We partner at inception and stay with our teams for the long haul. That’s how real value is built.
Yoav Leitersdorf founded YL Ventures in 2007 with a clear goal: invest early, back real builders, and stay actively engaged as they grow. His own experience as a founder shaped the firm’s approach from the start. He knew firsthand what company-building demands, and he built YL Ventures to meet those demands with deep conviction and long-term support.
He believes in partnering with founders when the core is clear - the team is right, the problem is real, and the urgency is there - even if the rest of the market hasn’t caught on yet. Under his leadership, YL Ventures helps founders turn early traction into cybersecurity companies that solve critical problems and define new categories.
Today, YL Ventures is recognized as one of the world’s leading cybersecurity venture firms. Its early investments in companies like Twistlock, Axonius, and Orca Security reflect a consistent focus: find exceptional founders early and support them through the moments that matter.
Before founding YL Ventures, Yoav built and exited three startups of his own. That experience continues to shape how he works with entrepreneurs, with respect, urgency, and a clear sense of where the right kind of help can make a difference.
In 2002, while studying at Columbia University, he met John Quigley, who was teaching a course on venture capital investing. John was at that time heading the team managing the entirety of the Princeton University endowment’s alternative assets, including venture capital and private equity. John introduced Yoav to the fundamentals of venture capital and the characteristics of top-tier venture firms. Their conversations sparked the idea that would eventually become YL Ventures, which Yoav cofounded with John. John has been Yoav's longtime business partner, mentor and dear friend, and has participated meaningfully in every investment vehicle the firm has ever formed.
The firm’s earliest investments reflect a conviction-led, founder-first approach. YL Ventures backed Twistlock when containers were still considered niche infrastructure. It supported Axonius through a pivotal board discussion that marked a clear product-market fit breakthrough, and when the Orca Security founders entered the market, the firm led the round at a premium, grounded in a strong belief in the team and the opportunity.
The firm remains closely engaged as founders navigate the kinds of challenges that define a company’s trajectory. Medigate built a cybersecurity solution for connected medical devices during COVID, operating in one of the most constrained and complex sectors. YL Ventures supported the team through that period and into a successful acquisition. More recently, the rise of AI introduced an entirely different kind of challenge rooted in speed, disruption and shifting risk. Under Yoav’s leadership, the firm moved early to understand its implications for cybersecurity and to help portfolio companies adapt and lead.
This is the foundation Yoav built YL Ventures on: early belief, clarity of purpose, and partnerships that last.
Top 10 Cybersecurity VC (2022, 2023, 2024)
2025 Top US VCs
