Cyber-security VCs are holding onto their cash – but that’s OK

Cybersecurity has never been hotter. Analysts say that $3.8 billion went into cybersecurity companies in 2015, a year which saw five private companies in the market reach more than $1 billion in valuations, and others – such as Rapid7, Sophos and Mimecast — filed for IPO.

The market’s rise has been impressive – CB Insights says that last year’s funding figure represented a 235 percent increase from the $1.1 billion ploughed into 166 deals in 2011. No surprise then that big firms like Intel Capital, Google Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures have become the sector’s most active investors, all eyeing up the next potential unicorn.

This explosion in funding hasn’t solely been confined with VCs, with the cybersecurity M&A market exploding in recent months. PwC reports that total deal activity since 2008 has exceeded $22 billion globally, with 451 Research noting that the number of security acquisitions has risen 41 percent in the last two years.

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