Apr. 6, 2021

Welcoming Andy Ellis to YL Ventures

By John Brennan

We are excited to announce that our Venture Advisor Andy Ellis, former CSO of Akamai Technologies is joining the YL Ventures team as Operating Partner!

Open Modal

Today, I’m thrilled to announce that Andy Ellis, Former CSO of Akamai Technologies & longtime YLV Venture Advisor, has joined YL Ventures as an Operating Partner!

Amidst a constantly changing cybersecurity landscape, we have made a concerted and consistent effort to stay ahead of the curve by innovating through processes (with comprehensive early-stage playbooks that address business development, marketing, research, hiring and finance), as well as with dynamic team building, examples of which include our CISO-in-residence program and our Venture Advisory Board. The addition of Andy to our team as an Operating Partner is the next big leap forward in YLV value-add.

Andy, a seasoned technology executive with deep expertise in security, strategy and leadership, previously spent 20+ years transforming Akamai into a major security player with $1B+ in annual revenue, while leading Akamai’s security portfolio as a stealth startup inside the content delivery provider. Andy has a broad range of experience, both as a customer and a vendor, uniquely positioning him as an ideal mentor for early stage cybersecurity entrepreneurs. While Andy certainly understands the voice of the buyer, he also can speak to the shaping and development of novel products and go-to-market strategies.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Andy for several years now in his capacity as a YLV Advisor. Andy has helped us vet dozens of potential investments over the years, and he advises two of our portfolio companies, Vulcan Cyber and Orca Security, directly. Andy’s expertise and knowledge are matched by his enthusiasm for and dedication to the teams with which he has engaged on our behalf. Never transactional in his work with our founders, he has built real relationships within the Israeli security ecosystem, going above and beyond in the way he approaches each and every discussion. Andy has even been known to take diligence calls from the bowels of Gillette Stadium, while his (and my) beloved New England Patriots are mid-game! Even a close score with a division rival can’t dampen Andy’s passion for helping founders.

Andy’s ability to support entrepreneurs so meaningfully stems from his unique ability to take partially formed ideas, map those concepts to very real and urgent problems, and work with founders to ideate on optimal approaches and solutions. I’ve always been impressed by the rare combination of innate brilliance and genuine humility omnipresent in Andy’s interactions with our team and our portfolio, and I’ve seen countless individuals come away from discussions with Andy feeling empowered and energized. While Andy’s thought leadership within the security community is renowned, he has an uncanny ability to take high level concepts and translate them into applicable and practical business tactics with remarkable ease.

As Operating Partner at YL Ventures, Andy will support entrepreneurs throughout every step of their companies’ life cycles, from ideation and market validation (pre-investment!) to strategic product input, deep customer engagement, and general support as companies scale rapidly in the high velocity cybersecurity market.

Andy’s expertise in the field and his drive for solving real-world problems has made him one of the premier thought leaders in cybersecurity today. His deep commitment to shaping the next generation of solutions has led him to work closely with YL Ventures, and his decision to expand his position and join our team as an Operating Partner is, in a way, a tremendous validation of the way we operate and of the type of founders with which we strive to partner.

We are honored to have Andy working more closely with emerging technologies and uniquely talented entrepreneurs at YLV. His track record and expertise, as well as his passion for mentorship and collaboration, make Andy a perfect fit for our team. The addition of Andy Ellis as a YLV Operating Partner is a huge win for our organization – and I’m excited to see the myriad of ways in which my colleagues and I will be learning from him.

Welcome, Andy!