Ted Schlein’s Ballistic Ventures seeks $490M for new funds amid AI-driven cybersecurity boom

Ballistic Ventures, the cybersecurity-focused venture capital firm co-founded by former Kleiner Perkins partner Ted Schlein (pictured above, second from the right), is seeking to raise $490 million across two new funds, TechCrunch has learned through regulatory filings.

据 TechCrunch 通过监管文件获悉，由前凯鹏华盈（Kleiner Perkins）合伙人泰德·施莱恩（Ted Schlein，上图右二）共同创立的专注于网络安全的风险投资公司 Ballistic Ventures，正寻求通过两支新基金募集 4.9 亿美元。

The San Francisco-based VC firm filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this week to raise $360 million for its third flagship fund, matching the size of its previous fund raised in 2024, and another $130 million for a separate vehicle called Ballistic Ventures Fund B. Neither fund had recorded any sales at the time of filing.

这家总部位于旧金山的风投公司本周向美国证券交易委员会提交了申请，计划为其第三支旗舰基金募集 3.6 亿美元，规模与 2024 年募集的前一支基金持平；此外，还将为名为 Ballistic Ventures Fund B 的独立工具募集 1.3 亿美元。在提交申请时，这两支基金均未录得任何销售额。

The fundraising plans come as the growing use of artificial intelligence has raised concerns about more sophisticated cyberattacks. The rise of AI agents has also created new opportunities for cybersecurity startups and the venture capital firms backing them.

此次募资计划正值人工智能的日益普及引发了对更复杂网络攻击的担忧之际。AI 智能体的兴起也为网络安全初创公司及其背后的风险投资公司创造了新的机遇。

Founded in late 2021, Ballistic Ventures’ founding team includes Schlein, former AT&T Cybersecurity president Barmak Meftah, and Roger Thornton, who co-founded security companies Fortify Software and AlienVault. The firm has backed companies, including Talon Cyber Security, acquired by Palo Alto Networks, and Pangea, bought by CrowdStrike, alongside startups such as Armadin, GetReal, Nudge Security, and Oligo Security.

Ballistic Ventures 成立于 2021 年末，创始团队包括施莱恩、前 AT&T 网络安全总裁巴马克·梅夫塔（Barmak Meftah），以及曾共同创立安全公司 Fortify Software 和 AlienVault 的罗杰·桑顿（Roger Thornton）。该公司投资的企业包括已被 Palo Alto Networks 收购的 Talon Cyber Security、被 CrowdStrike 收购的 Pangea，以及 Armadin、GetReal、Nudge Security 和 Oligo Security 等初创公司。

Ballistic’s ties to storied venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, where Schlein spent more than two decades, help set it apart from rivals, a cybersecurity investor at another VC firm told TechCrunch. Its investment strategy, however, is similar to those of other cybersecurity-focused investors, including Forgepoint Capital and Ten Eleven Ventures, the person said.

另一家风投公司的网络安全投资者告诉 TechCrunch，Ballistic 与老牌风投公司凯鹏华盈（施莱恩曾在此工作超过二十年）的渊源使其在竞争对手中脱颖而出。然而，该人士表示，其投资策略与其他专注于网络安全的投资者（如 Forgepoint Capital 和 Ten Eleven Ventures）并无二致。

In 2022, Ballistic announced its $300 million debut fund and raised another $360 million for its second flagship fund two years later. It also raised about $130 million for a separate vehicle called Ballistic Ventures Fund A, per PitchBook data. The new Fund B is targeting a similar amount.

根据 PitchBook 的数据，Ballistic 于 2022 年宣布了其 3 亿美元的首支基金，并于两年后为其第二支旗舰基金募集了 3.6 亿美元。它还曾为名为 Ballistic Ventures Fund A 的独立工具募集了约 1.3 亿美元。此次新的 Fund B 目标金额与之相当。

U.S. cybersecurity startups raised $11.5 billion in 2025, the highest since 2022, a recent report by JPMorgan Chase said, citing PitchBook data. AI-enabled companies accounted for about 72% of U.S. cybersecurity venture deals through May this year, compared with 36% in 2019, the report said.

摩根大通最近援引 PitchBook 数据发布的一份报告显示，2025 年美国网络安全初创公司共筹集了 115 亿美元，创下自 2022 年以来的最高纪录。报告称，截至今年 5 月，人工智能赋能型公司占美国网络安全风险投资交易的约 72%，而 2019 年这一比例仅为 36%。

Separately, Microsoft, in its annual Digital Defense Report released last month, warned that hackers are increasingly using AI for activities ranging from phishing and social engineering to malware development. The technology is allowing attackers to operate faster and at greater scale, even as many of their underlying techniques remain unchanged.

另外，微软在上个月发布的年度《数字防御报告》中警告称，黑客正越来越多地利用人工智能进行从网络钓鱼、社会工程学到恶意软件开发等各种活动。尽管许多底层技术保持不变，但这项技术正使攻击者能够以更快的速度和更大的规模进行操作。

Ballistic Ventures declined to comment on its fundraising plans.

Ballistic Ventures 拒绝就其募资计划发表评论。