Ted Schlein

Partner and Advisor

Ted Schlein is a partner at Kleiner Perkins, and executive chairman and founding partner at Ballistic Ventures. He has spent the last 35 years helping create transformative companies.

  

A Midas of investing and the former chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), Ted has funded, supported, and guided more than 30 founders to successful company exits including ArcSight, Chegg, Fortify Software, IronNet Cybersecurity, Jive, LifeLock and Segment. He currently serves on the boards of Apiiro, Area 1 Security, Bedrock, Chegg (CHGG), FullStory, Interos, Incorta, IronNet, Rebellion Defense, Reputation, Synack, Trusona and UJet.

  

Ted is regularly called on to advise government leaders as they navigate society’s digital infrastructure. He is an active member of the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee, National Security Institute Advisory Board, and also the Council on Foreign Relations, Independent Task Force on Cybersecurity.

  

As a company leader, Ted was the founding CEO of Fortify Software, which was later acquired by Hewlett-Packard. During his time at Symantec, Ted led the company’s earliest antivirus effort, which included a move into the software utilities market with the launch of a commercial antivirus solution that became the industry gold standard.

  

Ted serves on the Board of Trustees, as well as the Dean’s Board of Advisors of the Engineering School at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater. Ted holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Awards and Honors

— NSA Advisory Board

— CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee

— Homeland Security Advisory Council, National Security Institute Advisory Board

— Council on Foreign Relations

— Independent Task Force on Cybersecurity

— Board of Trustees at InQTel

— Board of Trustees of University of Pennsylvania

— Dean of Advisors of Engineering School at University of Pennsylvania

— National Venture Capital Association (NVCA)

— Western Association of Venture Capitalists

Ted Schlein
Companies Backed
Physical security & secure identification
Physical security & secure identification
Alumni (Acquired by Identiv)
Device identification technology
Device identification technology
Alumni (Acquired by Experian)
Democratizing threat detection and response
Democratizing threat detection and response
Alumni (Acquired by AT&T)
Security & compliance management
Security & compliance management
Alumni (Acquired by Hewlett-Packard)
Zero Trust protection
Zero Trust protection
Alumni (Acquired by Cloudflare)
Cloud-native endpoint protection
Cloud-native endpoint protection
Alumni (CBLK)
Single-purpose container operating system technology
Single-purpose container operating system technology
Alumni (Acquired by Red Hat)
Software management services
Software management services
Alumni (Acquired by IBM)
Business intelligence platform
Business intelligence platform
Alumni (Acquired by Salesforce)
Endpoint security
Endpoint security
Alumni (Acquired by Elastic)
Automated static code analysis
Automated static code analysis
Alumni (Acquired by Hewlett-Packard)
Security software & managed security services
Security software & managed security services
Alumni (Acquired by IBM)
Establishing trust, one transaction at a time
Establishing trust, one transaction at a time
Alumni (Acquired by Twilio)
Collective defense platform
Collective defense platform
Alumni (IRNT)
Cloud-native autonomous security operations center software
Cloud-native autonomous security operations center software
Alumni (Acquired by Sumo Logic)
Enterprise collaboration solutions
Enterprise collaboration solutions
Alumni (Acquired by Aurea Software)
Enterprise management solutions
Enterprise management solutions
Alumni (Acquired by Deem)
Cybersecurity and data leakage prevention systems
Cybersecurity and data leakage prevention systems
Alumni (Acquired by Raytheon Co.)
Security Orchestration, Automation & Response
Security Orchestration, Automation & Response
Alumni (Acquired by Splunk)
Relationship intelligence platform
Relationship intelligence platform
Alumni (Acquired by Salesforce)
Customer data platform
Customer data platform
Alumni (Acquired by Twilio)
Online fraud & abuse prevention
Online fraud & abuse prevention
Alumni (Acquired by F5)
Q&A
  • How did you get interested in technology?

    As a teenager, I became an unofficial Apple product tester, thanks to my dad, who was on the Apple board. I played for hours on the Apple II, IIE, IIC, the Macintosh 128K and 512K, the Macintosh Plus, the Lisa and a LaserWriter. This early exposure to computers created an abiding enthusiasm for technology.

  • How did that translate into investing in venture capital?

    In 1982, I met Arthur Rock, a VC pioneer. He also was on the Apple board, and I got the chance to meet him traveling with my dad to see the opening of Apple’s factory in Cork, Ireland. Rock was a legend, and though it wasn’t a long conversation, he left a lasting impression. I tucked away “venture capital” with an inkling I’d come back to it at some point in the future.

  • But you started more as a tech guy than an investor, right?

    While my college friends rushed off to internships on Wall Street, I spent every summer working for tech companies. First, Trace Systems, a personal robotics company, and then T/Maker, a spreadsheet company run by Heidi Roizen. At school, at the University of Pennsylvania, I continued feeding my interest in technology, starting a resume company with my Mac and LaserWriter printer. I also worked on a fledgling software company that started at Wharton, and I got a credit for it from my Econ professor. After graduation, I took a job at Symantec, a new Kleiner Perkins-backed company with 50 people and no revenues. I was off to the races.

  • What motivates you to continue investing?

    There’s nothing more exhilarating than working with a team of passionate, smart people to solve a problem and improve how something works. In my area of focus—cybersecurity—it’s to make the world a safer place. I’m so proud to see Symantec, 25 years after I worked there, still protecting businesses from cyber attacks.

  • How do you view the role of venture capitalists in the company creation process?

    To understand why I love venture capital, you only have to look at the story of Fortify Software.

    In 2002, I had an idea for a business that was timely and appeared to have no competition: a static code analysis tool that could identify security vulnerabilities in code and remove them to immunize software. After a year in the Kleiner Perkins basement, we launched the company. Seven years later, with a great product and a strong market traction, Fortify was acquired by HP. Fortify illustrates what defines being a venture capitalist: You are part entrepreneur, part investor and part business advisor.

Perspectives