Merlin Ventures
Venture capitalMclean · Seed–Series A · 9 people tracked
Investment thesis
Merlin Ventures positions itself as more than a capital provider, aiming to be a hands-on platform for cybersecurity founders. It backs exceptional entrepreneurs building next-generation cybersecurity solutions, leveraging deep domain expertise, a network of hundreds of CISOs, and go-to-market capabilities to accelerate enterprise sales and open doors that other investors cannot. The firm emphasizes strategic partnership over merely writing checks, hosting exclusive gatherings of CISOs, AI-native founders, and innovators to spark cybersecurity innovation.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 25, 2026.
Team · 9 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 7 of 11 portfolio companiesCybersecurity ×6AI & Machine Learning ×4Enterprise Software ×3Cloud Computing ×2SaaS ×2Defense Tech ×1E-commerce ×1IoT ×1
HQs:United States×2Canada×1Israel×1
Investments · 11 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 12023 · 13 dated
Clutch is an online used-car retailer that buys, inspects, reconditions, and sells certified used cars directly to consumers, offering instant cash offers for sellers and financing for buyers.
E-commerceMarketplacesMobility & Transportation
Stephen Seibel(Founder)inDan Parkin
Co-investorsCanaan PartnersPanache VenturesUpper90Alkeon CapitalAltos VenturesAndreessen Horowitz+9 more
Clutch Security offers an identity security platform focused on non-human identities, AI agents, and secrets across cloud, SaaS, on-prem, and code environments.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise Software
Ofir Har-Chen(Founder)in
Co-investorsSignalFireThe Westly GroupLightspeed Venture Partners
Cyolo provides a remote access solution focused on secure, privileged connectivity to OT and SCADA systems, designed to work with a company's existing security infrastructure rather than replacing it.
CybersecurityDefense TechEnterprise SoftwareIoTRamat Gan, IL
Almog Apirion(CEO, Co-founder)inDedi Y(Founder)inEran Shmuely(Founder)in
Co-investorsDifferential VenturesGlilot Capital PartnersFlint CapitalGlobal Founders CapitalNational Grid Partners
Neo builds Neoverse, a knowledge base that continuously maps the capabilities, risks, and behaviors of agentic software (such as AI coding agents and AI apps).
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurity
Nicholas Warner(CEO · Co-founder)Shlomi Salem(CPO · Co-founder)inEran Shirazi(CTO · Co-founder)in
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzBessemer Venture PartnersCraft Ventures
Orca Security offers an agentless cloud security platform (CNAPP) that scans cloud accounts, code, containers, and AI workloads to detect, prioritize, and remediate risks from development through runtime.
Cloud ComputingCybersecuritySaaSPortland, US
Gil Geron(CEO & Co-founder)inAvi Shua(Chief Innovation Officer & Co-founder)inEty Spiegel Hubara(Founder)Liran Antebi(Founder)Matan Ben Gur(Founder)Matan Ben-Gur(Founder)
Co-investorsCapitalGCisco InvestmentsFlyover CapitalHarmony PartnersICONIQLauder Partners+4 more
Platform using physical-layer fingerprinting and machine learning plus threat intelligence for hardware infrastructure visibility and enforcement.
Co-investorsBeacon VCHanaco Venture CapitalMindset VentureUS Venture PartnersWorld Trade Ventures (WTV)Citi Ventures
Talon develops enterprise browser solutions that provide security controls and threat detection for organizations with remote and hybrid workforces.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaS
Co-investorsBallistic VenturesEntrée CapitalEvolution Equity PartnersLightspeed Venture PartnersSyn Ventures Seed Management LlcTeam8
Tamnoon offers an AI-assisted cloud security remediation service that triages, prioritizes, and fixes cloud misconfiguration alerts from CNAPP and cloud security tools.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingCybersecuritySammamish, US
Marina Segal(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)in
BoardZohar Alon(Director)inMarcos Castro Osorio(Director)inIdan Perez(Director)inShay Michel(Director)in
Co-investorsAlphaDriveBright Pixel CapitalInner Loop CapitalMindset VenturetoDay VenturesElron Ventures+1 more
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesCyolo · siliconangle.com · Jul 9, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Merlin Ventures made?
- Merlin Ventures has 6 tracked investments.
- What stage does Merlin Ventures invest at?
- Merlin Ventures invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Merlin Ventures's typical check size?
- Merlin Ventures typically writes checks of $2M – $6M.
- What sectors does Merlin Ventures focus on?
- Merlin Ventures focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Data & Infrastructure, SaaS.
- Where is Merlin Ventures located?
- Merlin Ventures is headquartered in Mclean, US.
- Who does Merlin Ventures co-invest with?
- Merlin Ventures most often shares deals with Ballistic Ventures, CapitalG, Differential Ventures, among 16 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMerlin Ventures Managing Partner Seth Spergel, Live at RSAC 2025
IPO Edge · Seth Spergel
Seth Spergel, Managing Partner, Merlin Ventures – More Than Money: Standing out in Venture Capit...
ICR · Seth Spergel
Working with Early Stage Technology Companies with Merlin Ventures | Seth Spergel | CPP
ShortArm Solutions and The Cyber Pro Podcast · Seth Spergel
Merlin Ventures with Seth Spergel #cybersecurity #podcast #shorts
CyberBytes: The Podcast · Seth Spergel
Ep613: Shay Michel | General Partner, Merlin Ventures, Managing Partner, toDay Ventures
The Matias Experiment · Shay Michel
Images
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