Sound Investments - Navigating Cybersecurity and Enterprise Startups with Andrew Peterson

In this episode of Sound Investments, host Ed Barker is joined by Andrew Peterson, founding partner of Aviso Ventures. They discuss Andrew's journey into venture capital, which is rooted in his experiences as a startup founder and operator. Aviso Ventures specializes in investing in cybersecurity and enterprise infrastructure companies, primarily in pre-seed and seed stages. The conversation dives into the challenges startups face in entering the enterprise market, the importance of offering actionable advice, and the practical aspects of cyber investments. They also explore how the venture capital landscape has evolved, the significance of content in building deal flow, and the impact of AI on tech investment.

00:00 Introduction to Sound Investments

00:19 Meet Andrew Peterson of Aviso Ventures

05:20 The Role of Advice in Venture Capital

06:50 Aviso Ventures' Investment Focus

09:25 Challenges in Enterprise Sales Cycles

13:05 Building a Content-Driven VC Strategy

17:57 Trends and Challenges in Venture Capital

22:55 The Missing Element in Seattle's Tech Ecosystem

25:28 The Reality of Transitioning from Big Tech to Startups

28:05 Challenges in Cybersecurity

34:34 AI's Impact on Enterprise

39:43 Staying Updated in a Fast-Moving Tech World

42:38 Personal Reflections and Inspirations

44:55 Conclusion

Andrew Peterson — Founding Partner, Aviso Ventures

Andrew Peterson is the Founding Partner of Aviso Ventures, where he backs the next generation of software infrastructure startups. After more than two decades as an operator and founder, Andrew launched Aviso to invest in companies building foundational technologies for the modern enterprise. Since inception, Aviso’s Fund I has become a top performer in its class, with a strong track record of follow-on investments across the portfolio. Andrew is currently raising and deploying Fund II.

Before founding Aviso, Andrew was the CEO and Co-Founder of Signal Sciences, where he led the creation of a category-defining platform that secured web applications, mobile apps, and APIs. Under his leadership, Signal Sciences grew into an industry leader and was acquired by Fastly for $825 million in 2020. Earlier in his career, Andrew held leadership roles at high-growth companies including Etsy and Google, and served globally with the Clinton Foundation, building high-performing product and sales teams across five continents. His experience spans deep technical execution and go-to-market scale. Andrew is also the author of Cracking Security Misconceptions (O’Reilly Media), a practical guide aimed at broadening participation in organizational security beyond traditional practitioners. He holds a BA in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University, where he was also a PAC-10 Champion on the varsity swim team.

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