David Cowan stands out among venture capitalists for personally co-founding three cybersecurity companies from inside Bessemer's offices—including VeriSign, where he served as founding chairman and CFO—blurring the line between investor and operator in an unusually hands-on way. He also pioneered the proactive investment roadmap approach, where he and his partners pick specific frontiers like quantum computing or space technology, then conduct deep research and seek out founders rather than waiting for deals to arrive in his inbox. David Cowan stands out among venture capitalists for personally co-founding three cybersecurity companies from inside Bessemer's offices—including VeriSign, where he served as founding chairman and CFO—blurring the line between investor and operator in an unusually hands-on way. He also pioneered the proactive investment roadmap approach, where he and his partners pick specific frontiers like quantum computing or space technology, then conduct deep research and seek out founders rather than waiting for deals to arrive in his inbox.