# Latacora

Latacora is an Asset Manager based in Palo Alto, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Palo Alto, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Palo Alto, CA, United States
- **Founded:** 2018
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** latacora.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/latacora

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

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.

## Sectors

- Cybersecurity
- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- Developer Tools

## Offices

- Austin
- San Francisco
- Los Angeles
- Singapore

## People

- Healy Jones — Partner, Head of Operations
- Mark Birch — Partner

## Questions

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/latacora

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