Dean Sysman joins Bessemer Venture Partners as venture advisor

The digital threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and AI advancements demand new cybersecurity requirements and solutions. As CISOs and businesses of all sizes re-evaluate their technology stacks, and as Bessemer continues to back the next generation of technical founders, we're proud to welcome Dean Sysman as our newest venture advisor. In this role, Dean will provide strategic counsel to cybersecurity founders, leaders, and CISOs across our portfolio, and help our investment team evaluate prospective companies.

Dean Sysman is the co-founder and former CEO of Axonius, the platform that aggregates data from an organization's existing security and IT tools into a single view, giving companies complete visibility into all their assets and security posture. Under his leadership, our portfolio company Axonius grew to a $2.6 billion valuation in less than five years from founding, and continues to grow at an impressive clip. Before Axonius, Dean co-founded Cymmetria, a YC-backed cyber deception company with Fortune 500 customers that was later acquired by private equity.

"Dean is one of the most exceptional founders I've had the privilege of working with,” shares Amit Karp, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “He scaled Axonius while navigating a pandemic, a tech downturn, and a war — never losing sight of his mission. But what truly sets him apart is that he didn't just build a great product — he built an engine for continuous innovation. Dean understands what it takes to build an enduring company, and that mindset is exactly what early-stage cybersecurity founders need in their corner."

At Bessemer, we look to Axonius as a leading example of what's possible for cybersecurity companies. When Partner Amit Karp invested in Axonius at the Series A in 2019, the business had roughly five customers and less than $500K in revenue. Under Dean's leadership, Axonius surpassed the Centaur milestone — reaching $100M ARR in about four and a half years — through relentless product excellence, a culture of innovation, and a commitment to mentorship. The result is astonishingly rare in cybersecurity: a company that maintains an NPS higher than consumer giants like Apple and Netflix.

"We're entering a new era of cybersecurity where AI is reshaping both the threats and the solutions. Founders building in this space need more than capital — they need partners who've been in the trenches and understand what it takes to win enterprise trust,” shares Dean Sysman. “I'm thrilled to work alongside the Bessemer team to help the next generation of cybersecurity leaders navigate this moment and build companies that endure."

As a venture advisor, Dean will meet regularly with the investment team and portfolio leaders, helping Bessemer identify market opportunities and advise founders and CEOs on how to build an enduring business in a rapidly evolving industry.

Dean is an important voice at major conferences including Black Hat, DEF CON, and CCC. He is an alumnus and Captain of an elite unit in the Israeli Intelligence Corps, where he served for five years and received multiple commendations. Dean is a graduate of the Etgar program, earning his B.Sc. in computer science at the age of 19, and in 2005, he was part of the gold medal team at the International Robotic Olympics in South Korea.

If you’re a founder building the next generation of cybersecurity and data privacy platforms and tooling, we want to hear from you. Reach out to cyber@bvp.com.