# Critical Path

> Critical Path is a VC fund backing Semiconductor and Network Security. See 1 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Mateo, United States
- Total investments: 1
- Last investment: Jul 2026
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/openwave-messaging-inc-?goback=.fcs_GLHD_openwave+messaging_false_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2_*2&trk=ncsrch_hits
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/owMessaging
- Website: http://www.criticalpath.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owmessaging/info?tab=overview

Critical Path is a VC fund in San Mateo focused on Semiconductor and Network Security. Critical Path was acquired by Openwave Messaging on December 4, 2013. Critical Path offers consumer and enterprise solutions for online and mobile communication. The portfolio spans web and mobile messaging, social media messaging, security and archiving. They also own the award-winning "ShoZu" service which connects millions ofsubscribers around the world to their favourite social sites and feeds.Critical Path’s Memova suite of applications and services are chosen by leading service providers and enterprises around the world to enable millions of people to communicate, connect, share and organize while providing industry-leading safety and assurance. With offices around the globe, Critical Path supports companies with their deployments of Memova solutions to drive revenue, boost loyalty, streamline operations and reduce costs. In November 2010 it merged with Mirapoint who are a global leader in the mail server appliance market. By combining email security expertise with extensive messaging appliance experience, Mirapoint offers the industry’s only integrated email security, archiving and mailbox appliances with a dramatically lower total cost of ownership (TCO), as well as security, simplicity and peace of mind. Their mail server appliances and messaging appliances intelligently serve, secure and manage more than 120 million mailboxes worldwide, from large enterprises and service providers to educational institutions and government entities.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Critical Path. Shizune tracks 4 team members at Critical Path. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/critical-path?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Semiconductor | 1 | 100% |
| Network Security | 1 | 100% |
| Artificial Intelligence | 1 | 100% |
| Communications Infrastructure | 1 | 100% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Franchon Smithson | Director | 0 | — |
| Gerald Ma Lai Chee | Director | 0 | — |
| Mark Ferrer | Chairman | 0 | — |
| Simon James | Director | 0 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| VSORA | VSORA is an IP provider for chipmakers designing the latest generations of digital communications systems, like 5G. Our powerful multi-core DSP architecture eliminates the need for DSP co-processors to provide a level of flexibility achievable only with software programming. A new DSP development flow allows signal processing engineers and softwareengineers to share the same environment and source code, dramatically accelerating time-to-market. Their mission is to meet the technical challenges by providing a state-of-the-art DSP design process and boosting the DSP computing power while simultaneously optimizing power consumption and system performance, and reducing the silicon footprint. Based in France, the company was founded in 2015 by a team of highly qualified and accomplished DSP engineers with combined experience of more than 70 years. |  | Venture - Series Unknown | Jul 01, 2026 |  |

1 of 1 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Ardian](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ardian) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Cloud Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cloud-capital-an-affiliate-of-cloudhq-llc) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [European Innovation Council](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/european-innovation-council) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [ISAI Cap Venture](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/isai-cap-venture) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [NJJ Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/njj-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Omnes Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/omnes-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Bossa Invest](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bossanova-investimentos) — VC Fund
- [Almi Invest](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/almi-invest) — VC Fund
- [Korea Credit Guarantee Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/korea-credit-guarantee-fund) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Critical Path invest in?

Critical Path invests primarily in Semiconductor, Network Security and Artificial Intelligence startups, most often at Venture - Series Unknown stage. Most of the 1 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in France. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Critical Path?

Public channels for Critical Path include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Critical Path?

The team at Critical Path includes Franchon Smithson (Director), Gerald Ma Lai Chee (Director) and Mark Ferrer (Chairman). The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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