# Whiteboard Venture Partners

> Cybersecurity-focused early-stage venture firm. We write the first check for security founders before the deck is finished — backed by a network of ethical CISOs who are true partners.

## Founder

Whiteboard is run by **Abhijit Solanki** (Managing Partner). Most recently led Strategic Alliances and Business Development at Proofpoint. Prior path:

- Symantec — led the turnaround of a $100M+ security product portfolio
- NexStar Partners — cybersecurity investment lead
- VMware — Strategy & Corporate Development
- McKinsey & Company — tech practice (started here)
- Education: MS Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rutgers University; BS Electronics & Communication Engineering, Bangalore University

## Stage and approach

- **Stage:** pre-formation, pre-deck, sometimes pre-cofounder. We write the first institutional check.
- **Sector:** cybersecurity only — we stay narrow on purpose.
- **Geography:** US-focused, founder-physical-location agnostic.
- **Lead status:** we don't lead Series A — that's a different muscle.

## What we look for

- Founders who have operated inside a security team or shipped a security product
- Specific wedges: one buyer, one pain, one workflow — not category narratives
- Founders who can describe their buyer's calendar, not just their title
- Founders who've spent time inside the security problem before they propose an answer

## What we ignore

- Deck design and pitch theatrics
- "Platform" framing without a concrete referent
- Generic GTM playbooks recycled from non-security companies
- Whether the founder has an MBA or a cofounder yet

## What we bring beyond the check

- Direct introductions to operating CISOs from CISO Ventures (our invite-only senior security leader network) — design partners and early customers
- Operator review of wedge, GTM, and product roadmap from a team of industry leaders
- A discipline framework — Ideate → Experiment → Measure → Modify → Scale (IEMMS) — applied to your first twelve months

## IEMMS framework

The five steps we run every startup we back through:

1. **Ideate** — sharpen the wedge. One sentence, one buyer, one pain. If it doesn't survive ten conversations with the target buyer, it doesn't get built.
2. **Experiment** — smallest possible artifact that lets a real buyer say yes or no. Not an MVP. A test.
3. **Measure** — pre-defined exit criteria. What signal advances the company? What signal kills the experiment? Decide before the data, not after.
4. **Modify** — the cheap pivot. Adjust the wedge before you've raised the round that locks you in.
5. **Scale** — only after the first four are honest. Headcount, ARR commitments, and category language come last, not first.

## Sub-networks

Whiteboard runs three communities, each with its own brand and venue:

- **CISO Ventures** (https://cisoventures.com) — invite-only network of ethical senior security leaders. Recurring dinners. Members come for peer time; founders we back get introduced where intros actually convert.
- **Rutgers Ventures** (https://rutgers.ventures) — community of Rutgers alumni operators and investors backing Rutgers entrepreneurs.
- **Parents Ventures** (https://whiteboardvp.com/parents-ventures/) — peer community of operators who are parents, building or backing companies that improve quality of life for parents and their kids. In development.

## Contact

- Email: ciso@whiteboard.vc
- Apply: https://whiteboardvp.com/apply/
- Book time with Abhi: https://intro.co/AbhiSolanki
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/whiteboardvp
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWpUagB5S4WcwnwgtOwNc4A
- X: https://x.com/vcwhiteboard
- Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/whiteboard-venture-partners-25364524449

## Eligibility for a first check

You're a likely fit if:

- You're building in cybersecurity (broadly defined: AppSec, infra-sec, identity, IR/SOC, GRC, security-adjacent AI/ML, etc.)
- You've operated inside a security team or shipped a security product before
- You can describe your wedge in one sentence without using the word "platform"
- You're at pre-formation, pre-seed, or early seed stage

You're a likely no if:

- You're building outside cybersecurity (we stay narrow — try other firms)
- You're at Series A or beyond (we don't lead that round)
- The pitch leads with TAM size or category creation