Strategic Cyber Ventures

What Strategic Cyber Ventures does

Strategic Cyber Ventures (SCV) is a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm founded in 2016–2017 that invests exclusively in early- and growth-stage cybersecurity startups, with a stated mission tied to advancing U.S. national security. The firm invests primarily at the Seed and Series A stages and reports 18+ portfolio companies spanning social engineering defense (Doppel), deepfake account protection (nametag), AI-powered threat intelligence (Dataminr), government RFP automation (GovEagle), identity security (IDdataweb), crypto threat intelligence (Cloudburst Technologies), MSP-focused IAM (EvoSecurity), public cloud SecOps (Lima Charlie), verified operating systems for nation states (Modveon), actionable threat intelligence (HackNotice), privacy infrastructure (Voltage.cloud), and peer-to-peer internet (Impervious.ai). Five portfolio companies have been acquired by strategic acquirers including Cisco (SnapAttack), Commvault, Dataminr (ThreatConnect, Polarity.io), and VMware.

SCV operates a single-LP fund structure that allows the team to focus on portfolio support rather than ongoing fundraising. The firm is led by Managing Partner and Founder Hank Thomas and Partner Chris Ahern (promoted from investor in February 2024, joined the firm in 2017), supported by a CISO Board of eight named security leaders from Sysco, Coinbase, Advance, CME Group, Apollo Global, Bank of Hawaii, Nordson, and Hudson Bay Capital. The firm generates revenue through traditional venture capital economics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest from portfolio exits — and does not sell a software product, SaaS platform, or technology-as-a-service offering.

Name

Strategic Cyber Ventures

Legal name

Strategic Cyber Ventures

Website

https://scvgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Strategic Cyber Ventures is a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm investing in early- and growth-stage cybersecurity startups at Seed and Series A stages, serving founders with operational support, a CISO advisory board, and strategic connections to commercial and federal markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cyber Defense & Information Security (National Security) (BPAIAHAE), Security & Defense / GovTech Growth Equity (FSANACAN)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Cybersecurity investments
• Seed stage funding
• National security technology
• Early stage startups

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: Returns from successful portfolio company exits and investments. Portfolio includes companies acquired by major acquirers including Cisco, Commvault, Dataminr, and VMware.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Strategic Cyber Ventures is a D.C.-based venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage cybersecurity startups (Pre-Seed through Series A) advancing U.S. national security. The firm provides portfolio companies with investment capital, 25+ years of cybersecurity operating expertise, weekly engagement with founders, a dedicated CISO Board for product and go-to-market guidance, and introductions to enterprise customers, strategic partners, government officials, and potential acquirers to accelerate commercial and federal sector growth.

Product overview

Strategic Cyber Ventures (SCV) is a single LP fund venture capital firm, not a product company. The firm provides investment and operational support to cybersecurity startups, offering 25+ years of cybersecurity experience, CISO Board advisory services, and strategic connections to help portfolio companies grow in both commercial and federal sectors. SCV does not offer a software product, SaaS platform, or technology-as-a-service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Cyber Ventures Cybersecurity Venture Capital Fund A single-LP venture capital fund that invests in early and growth-stage (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A) cybersecurity startups advancing U.S. national security, paired with 25+ years of cybersecurity operating expertise, weekly founder engagement, CISO Board advisory, and introductions to enterprise customers, strategic partners, government officials, and potential acquirers. The offering is targeted at founders of cybersecurity startups seeking capital and operating support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple successful portfolio company exits including acquisitions by Cisco, Commvault, Dataminr, and VMware

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CISO Board (Charles Tango, Jeff Lunglhofer, Christopher Smedberg, Theodore Bruckbauer, Benjamin Eason, Ryan Field, David Mackey, Alfred Grossklaus)coreOthers · 1 February 2024SCV has established a CISO Board comprised of Chief Information Security Officers from major enterprises including Sysco, Coinbase, Advance, CME Group, Apollo Global, Bank of Hawaii, Nordson, and Hudson Bay Capital. The board works directly with portfolio companies to guide product development and hone product-market-fit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bessemer Venture Partners: Large generalist VC with a deep and active cybersecurity practice (Bessemer's Cyber Practice), frequently co-investing alongside SCV (e.g., Doppel rounds); represents both a competitor and syndicate partner.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z): Megafund with a dedicated cybersecurity and American Dynamism thesis; overlaps at seed/Series A cyber (e.g., a16z Crypto co-invested in Doppel) and competes for the same founder mindshare.

Direct peers

• Ballistic Ventures: Cybersecurity-only venture firm founded by veteran operators and CISOs; competes head-to-head for early-stage cyber deals and offers comparable CISO-driven value-add.
• NightDragon: VC firm investing in late-seed through growth cybersecurity, safety, security, and privacy companies with a strong advisory network; closely aligned with SCV's vertical specialist strategy.
• Liberty Strategic Capital: National security and defense-oriented venture and growth firm; comparable to SCV's mission-driven cyber/national security thesis and government customer pipeline focus.
• Ten Eleven Ventures: The most directly comparable cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm; invests globally in early-stage and growth cybersecurity companies with operational support, mirroring SCV's vertical specialist thesis.
• YL Ventures: Israeli/US seed-stage cybersecurity VC that pairs deep operator network (CISO-like advisory boards) with seed checks, directly comparable to SCV's CISO Board model and early-stage focus.
• Forgepoint Capital: Cybersecurity-focused growth and early-stage venture firm with deep industry LP base and operational support model; competes for the same seed/Series A cyber deals as SCV.

Emerging players

• Cyberstarts: Early-stage cybersecurity-focused fund leveraging a founder network and dedicated cyber community; emerging direct competitor in the seed cyber category.
• Decisive Point: Early-stage venture firm investing in dual-use defense and national security startups, including cybersecurity; shares SCV's national security mandate and federal customer orientation.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scv_cyber
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@strategiccyberventures2233
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategic-cyber-ventures
• Facebookfacebook.com/strategiccyberventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments22 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Strategic Cyber Ventures