# Ted Schlein

> Ted Schlein is Chairman and Founding General Partner of Ballistic Ventures, a cybersecurity-dedicated venture capital firm based in Daly City, California. After nearly 30 years at Kleiner Perkins where he became Silicon Valley's foremost cybersecurity investor, Schlein launched Ballistic in 2021 with a $300 million inaugural fund, followed by a $360 million second fund in 2024 and a $100 million third raise in 2025. A former operator at Symantec and founding CEO of Fortify Software, he sits on the DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council and the CIA's InQTel board, bridging the gap between Silicon Valley capital and national security infrastructure.

- **Role:** Chairman and General Partner at Ballistic Ventures
- **Organizations:** Ballistic Ventures, Kleiner Perkins (Advisor), InQTel (Board of Trustees), DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council, CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, University of Pennsylvania (Board of Trustees), Chegg (Board of Directors)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Economics, University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), High School Diploma, Millburn High School
- **Known for:** Forbes Midas List - top-ranked venture capitalist, Former Chairman, National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), Former President, Western Association of Venture Capitalists

## Career timeline

- **early 1980s** — Attended University of Pennsylvania; worked at Trace Systems and T/Maker; founded a resume company
- **1980s-1996** — Joined Symantec as an early employee; rose to VP of Enterprise Solutions; led entry into software utilities market and launched commercial anti-virus product
- **1996** — Joined Kleiner Perkins as General Partner, focusing on enterprise software and emerging cybersecurity sector
- **2003** — Co-founded Fortify Software (now HP Fortify) and served as founding CEO - an early application security company
- **1996-2021** — Nearly 30 years at Kleiner Perkins backing landmark security companies including Mandiant, CarbonBlack, ArcSight, and AlienVault
- **2021** — Founded Ballistic Ventures with inaugural $300 million fund dedicated exclusively to cybersecurity investing
- **2022** — Appointed to DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
- **2023** — Ballistic Ventures named Investor of the Year by SC Media; portfolio company Talon Cyber Security acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $625 million
- **2024** — Closed Ballistic Ventures Fund II at $360 million; Kevin Mandia named General Partner
- **2025** — Ballistic Ventures raising $100 million for third fund; most recent investment in Hello Soju (Series B)

## Achievements

- Forbes Midas List - top-ranked venture capitalist
- Former Chairman, National Venture Capital Association (NVCA)
- Former President, Western Association of Venture Capitalists
- Ballistic Ventures named Investor of the Year, SC Media (2023)
- Board of Trustees, InQTel (CIA's venture arm)
- Board of Trustees, University of Pennsylvania
- Board of Overseers, University of Pennsylvania Engineering School
- DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council member
- CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee member
- Backed 30+ successful cybersecurity exits generating billions in returns
- Founded Fortify Software, which was later acquired by HP

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Ballistic Ventures raising $100 million for a new fund; most recent portfolio investment in Hello Soju (Series B)
- **2024-03** — Closed Ballistic Ventures Fund II at $360 million; Kevin Mandia (Mandiant founder) named General Partner
- **2023-10** — Ballistic Ventures named Investor of the Year by SC Media
- **2023** — Portfolio company Talon Cyber Security acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $625 million - largest venture-backed cybersecurity acquisition of 2023
- **2022-03** — Appointed to DHS Homeland Security Advisory Council by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

## Links

- Website: https://ballisticventures.com/team/ted-schlein/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-schlein-5630184b
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/schluggo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ted-schlein
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17