Alex Scherbakovsky

General Partner at avp

Reviewed Updated May 1, 2026

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Location New York, NY
Check Size $10M-$40M+ (AVP Early Growth and Growth funds)
Last Verified Investment Orkes (Series B) — Apr 23, 2026
Social LinkedIn
Stage Focus
growth late-stage
Sector Focus
enterprise-software cybersecurity AI developer-tools fintech insurtech supply-chain defense-tech

Background

Alex Scherbakovsky is a General Partner at AVP (formerly AXA Venture Partners, rebranded as Atlantic Vantage Point in April 2025 following a management buyout from AXA), where he leads US growth-stage investments from the firm’s New York office 123. He joined AVP in 2016 and focuses on enterprise software, fintech/insurtech, and security investments in North America 14.

Prior to AVP, Scherbakovsky was a Principal at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), where his investments included Braintree (online and mobile payments) and Box (enterprise collaboration SaaS) 14. Earlier in his career he invested in enterprise software, fintech and Internet companies at Silver Lake, 3i, and FTV Capital, with a portfolio that included Trustwave (security SaaS), Coremetrics (web analytics SaaS), and Actimize (risk management software) 14. He held operating roles at Microsoft and Trilogy and was a management consultant at Monitor Group 14.

Scherbakovsky graduated with Distinction from Stanford with an MS in Engineering and an AB in Economics, and received an MBA from Harvard, where he was named a Baker Scholar 14.

AVP, where Scherbakovsky now sits as a General Partner, manages over €2.5B across four investment strategies (Venture, Early Growth, Growth, and Fund Investing) and operates from offices in New York, London, and Paris 235. AXA remains an anchor investor in AVP Growth I (€1.5B), and the European Investment Fund joined as a co-anchor in 2025 23.

Stated Thesis

Scherbakovsky has publicly described AVP’s approach to cybersecurity investing as seeking technology that is “very effective at identifying potential threats while minimizing false positives,” with “ease of deployment and ease of use” alongside reporting that makes “benefit … apparent to the customer” 6. He has emphasized that “many enterprises are overwhelmed by the complexity of working with a large number of security vendors that often don’t communicate with other parts of their technology infrastructure” — framing AVP’s preference for platform consolidation plays 6.

In his Orkes investment announcement (April 2026), he framed AVP’s enterprise software thesis around production reliability and operationalization: AVP looks for “the combination of technical credibility and real-world adoption” in companies establishing “how AI becomes operationalized in enterprise settings” 7.

AVP at the firm level publicly describes itself as “a multi-stage platform that combines global reach with local expertise,” with active engagement as a minority investor at the growth stage 5.

Inferred Thesis

This analysis is based on 8 verified rounds where Scherbakovsky personally led or commented on the investment as the named AVP partner. AVP’s full portfolio is materially larger; percentages below should be read as directional rather than statistically definitive 48.

Sector distribution (8 verified investments): Enterprise infrastructure / developer tools / observability is the dominant sector — Orkes (workflow orchestration), Selector (network observability), Tive (supply-chain visibility), and Contrast Security (application security) account for 4 of 8 (50%). Security and intelligence is a clear secondary theme — Strider Technologies, Defense Unicorns, and Contrast Security account for 3 of 8 (38%, with Contrast double-counted). HR/training tech (Phenom People, Lessonly, Jobble) and AI-customer-experience (Gladly) round out the remaining verified deals. AVP itself names enterprise software, fintech/insurtech, digital health, and consumer platforms as its four firm-level focus sectors; Scherbakovsky’s individual track record skews heavily to the enterprise software end of that spectrum 5.

Stage distribution: Of the 8 verified rounds, all are Series B or later growth-stage rounds, consistent with AVP’s $10M–$40M Early Growth and $40M–$150M Growth check-size bands 5. Specifically: Orkes Series B ($60M, 2026), Selector growth round ($32M, 2026), Defense Unicorns Series B ($136M, 2026, AVP participation), Strider Series C ($55M, 2024, AVP participation), Gladly ($40M, 2024), Tive Series B ($54M, 2022), Lessonly Series C ($15M, 2020), Jobble Series A ($11M, 2019), and Phenom People Series B ($22M, 2018). Lead-investor positions: Orkes, Gladly, Tive, Lessonly, Phenom People, and Selector were AVP-led; Strider Series C was led by Pelion with AVP participating; Defense Unicorns Series B was led by Bain Capital with AVP participating 79101112131415.

Geographic focus: Predominantly US-based portfolio companies, consistent with Scherbakovsky’s New York seat as AVP’s lead US growth partner. Verified portfolio: Orkes (Santa Clara), Selector (Santa Clara), Strider (Salt Lake City / Park City), Defense Unicorns (Colorado Springs), Gladly (San Francisco), Tive (Boston), Lessonly (Indianapolis), Phenom People (Ambler, PA), Jobble (Boston), Contrast (Los Altos, CA) 711121314151617.

Founder profile patterns: The verified portfolio skews to category-defining founders building production infrastructure for security-sensitive enterprise buyers (Strider, Contrast, Defense Unicorns, Selector, Orkes). Many portfolio companies serve Fortune 500/Fortune 20 customers at the time of AVP’s check, suggesting Scherbakovsky favors growth-stage companies with proven enterprise traction over experimental category bets 7911.

Co-investor patterns: Across the verified portfolio, frequent co-investors include Sapphire Ventures, Ansa Capital, and Valor Equity Partners (Defense Unicorns Series B); Pelion, Valor Equity Partners, DataTribe, Cyfr Capital (Strider Series C); Two Bear Capital, Sinewave Ventures, Singtel Innov8, Ansa Capital (Selector); Battery Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners, Prosperity7 Ventures, Vertex Ventures US (Orkes Series B); Sorenson Capital, Qualcomm Ventures, Fifth Wall, RRE Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures (Tive); Microsoft Ventures (Contrast Security) 71112131415.

Notable patterns vs. stated thesis: AVP’s firm-level thesis emphasizes four sectors equally (enterprise software, fintech/insurtech, digital health, consumer platforms). Scherbakovsky’s personal verified track record is heavily concentrated in enterprise software and security, with no verified personally-led fintech or consumer deals — suggesting he is the firm’s enterprise-software specialist within AVP’s broader portfolio.

Portfolio

Company Year Stage Source
Contrast Security 2017 Series C extension (strategic) 15
Phenom People 2018-05 Series B (AVP-led) 14
Jobble 2019-08 Series A (co-led with Vestigo Ventures) 16
Lessonly 2020-04 Series C (AVP-led) 13
Tive 2022-04 Series B (AVP-led) 12
Strider Technologies 2024-09 Series C (AVP participation) 11
Gladly 2024-09 Growth round (AVP-led) 910
Defense Unicorns 2026-01 Series B (AVP participation) 17
Selector 2026-02 Growth round (AVP-led) 1819
Orkes 2026-04-23 Series B (AVP-led) 720

This table represents 10 of an unknown larger set — AVP’s portfolio page lists 100+ companies firm-wide, and AVP’s website specifically attributes Contrast Security, Defense Unicorns, Gladly, Gravie, Jobble, Lessonly, Orkes, Phenom, Selector, Strider Technologies, and Tive to Scherbakovsky as lead partner 48. Gravie (health benefits) is named as one of his lead investments but a contemporaneous round-level press citation was not located within the time budget for this profile, so it is omitted from the table above.

In Their Own Words

“Orkes gives developers the confidence to deploy AI in production with the reliability, control, and scale they expect, and global enterprises rely on the platform for mission-critical operations.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, Orkes Series B announcement, April 23, 2026 7

“By providing one platform and one shared operational view, Selector helps enterprises understand and troubleshoot complex infrastructure challenges in real time.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, Selector growth round announcement, February 18, 2026 18

“Strider is advancing the state-of-the-art in global intelligence, enabling organizations working with advanced technologies to go on offense to secure their innovation.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, Strider Series C announcement, September 12, 2024 11

“Tive has been scaling at an impressive rate, executing decisively on its vision where everything and everyone is connected.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, Tive Series B announcement, April 11, 2022 12

“Cyber security has been an important sector for a number of years as enterprises place significant value on protecting their assets against cyber threats. … To combat ever-evolving security threats, companies must innovate. This innovation requires capital and partners who can help companies navigate the complexities of the crowded cyber security landscape.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, AVP cybersecurity interview 6

“Many enterprises are overwhelmed by the complexity of working with a large number of security vendors that often don’t communicate with other parts of their technology infrastructure.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, AVP cybersecurity interview 6

“Contrast Security is revolutionizing application security, making it continuous and highly accurate throughout the software lifecycle.” — Alex Scherbakovsky, Contrast Security strategic investment announcement, October 2017 15

What Founders Say

No independently sourced founder testimonials found. Press releases for AVP-led rounds (Orkes, Selector, Tive, Gladly, Lessonly, Phenom People) include CEO quotes about the funding event but do not contain testimonial-style founder statements about the working relationship with Scherbakovsky specifically. Multiple founders have publicly named him to their boards (Orkes, Gravie, Jobble, Phenom People, Lessonly per AVP and third-party sources) 4721.

Connections

  • AVP General Partners — Scherbakovsky is one of five General Partners alongside Manish Agarwal, Benoit Fosseprez, Elizabeth de Saint-Aignan, and Warda Shaheen, with François Robinet as Managing Partner 22
  • Board, Orkes — joined April 2026 as part of leading the $60M Series B 720
  • Board, Gravie — listed as Director 4
  • Board, Jobble — listed as Director 4
  • Board, Phenom People — listed as Director 4
  • Board, Lessonly — listed as Director (through Lessonly’s 2021 acquisition by Seismic) 413
  • Prior employer, NEA — Principal; investments included Braintree and Box 14
  • Prior employers, Silver Lake, 3i, FTV Capital — earlier enterprise/fintech investing roles 14
  • Frequent recent co-investors (2024–2026) — Bain Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Ansa Capital, Valor Equity Partners (Defense Unicorns); Pelion Venture Partners, DataTribe (Strider); Battery Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners, Prosperity7 Ventures, Vertex Ventures US (Orkes); Two Bear Capital, Sinewave Ventures, Singtel Innov8 (Selector) 7111718

Sources

  1. AVP, “Alex Scherbakovsky” partner profile, accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/avp/alex-scherbakovsky/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Global Venturing, “AVP, Axa’s CVC, goes independent following management buyout,” accessed May 2026. https://globalventuring.com/corporate/corporate-venturer/avp-axas-cvc-goes-independent-following-management-buyout/↩↩↩

  3. Silicon Canals, “AXA Venture Partners rebrands; EIF joins as anchor investor in €1.5B growth fund,” April 15, 2025. https://siliconcanals.com/axa-venture-partners-rebrands-eif-joins-investor/↩↩↩

  4. Silicon Valley Open Doors, “Alex Scherbakovsky” speaker profile, accessed May 2026. https://www.svod.org/alex-scherbakovsky/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  5. AVP, “About AVP,” accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/about-avp/↩↩↩↩

  6. AVP, “Cyber Security interview with Alex Scherbakovsky,” accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/cyber-security-interview-with-alex-scherbakovsky/↩↩↩↩

  7. AVP, “Orkes raises $60M as developers increasingly use its platform to deploy AI confidently in production,” April 23, 2026. https://avpcap.com/orkes-raises-60m-as-developers-increasingly-use-its-platform-to-deploy-ai-confidently-in-production/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  8. AVP, “Companies” portfolio page, accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/companies/↩↩

  9. AVP, “Gladly secures $40M in funding led by AVP,” accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/gladly-secures-40m-in-funding-led-by-avp/↩↩↩

  10. PR Newswire, “Gladly Secures $40M in Funding Led by AXA Venture Partners (AVP) and Launches AI-Powered Unified Customer Service Platform, Transforming Support Into a Revenue Driver,” September 26, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gladly-secures-40m-in-funding-led-by-axa-venture-partners-avp-and-launches-ai-powered-unified-customer-service-platform-transforming-support-into-a-revenue-driver-302259688.html↩↩

  11. PR Newswire, “Strider Technologies Raises $55 Million in Series C Funding Led by Pelion Venture Partners,” September 12, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/strider-technologies-raises-55-million-in-series-c-funding-led-by-pelion-venture-partners-302245850.html↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  12. PR Newswire, “Tive Raises $54M in Series B Funding Led by AXA Venture Partners,” April 11, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tive-raises-54m-in-series-b-funding-led-by-axa-venture-partners-301522545.html↩↩↩↩↩

  13. Training Industry, “Lessonly Raises $15 Million Series C Led by AXA Venture Partners; Enabling Better Work for Frontline Teams,” April 6, 2020. https://trainingindustry.com/press-release/learning-technologies/lessonly-raises-15-million-series-c-led-by-axa-venture-partners-enabling-better-work-for-frontline-teams/↩↩↩↩↩

  14. GlobeNewswire, “Phenom People Raises $22 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Global Expansion of its Talent Relationship Marketing Platform,” May 24, 2018. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/05/24/1511606/0/en/Phenom-People-Raises-22-Million-in-Series-B-Funding-to-Accelerate-Global-Expansion-of-its-Talent-Relationship-Marketing-Platform.html↩↩↩↩

  15. PR Newswire, “Contrast Security Announces Microsoft Ventures and AXA Strategic Ventures as Global Strategic Investors,” October 2017. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/contrast-security-announces-microsoft-ventures-and-axa-strategic-ventures-as-global-strategic-investors-300568151.html↩↩↩↩↩

  16. Hunt Scanlon Media, “Jobble Raises $11 Million in Funding,” August 2019. https://huntscanlon.com/jobble-raises-11-million-in-funding/↩↩

  17. AVP, “Defense Unicorns raises $136M Series B,” January 13, 2026. https://avpcap.com/defense-unicorns-raises-136-million-series-b/↩↩↩

  18. PR Newswire, “Selector Raises $32 Million to Eliminate Downtime with AI-Powered Observability,” February 18, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/selector-raises-32-million-to-eliminate-downtime-with-ai-powered-observability-302689735.html↩↩↩

  19. BigDATAwire, “Selector Raises $32M to Eliminate Downtime with AI-Powered Observability,” February 2026. https://www.hpcwire.com/bigdatawire/this-just-in/selector-raises-32m-to-eliminate-downtime-with-ai-powered-observability/↩

  20. FinSMEs, “Orkes Raises $60M in Series B Funding,” April 23, 2026. https://www.finsmes.com/2026/04/orkes-raises-60m-in-series-b-funding.html↩↩

  21. The Org, “Alex Scherbakovsky — General Partner at AXA Venture Partners,” accessed May 2026. https://theorg.com/org/axa-venture-partners/org-chart/alex-scherbakovsky↩

  22. AVP, “People at AVP,” accessed May 2026. https://avpcap.com/people/↩