Momentum Cyber

What Momentum Cyber does

Momentum Cyber is a privately held, founder-owned investment bank that operates as the only financial advisory firm exclusively dedicated to the cybersecurity sector. Founded by Eric McAlpine and headquartered in Austin, Texas, the firm serves cybersecurity founders and CEOs, private equity sponsors with cyber portfolios, strategic acquirers (platform vendors, hyperscalers, defense contractors), and corporate boards. Its service offering spans three lines: sell-side mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital advisory (private capital raises, venture debt, and growth/PE financing), and strategic advisory on recapitalizations and divestitures. Engagement economics follow a standard investment-banking model of success fees plus retainers, with fees not publicly disclosed.

The firm's analytical core is the proprietary CYBERcloud platform, which tracks over 5,000 cybersecurity companies, 10,000+ transactions, 14,000+ investors, and 30,000+ industry contacts. CYBERcloud powers two flagship research outputs: the annual Cybersecurity Almanac (most recent edition reporting $119 billion in 2025 strategic activity) and CYBERscape 4.0, a market map of more than 1,000 cybersecurity companies across 12 segments, including a dedicated AI Security segment of 300+ companies. The firm also operates AIxCYBER, a conference franchise bringing together AI and cybersecurity executives, investors, and operators.

Momentum Cyber goes to market exclusively through senior-led, direct advisory relationships, supported by industry events, published research, and earned media coverage. The 24-person team draws on 200+ collective years of cybersecurity transaction experience, with senior professionals previously at Blackstone, Citi, Jefferies, and BofA Securities. The firm's relationship network — 40,000+ strategic contacts, 5,000+ VC/PE investors, and 35,000+ executives/CISOs — is the primary deal-sourcing engine, complemented by repeat partnerships with financial sponsors including NightDragon, Francisco Partners, Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking, Apax Partners, Mainsail Partners, and Capital IP. Momentum Cyber has advised on more than 500 M&A transactions with $300 billion+ in cumulative deal value, including 69 dedicated cyber transactions averaging $385 million per deal.

Name

Momentum Cyber

Legal name

Momentum Cyber

Website

https://momentumcyber.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Momentum Cyber is a privately held, founder-owned investment bank exclusively serving the cybersecurity sector, providing sell-side M&A advisory, capital raising, and strategic advice to founders, PE sponsors, and strategic acquirers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: Investment banking fees for sell-side M&A advisory, including sell-side mandates, recapitalizations, and divestitures for cybersecurity founders, boards, and investors.
2. Capital Advisory: Fees from private capital raising, traditional and venture debt, and private equity advisory services for cybersecurity companies.
3. Strategic Advisory: Ongoing strategic advice to founders, boards, and strategic acquirers navigating cybersecurity transactions and market positioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Momentum Cyber is an investment banking and strategic advisory firm exclusively focused on the cybersecurity sector. It provides sell-side mergers and acquisitions advisory, private capital raising (venture debt, growth equity, private equity), recapitalizations, divestitures, and ongoing strategic advice to cybersecurity founders, CEOs, boards, private equity firms, and strategic acquirers. Its advisory work is powered by a proprietary CYBERcloud market intelligence platform that tracks thousands of cybersecurity companies, transactions, investors, and industry decision-makers.

Product overview

Momentum Cyber operates as a full-service investment bank exclusively focused on the cybersecurity sector. Rather than a unified software product, the firm's offering is centered on advisory services — M&A advisory (sell-side, recapitalizations, divestitures), capital raising (growth financing, venture debt, private equity), and strategic advice — powered by its proprietary CYBERcloud market intelligence platform. The CYBERcloud platform tracks over 5,000 cyber companies, 10,000+ transactions, 14,000+ investors, and 30,000+ industry contacts, and is the analytical engine behind the firm's deal work. Momentum Cyber also publishes recurring research products including the annual Cybersecurity Almanac (covering M&A and financing market data, AI security trends, and sector analysis) and the CYBERscape market map (a visual taxonomy of 1,000+ cybersecurity companies across 12 market segments, now in version 4.0). No standalone software product, API, or consumer-facing platform is offered — the intelligence and research outputs are delivered through advisory engagements and published reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CYBERcloud: Proprietary market intelligence platform tracking cybersecurity companies, transactions, investors, and industry decision-makers.
• CYBERscape
• Cybersecurity Almanac
• AIxCYBER

Products and services

• Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
• Capital Advisory
• Recapitalizations & Divestitures
• Strategic Advisory

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ M&A transactions with $300B+ total deal value
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Blacklake SecurityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Sponsor of AIxCYBER conference hosted by Momentum Cyber in Austin, Texas on March 12, 2026.
• LiveOak VenturescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Co-sponsor of AIxCYBER conference. Creighton Hicks, Partner at LiveOak Ventures, served as panelist discussing cybersecurity capital markets. LiveOak Ventures has helped create nearly $5 billion in enterprise value.
• AviatrixcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Sponsor of AIxCYBER conference. Doug Merritt, Chairman & CEO of Aviatrix and former CEO of Splunk, served as keynote speaker presenting the 'Architectural Divide' framework.
• TENEX.AIcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Sponsor of AIxCYBER conference. Eric Foster, CEO & Founder of TENEX.AI, served as panelist. Three-time CISO turned founder backed by a16z, TENEX surpassed $10M in revenue within its first six months.
• Snowfire.AIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Sponsor of AIxCYBER conference. Greg Genung, CEO & Founder of Snowfire.AI, served as panelist discussing AI and executive decision-making.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lincoln International: Global mid-market investment bank with a dedicated technology, media, and telecom group that frequently advises cybersecurity and software businesses on cross-border M&A, competing for similar founder-led mandates.
• Raymond James: Investment bank with an active technology and security investment banking practice that advises cybersecurity companies on sell-side M&A and capital raises across the mid-market, similar in client profile to Momentum Cyber.
• William Blair: Mid-market investment bank with a longstanding technology investment banking group that advises cybersecurity and enterprise software companies on M&A and capital raises, making it one of the most direct competitors for cybersecurity founder-led mandates.
• Piper Sandler: Mid-market investment bank with a strong technology M&A practice that regularly advises cybersecurity, software, and security services businesses, overlapping directly with Momentum Cyber's mandate and deal size profile.
• Drake Star Partners: Technology-focused investment bank with strong cybersecurity and software M&A coverage across Europe and the US, providing direct competition for cross-border cyber mandates where Momentum Cyber also operates.
• Qatalyst Partners: Boutique technology-focused M&A advisor serving software and cybersecurity companies on sell-side mandates, with a comparable senior-led, specialist positioning that mirrors Momentum Cyber's boutique cyber-IB model.
• Houlihan Lokey: Independent investment bank with a deep technology and tech-enabled services M&A practice that regularly advises cybersecurity and software companies on sell-side mandates, directly competing with Momentum Cyber for mid- to upper-middle-market cyber transactions.

Broad incumbents

• Evercore: Premier independent investment bank with a leading technology M&A franchise advising on large-cap cybersecurity and software transactions, competing with Momentum Cyber on larger and more strategic mandates.
• Jefferies: Large diversified investment bank with a global technology franchise advising cybersecurity and software companies across M&A and capital markets; Momentum Cyber's senior team includes alumni from Jefferies, reflecting the overlap in talent and clientele.
• Centerview Partners: Elite independent advisory firm with deep technology sector coverage that advises on premier cybersecurity and software M&A transactions, often at the larger end of the deal spectrum where Momentum Cyber also competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MomentumCyber

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Momentum Cyber