About

Operators first.
Investors second.

IYK was built on a simple premise: the best partners for technical cybersecurity founders are people who have lived inside the problem. Not people who learned it from a deck.

Linda and Claudio have scaled cybersecurity businesses from zero to multi-million ARR, built security products deployed in critical infrastructure, and navigated the specific reality of European enterprise and government procurement. That context shapes every conversation we have with founders.

We are not a generalist fund with a cybersecurity vertical. We are a cybersecurity fund — period. Our check sizes, our cadence, and our conviction reflect that specificity.

The People 01

Founders who became investors.

[ 01 ] Founding Partner Partner

Linda Brunner

Linda has spent her career at the commercial edge of cybersecurity — scaling businesses from early traction to multi-million ARR and closing tier-1 financial institutions across Europe. She brings a rare combination of enterprise go-to-market depth and an instinct for where the market is moving before it gets there.

Her approach to venture reflects her operating background: direct, honest, and focused on the decisions that actually determine outcomes. She has little patience for theatre — in portfolio companies or pitches.

Drawn to destinations nobody else thinks to visit. Believes the most interesting founders are always slightly ahead of the conversation.

[ 02 ] Founding Partner Partner

Claudio Marforio

Claudio is a security product founder and researcher who built solutions now deployed by millions of users across critical infrastructure. He evaluates technical claims with unusual precision — he has shipped enough complex systems to know the difference between a defensible architecture and a well-told story about one.

He works closely with founders on product strategy, technical hiring, and the kind of architectural decisions that compound over time. His value is most visible in the conversations that happen long after the term sheet.

Appreciates well-engineered systems in every domain. Has opinions about whisky that are not particularly modest.

What we bring 02

Beyond the check.

Go-to-Market

Enterprise GTM for cybersecurity is not the same as enterprise GTM for SaaS. We've closed regulated financial institutions and critical infrastructure operators — and can help founders navigate procurement cycles that would otherwise cost two years.

Technical Depth

We can evaluate architecture, review early product decisions, and help founders think through the tradeoffs that become structural constraints later. We are not a rubber stamp on technical claims.

European Network

Meaningful introductions to enterprise customers, co-investors, and regulators across the European cyber and infrastructure ecosystem. Not a list of contacts — an active network we have worked with directly.

Hiring

Early hires are career-defining decisions for a company. We help founders define what they actually need, how to assess it, and how to find it in a market where supply is structurally tight.

Honest Partnership

We do not perform enthusiasm. Founders get a clear read on where we are, why, and what it would take to change our view. We would rather be useful once than impressive repeatedly.

We bring the guts, the grit, and the expertise — and we do it together with every founder we choose to back.

Want to talk?

We're open to conversations with founders at any stage — even before you have something to show.