01
Proprietary deal flow
Access to cybersecurity companies already filtered by market relevance, founder credibility and buyer interest — before the broader market is even invited in.
Cyber Defense Ventures · Fund I · Now admitting Limited Partners
Where cyber innovation
meets capital.
A cybersecurity venture fund built on an advantage that can’t be purchased or raised. It had to be built — over nearly fifteen years at the center of the industry.
For accredited investors only.
In cybersecurity, the winners are obvious in hindsight. The hard part is seeing the opportunity early enough for it to matter.
The unfair advantage
A vantage point on the market
no one else has.
For almost fifteen years, Cyber Defense Media Group has demonstrated foresight, know-how and unsurpassed influence in cybersecurity. Cyber Defense Ventures puts that vantage point to work.
~15years at the center of the cybersecurity industry
1,000+companies compete for the CDMG awards stage every year
500+innovators evaluated by our experts annually
150+first-time founders enter the ecosystem each year
300+CISOs in our network, including Fortune 500 companies
300companies on our radar before the market knew their names
Figures describe Cyber Defense Media Group’s media, awards and events business. They are not investment performance.
The edge
We give investors something
most venture firms can’t.
02
CISO validation, before capital
A proprietary network of 300+ CISOs provides early proof of market pull — whether a product is deployable, budget-worthy and likely to displace an incumbent — before we commit time and capital.
03
A platform that goes to work
The same platform that finds the next major players then works for them: media reach, awards credibility, buyer introductions, conference spotlights, board-level counsel and follow-on capital.
Strategy
We lead the first
institutional round.
Pre-seed and seed, with reserves built to double down where the signal proves out. For an enterprise security startup, visibility and trust are the hardest things to earn. We can deliver both from day one.
- Stage
- Pre-seed & seed
- Role
- Lead the first institutional round
- Reserves
- Follow-on where the signal proves out
- Focus
- Enterprise cybersecurity
- Sourcing
- The Cyber Defense Media Group ecosystem
- Validation
- 300+ CISO network, pre-investment
Process
Discover. Validate. Invest.
Amplify. Scale.
And every company we amplify helps attract the next one.
The CDV flywheel
01 / Discover
See them first.
More than a thousand companies compete for the CDMG awards stage every year, and 150+ founders enter the ecosystem for the first time. The founders are walking through our doors every day.
02 / Validate
Prove market pull.
Our experts evaluate 500+ innovators a year, and CISO feedback separates commercially viable platforms from products that lack budget priority, deployment urgency or displacement potential.
03 / Invest
Lead early.
We lead the first institutional round at pre-seed and seed, with reserves built to double down where the signal proves out.
04 / Amplify
Earn trust from day one.
Media reach, awards credibility and conference spotlights give portfolio companies the visibility and trust enterprise buyers require.
05 / Scale
Open the right doors.
Buyer introductions, board-level counsel and follow-on capital — and the buyers already know us, because they read us.
The platform
Portfolio companies don’t sit in isolation. They interlock.
Cyber Defense Ventures is not raising capital to someday build a network. The network, the audience and the CISO relationships already exist. What’s been missing is the capital to take a position in what we already see.
Cyber Defense Magazine
Media reach into the security buyers who read us.
Cyber Defense Awards
Now in its 14th year — third-party credibility that enterprise buyers recognize.
CyberDefenseCon
Conference spotlights in front of decision-makers.
CISO Network
300+ CISOs, including Fortune 500 companies, for validation and introductions.
Cyber Defense Genius
Evidence-based scoring of cybersecurity innovators.
Capital & counsel
Board-level counsel and follow-on capital as companies scale.
Leadership
Gary Miliefsky
CEO, Cyber Defense Media Group
“We’ve spent nearly fifteen years reporting on which companies matter in this industry. Now, we’re funding them.”
Cyber Defense Ventures LP I
Explore exclusive Limited Partner opportunities.
Access is reserved for accredited investors. Confirm your status to view the Fund overview and request a conversation with our team.
Enter LP Access- Self-certifyConfirm you are an accredited investor.
- Introduce yourselfA short, private inquiry to our team.
- VerificationWe confirm eligibility before sharing materials.
- Offering documentsPPM, LPA and subscription documents.
For founders
Building the next category-defining security company?
We lead pre-seed and seed rounds — and put the entire Cyber Defense Media Group platform to work for you.
Questions
Frequently asked
Who can invest in Cyber Defense Ventures LP I?
Participation is limited to accredited investors as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D — for example, individuals with income over $200,000 ($300,000 jointly) in each of the last two years, or a net worth over $1 million excluding a primary residence, holders of certain securities licenses, and qualifying entities. Eligibility is confirmed before any offering materials are shared.
What does the Fund invest in?
Early-stage enterprise cybersecurity companies. We lead the first institutional round — pre-seed and seed — with reserves to follow on where the signal proves out.
How is Cyber Defense Ventures related to Cyber Defense Media Group?
Cyber Defense Ventures operates exclusively in partnership with Cyber Defense Media Group, publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine and home of the Cyber Defense Awards and CyberDefenseCon. That relationship is the source of our deal flow, CISO validation and portfolio support.
Where can I find fund size, terms, fees and minimums?
Those details are provided only in the Fund’s confidential offering documents, to verified eligible investors. Start by entering LP Access and submitting an inquiry.
I’m a founder — how do I get on your radar?
Tell us about your company on our founders page. Entering the Cyber Defense Awards is another way our team sees emerging innovators.