CrowdStrike launches $100m cybersecurity investment fund

Falcon Fund II is five times the size of its original fund set up in 2019, Crowdstrike claims

CrowdStrike has launched a new $100m fund to invest in emerging cybersecurity businesses.

Named the Falcon Fund II, the investment vehicle is in partnership with venture capital firm Accel and is five times larger than its original fund launched in 2019.

CrowdStrike says the fund will dramatically increase its ability to invest in the next generation of emerging vendors.

It will also enable the vendor to form "long-term alliances" with companies that can benefit from its expertise and knowledge.

Its original fund, named Falcon Fund, invested in companies including Corelight, Cribl, JumpCloud and Tines in 2019, Crowdstrike claims.

"Falcon Fund II exemplifies our firm commitment to private company investments that enable us to support technologies and leaders," said CEO George Kurtz in a statement.

"This venture goes beyond our mission to build the best product suite in the market that protects endpoints and cloud workloads, identity and data. Together, with the next generation of market disruptors, we can help shape the future of cybersecurity with a shared goal of protecting critical areas of risk for organisations and making this world a safer place."

Nasdaq-listed CrowdStrike IPOed in 2019 with a valuation of $11bn. The company is now worth $44bn, with its share price rising by more than 43 per cent since it went public.