• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
TechBlackRock

Private Equity Giants Buy Cybersecurity Firm for $400 Million

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 26, 2018, 7:00 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The trend of private equity firms snapping up cybersecurity businesses continues.

BlackRock and Pamplona Capital Management have jointly acquired PhishMe, a cybersecurity company based in Leesburg, Va., in a deal that valued the firm at $400 million.

Pamplona has purchased a two-thirds stake in the business, while BlackRock has bought the remainder, a person familiar with the terms of the deal told Fortune.

In addition to the change in ownership, PhishMe on Monday rebranded itself as “Cofense.” The new name derives from a combination of “collaborative” (or “collective”) and “defense.”

Rohyt Belani, CEO and cofounder of the company now called Cofense, said the executive team decided to sell the business to allow “early investors to cash out, and for employees and common stock holders to partake in the spoils.” The company was last privately valued at roughly $200 million after its most recent fundraising round in July 2016, according to Pitchbook, a database that tracks venture capital deals.

The cybersecurity industry benefited from a flurry of VC activity as big data breaches made headlines over the past few years. A recent pullback in funding, however, has left a glut of companies struggling to find new means of financing.

Belani, who plans to remain at the helm of Cofense, told Fortune that the company has its “eye on profitability,” and that it is looking to break even on a cash basis in the fourth quarter of next year. He said the company brought in $55 million in revenue last year.

Under BlackRock and Pamplona, Cofense has set ambitious sales targets for next year. Belani said the company will strive to double its revenues to $100 million in annually recurring revenue in the months to come.

Since its founding in 2011, the company formerly known as PhishMe became best known for simulating phishing attacks for customers. The company “was a victim of its own branding success,” Belani said, offering justification for the rebrand.

The PhishMe name failed to convey how the company had grown beyond its original niche into new areas of the cybersecurity market, like security automation and orchestration, Belani said. The business began hunting for an alternative name in the spring of last year, he said.

Cofense is not the only cybersecurity company to be gobbled up by private equity firms in recent years. In 2016, Vista Equity Partners acquired Ping Identity, a digital identity firm, for a reported $600 million. Last year TPG Capital acquired a 51% stake in McAfee, the antivirus maker, at a valuation of $4.2 billion and, later that year, Thoma Bravo bought Barracuda Networks for $1.6 billion.

“We weren’t excited about handing the keys over to a larger security company,” Belani said of the company’s decision to sell to private equity buyers. The new owners, he said, could “incentivize us with equity to continue doing what we’re doing.”

“We’ll get a second bite of the apple, so to speak,” he said.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Dario Amodei
SuccessView from the C-Suite
Dario Amodei only has 1 direct report, his chief of staff—and everyone else reports to his sister: ‘It’s incredibly freeing’
By Preston ForeJune 18, 2026
60 minutes ago
Senator Ruben Gallego arriving with a binder in hand at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
EconomyEmployment
Exclusive: Arizona senator warns ‘ghost jobs’ are warping labor data, presses Trump admin to investigate
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
baer
Startups & VentureObituary
Joshua Baer, the architect of Austin’s tech scene, dies at 50
By Ed White and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
3 hours ago
Gary Lockwood talks to Keir Dullea in a scene from the film '2001: A Space Odyssey', 1968.
AIGoogle DeepMind
Google DeepMind unveils plan to protect itself from its own rogue AI agents
By Jeremy KahnJune 18, 2026
3 hours ago
ben
InvestingHedge Funds
The next-generation ‘Tiger Cubs’ who see the AI bubble risk—and know exactly where the next trade is
By Nick LichtenbergJune 18, 2026
4 hours ago
A $5.6 billion valuation and rapid global expansion—this AI European-scaler even threw in a free Jude Law 
EuropeLetter from London
A $5.6 billion valuation and rapid global expansion—this AI European-scaler even threw in a free Jude Law 
By Kamal AhmedJune 18, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
20 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
9 hours ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.