# David Ulevitch

David A. Ulevitch (born December 10, 1981) is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, founder of OpenDNS and EveryDNS, and a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz investing in cybersecurity and enterprise startups.

David A. Ulevitch (born December 10, 1981) is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He founded the enterprise security company OpenDNS, which was acquired by Cisco, and EveryDNS, which was acquired by Dyn. Since October 2018, Ulevitch has served as a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, focusing on investments in American Dynamism, enterprise software, national security, and cybersecurity.

## Early Career and EveryDNS

Ulevitch entered the Internet industry during junior high school, working at San Diego-based Internet service provider Electriciti. At that time, Electriciti and its president Chris Alan were founding members of Packet Clearing House, which helped build one of the first Internet exchange points at nearby UC San Diego. This early exposure shaped his technical and entrepreneurial interests.

In May 2001, while a student at Washington University in St. Louis, Ulevitch created EveryDNS to meet his own need for web-based DNS management software. The service grew from a personal project into a platform serving nearly 100,000 users worldwide within a few years. In January 2010, EveryDNS was acquired by Dyn, Inc., a Manchester, New Hampshire-based company that was later acquired by Oracle Corporation.

## OpenDNS and Cisco

In July 2006, Ulevitch launched OpenDNS, a recursive DNS service focused on performance and security. The company provided domain name resolution services with features such as content filtering and phishing protection, appealing to both consumers and enterprises. On June 30, 2015, Cisco announced it would acquire OpenDNS for $635 million, a deal that integrated the service into Cisco's security portfolio.

Following the acquisition, Ulevitch remained with Cisco. In December 2016, he was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco's Security Business, overseeing the company's security products and strategy. He held this role until leaving Cisco in October 2018.

## Andreessen Horowitz

In October 2018, Ulevitch joined Andreessen Horowitz as a General Partner. His investment focus includes American Dynamism, enterprise software, software-as-a-service, national defense, national security, and cybersecurity. He has backed startups in these areas, leveraging his operational experience in security and infrastructure.

In June 2019, Ulevitch joined the board of directors of AnyRoad, an experience management platform, as part of a $9.2 million investment round led by Andreessen Horowitz. His board roles and investments reflect his interest in companies addressing modern enterprise and security challenges, particularly those involving [AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/artificial-intelligence) and [machine learning](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/machine-learning) applications in security.

## Awards and Recognition

In 2014, Inc. Magazine named Ulevitch to its annual "35 Under 35" list of entrepreneurs, recognizing his achievements with OpenDNS. In 2011, OpenDNS was selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer, an honor that highlighted the company's innovative approach to internet security and DNS services.

Ulevitch's contributions have been covered in publications such as The New York Times, which has featured both writeups about him and essays authored by him. His career illustrates the path from early internet infrastructure work to founding successful security companies and later investing in the next generation of technology startups.

## Legacy and Impact

Ulevitch's work with OpenDNS helped popularize the use of DNS as a security layer, influencing how enterprises approach network protection. His transition from founder to corporate executive to venture capitalist demonstrates a trajectory common among successful technology entrepreneurs. At Andreessen Horowitz, he continues to shape the landscape of cybersecurity and enterprise technology investments, with a particular interest in how [generative AI](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/generative-ai) and [large language models](https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/large-language-model) are transforming security operations and business software.

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Source: https://www.wikiprompt.org/wiki/david-uelevich
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Last updated: 2026-09-13T03:52:54.45466+00:00
