Drawbridge announces growth investment from Francisco Partners

By Edlyn Cardoza

Drawbridge, a provider of cybersecurity software and solutions to the financial services industry, announced a strategic growth investment from Francisco Partners, a global investment firm that specialises in partnering with technology businesses. Existing investor Long Ridge and Drawbridge’s leadership team will remain significant equity holders in the company.

Jason Elmer, Drawbridge’s Founder and CEO, said: “We are thrilled to announce this new investment from Francisco Partners which will allow us to accelerate our technology innovation and continuously focus on customer success. Drawbridge was founded to provide financial services firms with the state-of-the-art software and solutions they need to simplify and manage the complex and evolving cyber risk landscape. The industry is facing increased cyber threats and escalating due diligence demands, and this new investment will enable Drawbridge to provide an even greater level of support to our customers.”

Founded in 2018, Drawbridge has created an all-in-one platform that allows financial services firms to rapidly deploy, manage, and continuously optimise a holistic cybersecurity program. The company’s proprietary technology platform helps firms navigate the evolving regulatory and threat landscape, manage governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) requirements, and combat sophisticated cyber threats. Drawbridge has recorded rapid and consistent global growth since its inception and is now relied on by over 900 funds in the alternative investment industry to build and maintain its critical cybersecurity programs.

Kevin Bhatt, the Managing Partner at Long Ridge, said: “When we initially invested in Drawbridge last year, we recognized the company’s combination of cybersecurity software and solutions was uniquely positioned to help alternative investment firms thrive in an evolving threat landscape. The company’s tremendous success is a testament to the team’s strong leadership, and we are excited to join Francisco Partners in supporting the next phase of growth.”

The new investment from Francisco Partners will help drive Drawbridge’s continued expansion and product development to best serve customers across private equity, hedge fund, venture capital, and other industries.

Scott DePetris, Drawbridge President and COO, added: “We are excited about the new partnership with Francisco Partners and are looking forward to further enhancing our leading offering across an expanding customer base.”

Peter Christodoulo, Partner at Francisco Partners, said: “Jason and Scott have done an exceptional job building Drawbridge’s market-leading platform and have shown an impressive dedication to solving customers’ critical cybersecurity and compliance needs. We are very excited to partner with Long Ridge and the Drawbridge team to accelerate growth and continue to drive innovation in the sector.”

IBS Intelligence reported that Drawbridge had announced the creation of its Industry Advisory Board (IAB). With the launch of its IAB, Drawbridge is bringing together exceptional industry leaders with unmatched experience to foster an open exchange of ideas and best practices to help advance cyber defenses for the alternative investment community.