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Kleiner Perkins met Stratton Sclavos when he was vice president of sales at GO Corp., a portfolio company that was an early developer of pen-based user interfaces. He and Kevin Compton, then a partner at Kleiner Perkins, had taken a business trip to Japan in the early ‘90s. That started a friendship that several years later would lead Kleiner Perkins to invest in Stratton’s next venture, Verisign.
In 1995, after a short stint heading marketing for Taligent, a joint venture between Apple, HP and IBM, Stratton was recruited to be CEO of Verisign, a company created from the spin-out of the RSA Security Certification services business. By providing authentication certificates, the company hoped to deepen end-user trust in e-commerce. Kevin bumped into Stratton at one of his kid’s soccer games, where he learned that Verisign had just closed its Series A financing. Eager to partner with Stratton again, Kevin called the other investors in the round who agreed to allow Kleiner to participate. In 1996, we invested in Verisign.
The partners believed in both Stratton and the opportunity. People were beginning to adopt e-commerce and there were questions about transaction security. What Verisign did to authenticate the vendor and secure the transaction would go a long way to overcoming those concerns.
E-commerce growth exploded during the mid-to-late ‘90s with the advent of Amazon and other Web retailers. Verisign went public in 1998, raising $42 million in a deal that valued the company at $282 million. Two years later, Verisign acquired Network Solutions for $21 billion, then one of the largest acquisitions ever. Through the transaction, Verisign acquired the right to operate the .com, .net, and .org internet domains under an agreement with the US Department of Commerce. Verisign became a one-stop shop for e-commerce, providing both web addresses and security software.
Key people at VeriSign.
VeriSign was founded in 1995 by David Cowan (Chairman, Co-Founder).
Key people at VeriSign.
VeriSign was founded in 1995 by David Cowan (Chairman, Co-Founder).
VeriSign, Inc. is a leading American company that operates critical internet infrastructure, including two of the 13 global internet root name servers and the authoritative registries for the .com, .net, and several other top-level domains (TLDs). Its core mission is to enable the world to connect online with reliability and confidence by ensuring the security, stability, and resiliency of the Domain Name System (DNS) and internet infrastructure. VeriSign serves a broad range of internet users, including businesses, registrars, and end consumers, by managing domain name registrations and providing digital authentication services that underpin global e-commerce and internet navigation. The company’s growth momentum is sustained by its unique position as the exclusive operator of the .com and .net registries, handling billions of DNS queries daily and maintaining uninterrupted service since 1997[1][3][6].
VeriSign was founded in 1995 as a spin-off from RSA Security Inc., with James Bidzos playing a key leadership role. The company was created to commercialize digital trust services pioneered by RSA, focusing initially on certificate authority and digital authentication. In 2000, VeriSign acquired Network Solutions for $21 billion, gaining control over the .com, .net, and .org domain registries, which became its largest business unit. This acquisition solidified VeriSign’s role as a cornerstone of the internet’s naming infrastructure. Over time, VeriSign evolved from a digital certificate provider to a dominant internet infrastructure company responsible for critical DNS services globally[1][2][7].
VeriSign rides the critical trend of internet infrastructure security and stability, which is foundational to the digital economy. As global internet usage and e-commerce continue to grow, the demand for reliable DNS services and domain name registrations increases, reinforcing VeriSign’s market position. The timing is crucial as cyber threats escalate, making VeriSign’s role in defending the DNS and enabling secure online interactions more vital than ever. Market forces such as the expansion of internet-connected devices, cloud computing, and digital transformation favor VeriSign’s growth. Its stewardship of core internet infrastructure influences the broader ecosystem by ensuring uninterrupted access to websites and online services worldwide[3][5][6].
Looking ahead, VeriSign is poised to maintain and potentially expand its influence as the internet grows more complex and security threats intensify. Trends such as increased adoption of DNS security extensions (DNSSEC), growth in domain registrations from emerging markets, and evolving cyber threat landscapes will shape its journey. VeriSign’s continued investment in infrastructure resilience and security innovation will be critical to sustaining trust in the internet’s core systems. As a steward of the internet’s naming system, VeriSign’s role will likely evolve to address new challenges in digital identity, privacy, and decentralized naming technologies, while reinforcing its foundational mission of enabling reliable and confident online connections[2][4][5].
