Solo VCs are changing the venture investing game

• These individuals raise funds in the hundreds of millions of dollars, invest across stages, and even lead deals.


• Solo VCs, including Josh Buckley, Lachy Groom and Elad Gil, are known for their rapid decision-making pace and willingness to pay more than traditional venture capitalists.


• In some ways, solo VCs' investment style resembles that of Tiger Global and other hedge funds, but their motivation for outbidding others may be different.

The information security vertical is experiencing rapid growth and changing priorities amid recent high-profile cyberattacks and the Biden administration's guidance on improving national cybersecurity.

Our latest Emerging Tech Research report highlights the latest VC activity, exits and market opportunities in infosec. Key takeaways include:

• VC mega-deals across infosec segments helped set a third consecutive quarterly record for deal value in Q2 2021, with $5.7 billion invested across 169 transactions.


• Q2's VC exit activity blew past historical records for IPO and acquisition values, led by a $9 billion public debut of SentinelOne and Okta's $6.5 billion acquisition of Auth0.


• Emerging opportunities in infosec include security for APIs, passwordless authentication technologies and fraud prevention software.

• Mega-deals are being closed at an unprecedented clip, surpassing prior records on both a capital investment and deal count basis.


• Exit activity has accelerated in the first six months of 2021, with more than $280 billion becoming liquid—matching the annual exit value seen in 2020.


• Fundraising activity has yet to wane, with over $70 billion in new capital raised by VC firms. This figure is on track to easily shatter 2020's record of $80.5 billion.