Andy Ellis

Andy Ellis, Operating Partner at YL Ventures, works closely with the firm’s portfolio companies to provide strategic and tactical value-add support including go-to-market initiatives, product development, and customer engagement.

Leveraging his experience as both a buyer and seller of cybersecurity products, Andy brings a unique perspective to his role. He mentors and guides Israeli entrepreneurs and works with teams pre-investment on ideation and market validation, as well as helping the firm’s portfolio companies to scale post-investment.

Andy is a well-known industry leader, having pioneered the CSO role over his 20-year tenure at Akamai Technologies. He drove the force behind transforming the company into a major security player, increasing its security business to over $1B in annual revenue. He also built Akamai’s initial security portfolio, functionally operating as a stealth startup inside the content delivery business. Currently, Andy serves as the CEO and principal at leadership development firm Duha.

Andy is a graduate of MIT and a former US Air Force officer. He is the recipient of the 2021 CSO Hall of Fame award, CSO Magazine Compass Award, Air Force Commendation Medal, Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence, Spirit of Disneyland Award, and is an affiliate of Harvard’s Berkman-Klein Center on Internet & Society.