Gili Raanan
Born 1969 · Age 57
Israeli entrepreneur and venture capitalist; founder of Sanctum and NLayers; former Sequoia Capital partner; founder of Cyberstarts and influential early investor/board member in multiple cybersecurity companies (Wiz, Fireblocks, NoName, Island, Armis, Adallom, Onavo, Moovit, Snaptu).
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Life & Career Timeline
Likely began service with Unit 8200 (start)
Began service in Israel's elite signals/cyber intelligence unit, Unit 8200. (Wikipedia notes he served a total of 10 years.)
Completed ~10-year service in Unit 8200
Reportedly served in Unit 8200 for ten years; end-date approximated to coincide with transition into entrepreneurship.
Founded Sanctum
Founded security company Sanctum, which developed web-application security products including AppShield and AppScan.
Developed AppShield (Web Application Firewall)
Sanctum created AppShield, an early web-application firewall product (public press coverage around 1999–2003).
Launched AppScan (web-application penetration testing)
Sanctum released AppScan, a web application penetration testing product widely reported in tech press.
Earned Bachelor of Computer Science, Tel Aviv University
Received a Bachelor of Computer Science from Tel Aviv University.
Received MBA (Recanati School, Tel Aviv University)
Reported to have an MBA from the Recanati School of Tel Aviv University (exact year not specified in source; listed with BSc).
Founded NLayers
Founded NLayers, a company focused on application discovery and understanding (application dependency mapping).
NLayers raised $3M seed/early funding
nLayers announced a $3 million investment from Walden and Gemini (press: Globes, 2003).
nLayers acquired by EMC
EMC Corporation acquired nLayers (reported 9 June 2006). This was an exit for the company Raanan founded.
Joined Sequoia Capital (Israel) as General Partner
Joined Sequoia Capital's Israeli operation as a General Partner; Sequoia had previously invested in his early startups.
Board role / involvement at Snaptu (approx.)
Raanan is listed as a board member at Snaptu in public bios. Snaptu was acquired by Facebook (acquisition widely reported in 2011).
Onavo acquisition by Facebook (board/investor connection)
Onavo (an Israeli mobile analytics/privacy company that Raanan had ties to as investor/board member per bios) was acquired by Facebook (reported October 2013).
Adallom acquired by Microsoft (~$320M)
Adallom, a company in which Raanan was an investor/board member, was acquired by Microsoft for ~$320M (reported in press).
Sequoia Israel wound down
Public reporting indicates Sequoia's Israel arm wound down around 2016; Raanan subsequently started his own firm two years later.
Established 'Sunrise' adviser/program at Cyberstarts
Cyberstarts created an adviser/advisory-network process ('Sunrise') to surface customer pain and accelerate product-market-fit for portfolio companies.
Founded Cyberstarts (announced $50M fund)
Raanan founded Cyberstarts, an early-stage cybersecurity-focused VC; press reported a new ~$50M fund at launch (Calcalistech, April 2018).
Moovit acquired by Intel (~$1B)
Moovit (Raanan is listed as a board member/investor) was acquired by Intel for around $1 billion (reported May 4, 2020).
Cyberstarts portfolio momentum (ongoing growth)
Cyberstarts portfolio companies began achieving rapid growth; Raanan publicly emphasized Sunrise and rapid PMF processes (public interviews/podcasts).
Fireblocks passed $100M ARR (portfolio milestone)
Fireblocks, a Cyberstarts-backed company, reported surpassing $100M ARR in 2022 (reported in Forbes/press coverage about portfolio health).
Cyberstarts performance reported (300% yearly returns for backers)
Bloomberg reported Cyberstarts generated ~300% yearly returns for backers (reporting circa 2022).
Cyberstarts closes $480M fund (reported)
Reports indicated Cyberstarts closed a ~$480M fund for cybersecurity investments (Times of Israel reporting, Sept 2023).
Wiz reported $500M ARR and turned down large acquisition offer
Wiz (Cyberstarts-backed) reported hitting ~$500M ARR and reportedly rejected an acquisition offer (~$23B from Google reported in press).
Cyera makes acquisition (~$162M) and achieves unicorn status in portfolio
Forbes reported Cyera (Cyberstarts-backed) conducted a ~$162M acquisition and is among high-valued portfolio companies (~$1.4B valuation range reported).
Fireblocks, Island, Wiz and others recognized with multi-billion valuations
Press reported Fireblocks (~$8B valuation), Island (~$3B), Wiz (multi-$B) and other Cyberstarts-backed companies achieved large private valuations, highlighting fund success.
Public scrutiny leads to operational changes at Cyberstarts
Following media scrutiny Cyberstarts said it would suspend the adviser profit-sharing component and clarified disclosures; some LP/market pushback reported (disputed by firm).
Personal loss referenced publicly (daughter)
In interviews Raanan referenced the tragic loss of his daughter (20VC interview notes loss 'five years ago' relative to 2024 → ~2019).
Public speaking & interviews (various outlets: 20VC, Forbes, Bloomberg)
Featured as a speaker/interview subject on 20VC (Harry Stebbings), Bloomberg, Forbes and other outlets discussing Cyberstarts, Sunrise and seed investing tactics.
20VC podcast appearance (Harry Stebbings)
Spoke on 20VC podcast (Harry Stebbings) describing Cyberstarts' processes, metrics and philosophy (episode content includes Sunrise stats).
Sunrise program metrics reported
Reported on 20VC that out of 17 companies that went through Sunrise and raised Series A: seven unicorns, one decacorn, three acquisitions (metrics given by Raanan in early 2024 interview).
CTech investigation into Cyberstarts' adviser program (reported)
Israeli outlet CTech published investigation alleging points/payments to CISOs tied to portfolio-company relationships (June 2024 reporting).
Forbes & other inquiries into Cyberstarts adviser payments escalate
Multiple outlets investigated ethical/optics concerns around adviser payments and potential conflicts of interest tied to Cyberstarts' Sunrise program.
NoName Security acquisition by Akamai (~$450M)
NoName (NoName Security), a Cyberstarts-backed company, was reported sold to Akamai for about $450M (reporting mid-2024).
Cyberstarts suspends compensation component of Sunrise (email to advisers)
Raanan wrote advisers (June 27, 2024) to suspend the profit-sharing/compensation component of the Sunrise adviser program amid scrutiny.
Cyberstarts announces fourth seed fund ($60M) and AUM reported at ~$720M
Forbes reported Cyberstarts' fourth seed fund was $60M and total assets under management (AUM) at about $720M (reporting Oct 2024).
Cyberstarts performance summary (five exits ~$1.6B)
Forbes reported Cyberstarts had achieved five exits worth a combined ~$1.6B since inception (reported Oct 2024).
Forbes feature: conflict-of-interest coverage
Forbes published an in-depth piece (Oct 28, 2024) on Raanan and Cyberstarts' adviser/profit-sharing practices, describing program details, payments, and market reaction.
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