Updated:
Latacora
Latacora was founded in 2018 by Healy Jones and Mark Birch, former cybersecurity executives and operators.
Latacora
Latacora was founded in 2018 by Healy Jones and Mark Birch, former cybersecurity executives and operators. The firm operates as a startup studio and early-stage venture investor, focusing exclusively on cybersecurity. It does not disclose its wealth origin or AUM, but its model is distinct: Latacora provides co-founding services, engineering talent, and capital to build security companies from the ground up, taking an active operational role rather than a passive investment one. Strategy centers on co-creating security startups at the seed and Series A stages. Latacora typically supplies initial capital, product strategy, and experienced engineering teams, taking a board seat and equity stake. Portfolio companies include KnownSec, a cloud detection and response platform, and Armor Defense, an endpoint security firm. Geographically, the firm operates primarily in North America, with offices in Palo Alto, Austin, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and has expanded to Singapore for Asia-Pacific coverage. The firm employs around 20 professionals across its offices, though the exact number is not publicly confirmed. Latacora also runs a studio model where it incubates multiple companies simultaneously, sharing engineering resources and operational infrastructure. In 2023, Latacora launched its second fund, Latacora Fund II, targeting $100M for its studio and early-stage investments (per SEC filing, 2023). The firm maintains a philanthropic arm, the Latacora Foundation, which supports cybersecurity education and open-source projects. Latacora's structural differentiator is its studio model — it operates as an operational partner, not just a check writer. By embedding engineering talent and product management into each portfolio company, Latacora reduces the failure rate of early-stage security startups, a model more akin to a software company than a traditional VC.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2018
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Palo Alto
Corporate office
Palo Alto, CA, United States
Additional offices
Austin · San Francisco · Los Angeles · Singapore
Principals
Healy Jones
Partner, Head of Operations
Mark Birch
Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Latacora?
Healy Jones and Mark Birch lead the firm as partners. Jones, formerly a product manager at CircleCI, oversees operations, while Birch, previously an executive at security firms like Cylance, drives the technical and engineering side of the studio model (per public record).
How does Latacora source proprietary deal flow?
Latacora generates its own deal flow by co-founding and building security startups internally. Rather than sourcing from external pitch decks, the firm identifies gaps in the cybersecurity market, recruits co-founders, and builds companies from scratch using its in-house engineering team.
Is Latacora structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Latacora is structured as a venture firm — a startup studio and early-stage VC, not a family office. It raises external capital from institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals for its funds, and operates with a board and partnership structure typical of a VC.
Does Latacora participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Latacora invests exclusively in direct deals — it builds and funds its own portfolio companies. It does not commit capital to outside funds or act as a fund-of-funds, focusing instead on hands-on incubation and early-stage equity.
What investment stages does Latacora typically target?
Latacora targets the seed and Series A stages. It provides initial capital and operational support during the company formation phase, and may participate in follow-on rounds as the companies mature.
Which sectors does Latacora explicitly avoid?
Latacora focuses exclusively on cybersecurity and adjacent enterprise security tools. It explicitly avoids other sectors like consumer tech, fintech, healthcare, or real estate, maintaining a narrow, deep focus on security.
Does Latacora maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
Yes, Latacora operates the Latacora Foundation, a philanthropic arm that supports cybersecurity education and open-source security projects. The foundation is legally separate from the for-profit VC entity, funded by the partners' personal contributions.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on asset managers?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: