Windspeed Ventures is a Venture Capital firm that does Seed, Early Stage Venture, and Later Stage Venture Investments.

Windspeed Ventures

Founded in November 1998 by entrepreneurs Laurent Drion and Gregory Hédo, E-Merge has invested, generally as lead investor, in more than 30 Technology Startups .   We focus on early stages of development (Seed and Series A).  Our three original target industries were: Telecom, E-Commerce Tools & Online Payment Systems.   In 2012 we also started paying attention to Commercial Space investment opportunities, including businesses built around the open-source CubeSat standard and made our first investment in this area.  The portfolio companies are carefully selected for their technological and commercial strengths. They have strong dedicated management teams with relevant expertise, a significant growth potential, strongly automatized processes, and recurring revenue.  Typical investments range between USD 50,000 and USD 1,500,000 per portfolio company.  In addition to capital, E-Merge shares its experience with its portfolio companies in a wide range of areas: strategy, development of the business plan, key-persons recruitment, technology choices, marketing & press relations, legal matters, fundraising, M&A etc...   Portfolio companies also get access to E-Merge's extended network in its target industries.  E-Merge distinguishes itself from other investors by the entrepreneurial profile of its founders and managers, for its rapid decision-making and for taking the risk of investing in very early stage companies.   Thanks to their entrepreneurial background E-Merge's partners have an excellent understanding of the challenges facing innovative startups and their founders.

E-Merge

Techstars is a global platform that provides investment and innovation. Through the Techstars Worldwide Entrepreneur Network, founders and their teams connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporate partners who will help their companies grow. Techstars operates four divisions: Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Program supercharges success and Techstars Startup Programs inspire, educate, and connect entrepreneurs. Techstars Venture Capital Fund invests in innovative and disruptive companies. Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships help brands create products and services. Techstars' accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,000 companies with a market cap of $8.1 billion.

Techstars

Foundry is a venture capital firm focused on providing early-stage technology investments. The firm was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, United States.

Foundry Group

Techstars Ventures (formerly Bullet Time Ventures) is the venture capital arm of Techstars. Bullet Time Ventures is a $150 million fund based in Boulder, Colorado.

Techstars Ventures

Formerly Galvanize Ventures, Upslope Ventures is an early stage venture capital fund that invests in startups across the country.  They believe exceptional teams can originate from any location.  They provide more than capital and introductions.  By leveraging their network they aim to empower entrepreneurs with the resources they need to have their best chance at success - even if they don’t invest.

Upslope Ventures

Ridge Ventures funds experienced founders redefining how the world interacts with software.    Whether for the cloud or the edge, we look for companies delivering advanced technologies, new distribution models and incredible user experiences to market.    While we’re focused on SaaS and infrastructure solutions for the enterprise, we also back startups in adtech, gaming and ecommerce.    We are firm believers in “where there’s a big problem, there’s a big opportunity.”  We love Series A deals and helping create something out of chaos.

Ridge Ventures

Bossa Invest manages investment portfolios and provides asset management services to clients. It analyzes market trends to inform investment decisions. Bossa Invest serves multiple sectors, including finance, technology, and real estate.

Bossa Invest

OpenView is an expansion stage venture firm that helps grow software companies like Instructure, Kareo, Datadog, and Expensify into market leaders. Through OpenView's Expansion Platform, they help companies hire the best talent, acquire, and retain the right customers and partner with industry leaders so they can dominate their markets. OpenView's focus on the expansion stage makes it suited to provide truly tailored operational support to their portfolio companies. OpenView Partners has adopted the Diversity Term Sheet Rider.

OpenView

General Atlantic is a private equity firm that provides capital and strategic support for growth companies. General Atlantic combines a collaborative approach, sector-specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon, and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build market businesses.

General Atlantic

BlackRock Innovation Capital is a growth stage investment fund formed by BlackRock. BlackRock Innovation Capital leads equity and debt investments in growth-stage companies applying technology to reshape their industries.

BlackRock Innovation Capital

OurCrowd is a venture investing platform that enables institutions and individuals to invest and engage in emerging companies. OurCrowd was started in 2013, driven by the idea that the business of building startups grows bigger and better when the global 'crowd' gains access to VC-level investment opportunities.

OurCrowd

H.I.G. Growth Partners is the dedicated growth capital investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm with over $13 billion of capital under management. We seek to make both majority and minority investments in strong, growth oriented businesses located throughout North America, South America and Europe. We will invest $5 million to $30 million in equity in a given company and target investments in profitable growth oriented businesses with between $10 million and $100 million in revenues. We consider investments across all industries, but focus on certain high-growth sectors where H.I.G. has extensive in-house expertise such as technology, healthcare, internet and media, consumer products and technology-enabled financial and business services. Growth Partners strives to work closely with our management teams to serve as an experienced resource, providing broad-based strategic, operational, recruiting and financial management services from a vast in-house team and a substantial network of third-party relationships. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G

H.I.G. Growth Partners

Sapphire is a global software venture capital firm with more than $11 billion in AUM and team members across Austin, London, Menlo Park and San Francisco. For over a decade, Sapphire has partnered with visionary management teams and venture funds to back companies of consequence. Since its founding, Sapphire has invested in more than 170 companies globally resulting in more than 30 Public Listings and 45 acquisitions. The firm’s investment strategies — Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport — are focused on scaling companies and venture funds, elevating them to become category leaders. Sapphire’s Portfolio Growth team of experienced operators delivers a strategic blend of value-add services, tools and resources designed to support portfolio company leaders as they scale.

Sapphire Ventures

Sands Capital is an active, long-term investor in innovative growth businesses. The approach combines rigorous fundamental analysis with inspired thinking to seek out businesses that are creating the future. They operate through two affiliates: Sands Capital Management, which focuses on investing in companies in the public market, and Sands Capital Ventures, which focuses on investing in companies in the private market. By enabling clients to participate in the growth of these businesses, its mission is to add value and enhance their wealth with prudence over time.

Sands Capital Ventures

Endeavor Catalyst is the co-investment fund set up to invest exclusively in led companies and to sustain Endeavor’s long-term operations in a mission-aligned way.

Endeavor Catalyst

Owl Rock aims to meet the distinct and underserved financing needs of middle-market companies through tailored “one-stop” financing solutions across the capital structure. Its seasoned executives’ experience in designing and funding custom solutions positions us as a desirable lending partner to middle-market companies and their sponsors. It deploys capital through Owl Rock Capital Corporation, which has elected to be treated as a business development company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Owl Rock Capital Corporation will originate, underwrite and invest in senior secured or unsecured loans, subordinated loans or mezzanine loans and, to a lesser extent, equity-related securities and warrants. Owl Rock Capital Advisors, a SEC-registered investment adviser, manages Owl Rock Capital Corporation.

Owl Rock Capital

Alumni Ventures Group provides high-quality, diversified venture portfolios to individual investors who previously haven't had access to VC. It helps accredited alums from top entrepreneurial schools invest together in the ventures of fellow alums. The firm backs companies with an alumni connection and an institutional lead investor with expertise in the space. AVG also offers focused funds that allow any accredited investor access to a venture portfolio, diversified by type, sector, stage, and geography. Beth Obermiller, Michael Madden, and Mike Collins co-founded the firm in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2013.

Alumni Ventures

Whale Rock Capital Management is an investment firm that focuses on the technology, media, and telecom sectors. The firm was established in 2006 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Whale Rock Capital Management

NTT DOCOMO Ventures is the venture capital arm of NTT DOCOMO, Inc. specializing in investments in incubation, early stage, middle stage, and later/pre-IPO stage companies. It prefers to invest in the field of information technology, telecommunications, content platform services, battery power, authentication security, BigData, a solution with devices, cloud, and communication platforms. The firm invests in and outside of Japan. It seeks to invest up to about USD $2 million to USD $3 million per investment. It prefers to seek minority stakes of around 20% or less per portfolio. The firm seeks to exit its investments through sales of stocks or transfer of shares to DOCOMO and NTT Group companies. It also runs an accelerator program called DOCOMO Incubation Program. Docomo Innovation Ventures, previously known as NTT Investment Partners Inc., was established on February 20, 2008, and is based in Minato, Chiba, Japan.

NTT DOCOMO Ventures

Steadfast is an investment firm that invests in both public and private markets. It specializes in the fields of venture capital, financial services, and finance.

Steadfast Capital Management

Atlassian Ventures invests in early-stage companies focused on building apps for cloud products.  Early-stage (targeting seed rounds) startups building apps for our cloud products. We hope to include both existing ecosystem developers and new teams in this category and are excited to give them an opportunity to grow. Larger, more established product partners scaling their businesses. These investments will be made in partnership with institutional investors, and will generally target series A onwards. Existing sales channel partners looking to step up their cloud services and create new products that support the future of teamwork.

Atlassian Ventures

Falcon Fund I is an early-stage investment fund started by CrowdStrike®, in partnership with Accel. The Fund will focus on seed and Series A investments in startups that are building applications on top of the CrowdStrike Falcon® platform.

CrowdStrike Falcon Fund

Waterman Ventures is a community of Brown University alumni, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovation enthusiasts.

Waterman Ventures

JumpCloud

JumpCloud is an open directory platform for secure, frictionless access from any device to any resource, anywhere. JumpCloud’s mission is to Make Work Happen, providing simple, secure access to corporate technology resources from any device, or any location. The JumpCloud Directory Platform gives IT, security operations, and DevOps a single, cloud-based solution to control and manage employee identities, their devices, and apply Zero Trust principles. JumpCloud has a global user base of more than 100,000 organizations, with over 3,000 customers including Cars.com, GoFundMe, Grab, ClassPass, Uplight, Beyond Finance, and Foursquare. JumpCloud is backed by BlackRock, General Atlantic, OpenView, and Foundry Group.

<div>JumpCloud offers a cloud-based directory platform designed to simplify identity, access, and device management for organizations. Its solution serves as a centralized identity provider, enabling IT teams to manage user identities, provision and deprovision access to various resources, and enforce security policies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access controls.</div>

Ensuring the right people access the right resources at the right time

Identity & Access Management

JumpCloud Announces Its First Free Virtual Conference for IT Professionals

Alphabet

To enhance security measures and streamline the management of hybrid workforces.

Amazon

AWS IAM Identity Center has integrated with JumpCloud by using SAML SSO for streamlined user and group management

Platforms that enable users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple systems, applications, or services without the need to provide separate credentials for each system or resource access and usage

<div>
 
 JumpCloud offers a cloud-based directory platform designed to simplify identity, access, and device management for organizations. Its solution serves as a centralized identity provider, enabling IT teams to manage user identities, provision and deprovision access to various resources, and enforce security policies such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access controls.
 
 
 The JumpCloud platform unifies identity and access management across on-premises and cloud environments. It allows organizations to connect users to their devices, IT applications, files, and networks through a single set of credentials, leveraging protocols like LDAP, SAML, RADIUS, and SSH. This approach streamlines the user experience and facilitates single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.
 
 
 Its platform supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android, enabling comprehensive endpoint management regardless of location. It also integrates with cloud services like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
 
 
 Moreover, the company&rsquo;s identity lifecycle management capabilities automate the onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring that user access is granted or revoked as needed based on their roles and responsibilities within the organization.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 As of May 2024, JumpCloud operated in over 160 countries, and its customer base of over 180,000 organizations includes technology companies like MiQ Digital, AkitaBox, and Classpass.&nbsp;
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In October 2021, the company announced that it raised USD 225 million in a Series F funding round led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from Atlassian Ventures, CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, and NTT Docomo Ventures, among others, at a valuation of USD 2.625 billion. The funds were raised to increase SME adoption of its platforms.
 
 
 
</div>

FortifID is a software company that puts individuals back in control of their identity and directly connects individuals to institutions. The company building a network to power secure, trusted &amp; robust consumer data for the digital world, also enabling individuals to seize control over the use of their personal data. They solve the needs ofbusinesses that use, buy or sell personal data, as well as the privacy needs of consumers for business using personal data, for business selling personal data, and for individuals. Their vision is a data solution for the digital age using blockchain and next-gen concepts from MIT. FortifID was founded in 2017 and is based in Mountain View, California, USA.

FortifID

<div>
 
 Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management (IAM) solution developed by Red Hat. It provides robust user authentication, authorization, and single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, allowing users to securely access multiple applications and services with a single set of credentials. Keycloak supports industry-standard protocols such as OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and SAML 2.0, ensuring interoperability and seamless integration with various applications and frameworks.
 
 
 One of Keycloak's key features is its ability to act as an identity provider (IdP), handling user authentication and attribute assertions. It can also function as a service provider (SP), relying on external IdPs for authentication and authorization. Keycloak offers a user-friendly administration console, where administrators can manage users, roles, and permissions, as well as configure authentication methods, federation settings, and authorization policies.
 
 
 Keycloak supports user federation, allowing it to integrate with existing user stores such as LDAP and Active Directory. It also enables identity brokering, empowering users to authenticate using their existing social media accounts or external identity providers. Additionally, Keycloak provides customizable login pages, password recovery mechanisms, and support for multi-factor authentication, enhancing security and user experience.
 
 
 As an open-source project, Keycloak benefits from community contributions, ensuring its continuous improvement and adaptation to evolving business needs. Organizations can leverage the extensive documentation, forums, and resources provided by the Keycloak community for support and guidance during implementation and customization.
 
 
 
</div>

Keycloak

<div>
 
 miniOrange provides Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions offering a range of products, including Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB). Its solutions secure access to various applications and cloud services while enabling seamless user experiences.&nbsp;
 
 
 miniOrange's technology allows organizations to implement access control policies based on factors like IP addresses, locations, devices, and time restrictions, providing granular control over data access. Additionally, its solutions integrate with platforms such as Microsoft 365, ServiceNow, Oracle EBS, and Zoom, enabling businesses to enhance security across their digital ecosystems. With a strong focus on compliance and data protection, miniOrange's IAM offerings help enterprises mitigate risks associated with unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 miniOrange's client base spans various industries, including government entities, healthcare organizations, and enterprises across the US.&nbsp;
 
 
 miniOrange partners with companies like Oracle, Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Zoom, integrating their IAM solutions to secure access to these platforms seamlessly. Its extensive app integration library, comprising over 5,000 applications, allows organizations to optimize resources and costs while streamlining authentication and access management processes.
 
 
 
</div>

miniOrange

One Identity provides identity security solutions focused on protecting and unifying four core elements: Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Access Management (AM), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and Active Directory Management. The company's solutions help organizations manage identities across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments through a modular and integrated approach to user account management. In October 2021, One Identity acquired OneLogin, which expanded its capabilities to include Single Sign-On, multi-factor authentication, directory integration, and user provisioning. The combination allowed customers to take a comprehensive approach to identity security through a unified identity security platform.

One Identity

<div>
 
 SailPoint provides identity security solutions for enterprises. Its identity governance and administration (IGA) platform, IdentityIQ, allows organizations to manage and secure access to applications, data, and cloud resources across their entire IT infrastructure. IdentityIQ automates user provisioning, access requests, access certifications, and policy enforcement, ensuring that users have the appropriate level of access based on their roles and responsibilities.
 
 
 IdentityIQ integrates with various enterprise systems, including cloud, mobile, and on-premises applications, through connectors and APIs. This integration allows for synchronized user access management across the organization's technology landscape. The platform's key components include, 1)Identity Cube, a centralized repository for user identities and access rights, 2)Policies for enforcing organizational and regulatory standards, 3)Workflows for automating identity-related processes, and 4)Tasks, scheduled or event-driven processes for executing specific activities).
 
 
 SailPoint's identity governance solution helps organizations streamline audit and compliance processes, enhance security posture, and improve operational efficiency. It offers features such as role-based access control (RBAC), separation of duties (SoD) enforcement, password management, and compliance reporting. The platform leverages AI and machine learning (ML) capabilities to automate tasks, analyze identity data, and assist in determining appropriate access levels.
 
 
 In August 2022, SailPoint was acquired by Thoma Bravo in an all-cash transaction valued at ~USD 6.9 billion. Subsequently, it was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 SailPoint has established partnerships with various technology companies and has a strong customer base spanning multiple industries. Some notable customers are General Electric, Vodafone, ADP, and Western Union. SailPoint has also formed a partnership with Circle Security, a decentralized threat prevention platform, to enhance the security offerings for its customers.
 
 
 SailPoint actively collaborates with industry leaders, such as Cisco and Rapid7, to expand its identity security solutions and integrate with their respective products and services. The company maintains a partner ecosystem, including managed security service providers (MSSPs) and resellers, to facilitate the deployment and adoption of its identity governance solutions across various market segments.
 
 
 
</div>

SailPoint

Platforms that manage and control user access to systems, applications, and resources and govern the policies, processes, and controls necessary to ensure appropriate access levels, permissions, and entitlements are granted to users based on their roles, responsibilities, and organizational requirements

Platforms that manage and maintain controls, policies, and systems that govern the entire lifecycle of an employee's access to company resources, systems, and data

Platforms that provide an additional layer of security beyond traditional username and password authentication, including controls such as one-time passwords (OTP), biometric data recognition (such as fingerprint, facial recognition), hardware tokens, or push notifications to mobile devices as a means to strengthen the authentication process

Platforms that manage and secure the digital identities and access rights of customers or users across various applications, services, and resources of an organization

Platforms that focus on managing user credentials, including passwords, to ensure secure access to systems, applications, data and resources

IAM solutions enable personalization by tailoring user rights, roles, and access to services based on individual profiles

IAM solutions enhance transparency and accountability by controlling user access, monitoring activity, facilitating audits, and preventing unauthorized access, ensuring business data integrity

AI/ML in IAM help automate risk analysis, anomaly detection, and adapt access controls, improving security.

Certain customer IAM providers also offer biometric authentication solutions

This is a key demand driver for IAM solutions as companies switch to a hybrid work environment, driving the increased need to manage user identity and access to organizational resources

Companies offering IAM solutions offer their solutions under a B2B SaaS model

JumpCloud

EDGE Insights

About EDGE

Contact Us

Resources

Area of Focus

Technology Research Made Effortless