Ballistic Ventures, the VC firm co-founded by Ted Schlein (known for his years at Kleiner Perkins), is raising $100 million for a new fund, TechCrunch has learned through a regulatory filing.
This week, the San Francisco-based VC firm filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to raise the new fund, just over a year after closing its second fund, sized at $360 million.
Founded in late 2021, Ballistic targets cybersecurity startups. In an earlier interview, Schlein (pictured above, fourth from left to right) told TechCrunch that the Ballistic crew, with its years of experience, is very hands-on. They take board seats, help with hiring and with landing the first 10 customers, talking to their portfolio founders “many times a week.” The team brings a large network of contacts to their portfolio companies, Schlein said.
Alongside Schlein, the firm has four other general partners: Kevin Mandia, Barmak Meftah, Jake Seid, and Roger Thornton. Last year, it appointed former USPS CISO Gregory Crabb as CISO-in-residence to fill the position of David Hahn, who was promoted to Ballistic’s CISO operating partner.
Ballistic has so far invested in 59 startups, per Crunchbase, with GetReal Labs’ $17.5 million Series A round being the latest — announced last week. The firm also made six exits.
Venture funding in cybersecurity grew 43% year-over-year to $11.6 billion in 2024, with 639 deals closed, compared to 821 in 2023, per a report by Crunchbase News.
Ballistic declined to comment on the fundraising.
