Photo of Alex Ferrara, Partner

Alex Ferrara

Partner
London

Roadmaps

Biography

Alex Ferrara is a partner based in Bessemer's London office where he leads Bessemer's European efforts and primarily focuses on B2B SaaS, fintech, and cybersecurity.

Alex joined Bessemer in 2005. He led Shopify’s Series A in 2010, Pipedrive’s Series A in 2015, and has backed a range of successful cybersecurity startups.

Alex is a recovering gamer, avid cyclist, and trying to learn tennis.

Portfolio Highlights

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Getting to know Alex

 

Alex discovered his passion for technology and programming at a young age, getting his start with a Commodore 64 computer and running a bulletin board service as a kid. He studied electrical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as a software engineer and Java developer, even authoring a programming book. Despite finding it very therapeutic to plug in and code for hours, Alex ultimately realized it wasn’t the right career path for him and, shortly after college, started working on Wall Street as an options and futures trader.

Growing up, Alex was really into music. He picked up the drums in middle school and joined the school band. In college, Alex became the drummer in a rock band that played gigs at local bars and clubs. He loved taking on the supporting role of being a drummer — laying down the beat and being the backbone of the band without stepping into the spotlight.

In 2010, Alex wrote his first investment memo for Shopify as a freshly minted partner at Bessemer. He initially got a lot of pushback about the partnership, mainly because Shopify was based in Ottawa, Canada, rather than the Silicon Valley locations typical of many tech companies. But Alex saw something special in Tobi Lutke, a first-time founder, and believed in his vision. He knew Shopify was onto something big — and they were. Today, Shopify has a market cap of $85 billion.

“These days Silicon Valley is no longer a geographic location, but rather a state of mind. It’s about founders and teams that are passionate about a big idea or have a vision to do something bold.”

man in discussion with small group

Over the last 15 years, Alex found himself spending more and more time hopping on planes from New York to visit startups springing up across Europe. From Pipedrive in Estonia, to TeamViewer in Germany, there were a lot of exciting companies that led Alex to start making more regular trips. In 2022, Alex decided to take a big leap and move his family to London. There, he set up Bessemer’s first London office, where he focuses on B2B software, cybersecurity, and robotics startups in Europe.

man speaking to audience

Alex brings a blend of analytical rigor, warmth, and candor to his role as an investor and board member. He’s always ready to roll up his sleeves and provide honest and supportive guidance to his CEOs. Alex is deeply invested in the people behind the companies he works with, and always tries to help founders level up their business and be the best they can be.

Portfolio Companies

Indicates Enduring

Anaqua

ACQUIRED BY: ASTORG
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Anaqua

Anaqua provides intellectual asset management software solutions and services to corporations of all sizes. Anaqua was acquired by Astorg, a leading European private equity firm, in February 2019.

ACQUIRED BY: ASTORG

Founded

2004

Partnered

2013

Roadmaps

NewVoiceMedia

ACQUIRED BY: VONAGE
Cloud Europe
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NewVoiceMedia

NewVoiceMedia is a leading global provider of cloud technology which helps businesses sell more, serve better and grow faster. NewVoiceMedia was acquired by Vonage in 2018.

ACQUIRED BY: VONAGE

Investors

Alex Ferrara

Founded

1998

Partnered

2013

Roadmaps

Cloud Europe

PhishMe

ACQUIRED BY: PE CONSORTIUM
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PhishMe

PhishMe is the leading provider of education and incident response tools to help enterprises defend against phishing and social engineering attacks. PhishMe was acquired by a private equity consortium in 2018.

ACQUIRED BY: PE CONSORTIUM

Investors

Alex Ferrara

Founded

2011

Partnered

2016

Roadmaps

ThreatTrack Security

ACQUIRED BY: J2 GLOBAL
Cybersecurity Enterprise
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ThreatTrack Security

ThreatTrack Security specializes in helping organizations identify and stop malwares designed to evade the traditional cyber-defenses. ThreatTrack Security was acquired by j2 Global in 2018.

ACQUIRED BY: J2 GLOBAL

Investors

Alex Ferrara

Founded

1994

Partnered

2013

Roadmaps

Cybersecurity Enterprise

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