CrowdStrike Ventures

CrowdStrike operates one of the most active corporate venture arms in cybersecurity, deploying capital through the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund alongside Accel. The fund has grown from a $20 million initial vehicle in 2019 to a $100 million Fund II launched in 2022, reflecting CrowdStrike's commitment to building its ecosystem of security innovators.

Unlike a traditional VC, the Falcon Fund does not lead rounds. Instead, it co-invests as a strategic partner alongside lead investors, bringing CrowdStrike's platform, threat intelligence, and enterprise customer network to portfolio companies. This makes the fund a different kind of partner for founders—less board seat, more ecosystem leverage.

The fund's investment scope extends beyond pure cybersecurity. According to its published criteria, Falcon Fund looks for companies solving security and IT challenges, with particular interest in solutions that integrate with the Falcon platform API, demonstrate long-term alliance potential, and address significant problems with large market opportunity.

For founders in cybersecurity, AI security, or adjacent IT infrastructure, understanding how CrowdStrike's venture arm evaluates deals can mean the difference between a warm reception and radio silence. The fund's criteria are specific, and the ecosystem integration expectations are high.

In addition to direct investment through the Falcon Fund, CrowdStrike runs the AWS and CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator—now in its third year—alongside AWS and NVIDIA. The 2025 cohort included 36 startups, making it one of the largest accelerators in the cybersecurity ecosystem. The program has become a pipeline for companies that may later receive Falcon Fund investment.

The CrowdStrike Falcon Fund invests in companies building solutions that solve security and IT challenges for enterprise customers. The fund's published evaluation criteria include six key dimensions: team experience, problem significance, market opportunity, lead investor interest, Falcon Platform API usage, and long-term alliance potential.

What makes the Falcon Fund distinctive is its emphasis on ecosystem integration. Companies that can plug into the Falcon platform—either through native API integration or by complementing CrowdStrike's existing capabilities—receive meaningful preference. This is not a passive investment philosophy; the fund actively seeks alliance partners that strengthen CrowdStrike's overall platform story.

Geographically, the fund invests globally and has made investments across the United States, Europe, and Israel. Stage-wise, Falcon Fund II is described as cross-stage, though the fund's historical activity shows concentration in Series A through Series C rounds. The fund has also shown interest in earlier-stage companies through the Startup Accelerator program.

The investment thesis aligns closely with CrowdStrike's own product trajectory. As CrowdStrike has expanded from endpoint security into identity, cloud security, observability, and AI-powered security operations, the fund has mirrored that direction—investing in companies that fill whitespace in CrowdStrike's platform roadmap.

AI security has become an increasingly prominent theme. With enterprise customers grappling with AI-powered threats and the security implications of AI tool adoption, Falcon Fund has looked for companies that address this surface area—both as defensive tools and as companies embedding AI into security workflows.

The Falcon Fund portfolio spans more than 20 companies across cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. Notable active investments include Corelight (network detection and response), Cribl (observability and data routing), JumpCloud (identity and device management), Tines (security automation), Salt Security (API security), Vanta (trust and compliance automation), and Abnormal Security (cloud-native email security).

Vanta deserves special attention. The AI-powered trust management platform raised a $150 million Series D in July 2025 at a $4.15 billion valuation, with CrowdStrike Ventures participating alongside Wellington Management, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Atlassian Ventures. CrowdStrike first invested in Vanta's Series C and has continued to participate in subsequent rounds—a pattern that suggests strong conviction in the company's trajectory.

JetStream Security is a recent addition. The company raised a $34 million seed round in March 2026 led by Redpoint Ventures with participation from Falcon Fund, positioning itself in enterprise AI security—an area CrowdStrike has flagged as strategically important.

Several portfolio companies have been acquired. Sixgill, Hubble, Dig Security, Talon, Elevate Security, and Silk Security all appear in the acquired cohort—reflecting an active exit strategy whether through strategic acquisition or secondary transactions. The fund's willingness to support exits through acquisition is consistent with CrowdStrike's history of building rather than holding.

Portfolio companies gain access to the CrowdStrike Marketplace, the Falcon platform API, development and support resources, and go-to-market support. For early-stage companies, this ecosystem access can be transformational—opening enterprise sales channels that would otherwise take years to build.

The AWS and CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator has also seeded the portfolio pipeline. Companies that perform well in the accelerator frequently move into Falcon Fund consideration, creating a structured funnel from early-stage program to institutional investment.

The original Falcon Fund was a $20 million vehicle launched in 2019 in partnership with Accel. Falcon Fund II, launched in January 2022, is a $100 million fund—five times the size of its predecessor—reflecting CrowdStrike's expanded ambition for its venture activities.

Falcon Fund does not lead rounds. The fund's structure is explicitly co-investment: it joins as a strategic partner alongside lead investors rather than driving the round or taking the lead board seat. This has implications for founders—getting CrowdStrike's investment means having another credible investor already driving the deal. Falcon Fund participation is a signal, not a catalyst.

Because the fund does not lead, its check size is somewhat flexible and deal-dependent. Investments typically range from Series A through Series C, with meaningful participation in rounds where lead investors include top-tier firms like Accel, Sequoia, Index Ventures, and Redpoint.

The minimum commitment from CrowdStrike's side to the original Falcon Fund was $10 million, according to SEC filings. This gives a sense of the fund's overall deployment capacity, though individual check sizes vary based on round size and strategic importance of the opportunity.

For founders, understanding the co-invest dynamic is critical. Falcon Fund will not rescue a round that is struggling to close. But if a top-tier lead investor has already committed and the company's technology fits CrowdStrike's ecosystem strategy, Falcon Fund participation can come together relatively quickly.

The primary path into Falcon Fund is through the Startup Accelerator or via warm introduction from portfolio founders, lead investors, or trusted community members. The fund's contact email is ventures@crowdstrike.com, but cold outbound submissions without a credible inner-circle connection rarely generate traction.

Building a relationship before pitching is strongly preferred. Founders who have presented at industry conferences, participated in the AWS and CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator, or have mutual connections to CrowdStrike employees or portfolio founders tend to receive warm receptions. The fund's investment committee has limited bandwidth for cold inbound.

When preparing your pitch, emphasize how your solution complements the Falcon platform, the scale of the problem you are solving, and why your team has unique domain expertise. Falcon Fund's stated criteria—team experience, problem significance, market opportunity, lead investor interest, Falcon Platform API usage, and long-term alliance potential—should directly shape your narrative.

Do not ask Falcon Fund to lead. Approach the conversation as a strategic fit discussion, not a fundraising ask. The fund's value proposition for founders is access to CrowdStrike's enterprise customer base, threat intelligence, and Marketplace distribution—not board-level guidance or operational involvement.

Following up after your initial meeting matters, but give the process room. The fund evaluates many opportunities simultaneously, and there is no rigid timeline for decisions. Sending relevant milestone updates—new customers, product launches, complementary integrations—is more effective than aggressive follow-up.

For cybersecurity founders specifically, the AWS and CrowdStrike Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator is a high-value entry point. The program runs annually, and strong performers frequently move into Falcon Fund's investment consideration. If your company is at an earlier stage and you are building in cybersecurity or AI security, the accelerator may be a better first touchpoint than the venture fund directly.

Even though CrowdStrike's Falcon Fund does not lead rounds, they still conduct thorough diligence on financial fundamentals. Portfolio companies at Series A and beyond should have clear unit economics, defined customer acquisition costs, and a credible path to the next funding milestone.

For Series B and later companies, detailed financial models with scenario analysis are expected. Investors at that stage want to understand your path to profitability or sustainable growth without excessive burn. Be prepared to discuss your key performance indicators, how you track them, and how they trend over time.

Working with a fractional CFO can meaningfully improve your positioning in these conversations. Beyond building investor-ready financials, a fractional CFO helps you anticipate the questions a fund like Falcon Fund will ask—about market sizing, competitive moats, and the efficiency of your sales motion.

Our team has helped numerous companies prepare for institutional fundraising. From data room construction to board-ready financial models, we ensure founders enter investor meetings with confidence rather than improvisation.

Whether you are targeting CrowdStrike's Falcon Fund or another top-tier corporate VC, the fundamentals of financial preparedness apply. Investors want to see that founders understand their numbers, have modeled their growth scenarios rigorously, and can speak fluently about the mechanics of their business.

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