Suggestions
Jed Leidheiser
Partner at March Capital - Enterprise and Fintech VC
Jed Leidheiser is a Partner at March Capital, a venture capital firm focused on enterprise software investments.12 He brings over 20 years of experience in enterprise technology, spanning both investing and operating roles.1
Background and Education
Jed graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and Economics, and later earned his MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.12 His interest in cybersecurity dates back to his undergraduate years, where he wrote his senior thesis on the subject.1
Career Highlights
- March Capital: Joined in 2016 as the first employee on the investment team, now serving as a Partner.1
- Previous Roles: Invested at Work-Bench Ventures (early-stage) and Balyasny Asset Management (public equities).12
- Accenture: Spent a decade consulting Fortune 500 executives on strategy and technology.12
Expertise and Focus
At March Capital, Jed leads cybersecurity investing and is involved in investment activities across enterprise software.1 He has board responsibilities for companies such as Expel, Immuta, and SpyCloud.13
Additional Involvement
- Board member of UCLA Anderson Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.1
- Serves on the Advisory Council for the Alliance for Southern California Innovation.1
Jed is known for his expertise in enterprise software, cybersecurity, and venture capital investments in the technology sector.23
Highlights
Earlier this month, the cyber industry gathered in SF, with much of the action occurring outside Moscone Center at satellite conferences, company showcases, hotel lobbies, and receptions. Which areas of cyber are most ripe for growth?
Steve H., Marlow Bryant, and I thought 6 themes stood above the rest.
#rsa2024 #cybersecurity #cyber
BIG exits and M&A are back in cyber! Announcements in the past 30 days: 🔹5/20 CyberArk acquires Venafi for $1.5B (machine identity / IAM) 🔹5/16 Palo Alto Networks acquires IBM's QRadar (SIEM) 🔹5/15 Exabeam merges with LogRhythm (SIEM) 🔹5/7 Akamai Technologies acquires Noname Security for $450M (API security) 🔹5/6 Clearlake Capital Group and Francisco Partners acquire Software Integrity Group (Synopsys Inc) for $2.1B (app security) 🔹4/26 Thoma Bravo acquires Darktrace ($DARK) for $5.3B (network security) 🔹4/25 Rubrik goes public ($RBRK) at $5.6B (data security/backup) 🔹4/24 IBM acquires HashiCorp ($HCP) for $6.4B (IAM/infra) 🔹4/24 KnowBe4 acquires Egress Software Technologies (email security) Why? 1️⃣ Strategics and PE see the opportunity to play consolidator and take advantage of massive budgets being allocated to security 2️⃣ For well performing publics, valuations have bounced back and their cash balances have grown, giving them strong currency for M&A 3️⃣ Companies without escape velocity see either: 1) less appetite from investors, or 2) dwindling runway. Meanwhile, competition continues. 4️⃣ There's always interest for strong products with high retention, where acquirers can apply their GTM engines and also achieve cost synergies This still feels like early innings - budget growth continues, market cap highs, VC back above pre-2021 pace, and IPO pipeline builds. #cybersecurity #security #mergersandacquisitions
