisity zero trust segmentation (2025)
• LinkedIn: Greylock Partners
• Sector Focus: network security, zero trust, SASE, cloud security
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: greylock.com

8. Andreessen Horowitz

Invested in Tanium for endpoint security and visibility, interested in zero trust device trust and continuous authentication platforms.

• Recent Deals: Tanium zero trust features (ongoing),源码Capital Wiz investment (2024), Cyera data security (2025)
• LinkedIn: Andreessen Horowitz
• Sector Focus: endpoint security, device trust, data security, zero trust
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: a16z.com

9. Index Ventures

Backed Snyk for developer security which includes zero trust principles in application security and supply chain protection.

• Recent Deals: Snyk zero trust features (ongoing), Wiz cloud security (2024), GitGuardian secrets detection (2025)
• LinkedIn: Index Ventures
• Sector Focus: developer security, application security, zero trust, DevSecOps
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: London, UK
• Website: indexventures.com

10. Bessemer Venture Partners

Portfolio includes Auth0 before Okta acquisition, looking at zero trust identity platforms and passwordless authentication startups.

• Recent Deals: Auth0 exit (2021), Descope passwordless auth (2024), Frontegg user management (2025)
• LinkedIn: Bessemer Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: identity platforms, authentication, zero trust, B2B security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: bvp.com

11. Kleiner Perkins

Funded both Zscaler and Netskope for zero trust network access and cloud security, active in SASE and secure service edge platforms.

• Recent Deals: Zscaler follow-on (ongoing), Netskope SASE (2024), Banyan Security zero trust access (2025)
• LinkedIn: Kleiner Perkins
• Sector Focus: ZTNA, SASE, cloud security, network security
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: kleinerperkins.com

12. Salesforce Ventures

Backs enterprise security companies including zero trust access for SaaS applications and cloud workload protection platforms.

• Recent Deals: Wiz strategic investment (2024), Okta partnership deals (ongoing), Vanta compliance automation (2024)
• LinkedIn: Salesforce Ventures
• Sector Focus: enterprise security, SaaS security, zero trust, cloud access
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, Growth
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: salesforce.com/ventures

13. Ten Eleven Ventures

Defense and cybersecurity focused fund, backing zero trust solutions for government agencies and enterprises with federal requirements.

• Recent Deals: BigID data security (2024), Xage zero trust industrial (2025), HYPR passwordless auth (2024)
• LinkedIn: Ten Eleven Ventures
• Sector Focus: government security, zero trust, defense tech, compliance
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Menlo Park, USA
• Website: 1011vc.com

14. Ballistic Ventures

Pure play cybersecurity fund launched in 2022, made multiple zero trust investments including ZTNA and identity platforms in 2025.

• Recent Deals: Oleria identity security $8M (2025), Material Security email protection (2024), Grip app security (2025)
• LinkedIn: Ballistic Ventures
• Sector Focus: zero trust, identity security, network security, early stage security
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: ballisticventures.com

15. YL Ventures

Israeli security startups specialist, funded several zero trust access control and identity verification companies with strong technical teams.

• Recent Deals: Adaptive Shield SaaS security (2024), Axonius asset management (2024), Torq security automation (2025)
• LinkedIn: YL Ventures
• Sector Focus: Israeli security, zero trust, access control, identity platforms
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: Tel Aviv, Israel
• Website: ylventures.com

Track which investors understand your architecture

These 15 investors closed zero trust deals from 2025 to 2026. Before you start reaching out, set up proper tracking so you know who actually gets the technical details.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your zero trust architecture and integration diagrams. Most founders are surprised to learn investors skip the market size slides but spend 10+ minutes on technical implementation and competitive positioning.

When investors ask for more materials during due diligence, share an Ellty data room instead of messy email threads. Your architecture docs, security certifications, penetration test results, and design partner agreements in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know when they're actually reviewing your SOC 2 report versus just saying they will.

Common questions

How do I know if an investor actually understands zero trust versus just the buzzword?

Ask what they think differentiates zero trust from traditional VPNs with MFA. If they can't explain least privilege access or continuous verification, they don't understand the architecture.

Should I cold email zero trust investors or get introductions?

Get intros if possible. Security is technical enough that cold emails rarely work unless you have CISOs from Fortune 500 companies in your pipeline. Warm intros from portfolio CISOs or founders work best.

What's the difference between seed and growth stage zero trust investors?

Seed investors will fund you with design partners and early pilots. Growth investors need to see $3M+ ARR and deployments at mid-market or enterprise accounts with complex environments.

How many investors should I reach out to?

Start with 10-15 that have recent security deals and understand zero trust architecture. Security investors talk to each other, so word gets around if you're shopping a weak product.

When should I set up a data room for zero trust security?

Before first meetings. Investors will want to see your security certifications, pen test results, and compliance status early. Having it ready speeds up diligence by 2-3 weeks.

Do investors actually care about which slides they view in my deck?

Yes. If an investor spends 2 minutes on your deck versus 15 minutes on your architecture and integration slides, you'll know who's serious. It saves time on follow-ups with tire-kickers who don't understand the product.