When was Forward Networks founded?

Forward Networks was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round within a year of its incorporation.

Where is Forward Networks located?

Forward Networks is headquartered in Los Altos, United States. It is registered at Palo Alto, California.

Who is the current CEO of Forward Networks?

David Erickson of Forward Networks.

How many employees does Forward Networks have?

As of Aug 31, 2026, the latest employee count at Forward Networks is 275.

Is Forward Networks a funded company?

Forward Networks is a funded company, having raised a total of $116M across 5 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Seed round, raised on Sep 25, 2013.

When was the latest funding round of Forward Networks?

Forward Networks' latest funding was a $***** Series D round on Jan 24, 2023, with participation from 7 investors.

Where does Forward Networks rank among its competitors?

Forward Networks ranks 13th amongst 826 active competitors, of which 58 are funded. It stands 1st in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Luna Innovations, which secured $200K in Nov, 2025.

Who are the top competitors of Forward Networks?

Forward Networks' top competitors include Comviva, SolarWinds and Viavi. Among them, Luna Innovations secured the most recent funding round in November, 2025.

Forward Networks - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors

Forward Networks is a series D company based in Los Altos (United States), founded in 2013 by Brandon Heller, Nikhil Handigol, David Erickson and Peyman Kazemian. It operates as a Developer of network modeling software delivering digital twin of the network. Forward Networks has raised $116M in funding from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, DFJ and S32. The company has 826 active competitors, including 58 funded and 182 that have exited. Its top competitors include companies like Comviva, SolarWinds and Viavi.

Company Details

Developer of network modeling software delivering digital twin of the network. The software provides vulnerability management, attack surface management, and security posture through a digital twin model. It also delivers end-to-end visibility, service assurance and continuous auditing across cloud estates. The platform collects and organizes network data to make it useful and actionable.

Website: www.forwardnetworks.com/
Social
Registered Address: Palo Alto, California

Key Metrics

Founded Year

2013

Location

Los Altos, United States

Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$116M in 5 rounds

Latest Funding Round

Series D, Jan 24, 2023, $*****

Investors

Andreessen Horowitz & 9 more

Ranked

13^th among 826 active competitors

Employee Count

275 as on Aug 31, 2026

Similar Companies

SolarWinds & 279 more

View Forward Networks' full profile

Forward Networks is associated with 1 legal entity given below:

Legal Entity Name	Date of Incorporation	Revenue	Latest Employee Count	Documents
FORWARD NETWORKS, INC. CIN: 463265768 , United States, Active	Dec 31, 1999	-	137 (As on Dec 31, 2024)	-

Forward Networks has raised a total funding of $116M over 5 rounds. Its first funding round was on Sep 25, 2013. Its latest funding round was a Series D round on Jan 24, 2023 for $*****. 7 investors participated in its latest round. Forward Networks has 10 institutional investors.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of Forward Networks:

Filter this list

Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Jan 24, 2023	2220067	Series D	9386420	9439739	5945531	6226988
Oct 08, 2019	7340997	Series C	6086390	9804592	3682520	Andreessen Horowitz & 3 more
Feb 15, 2017	2479391	Series B	7287600	1544476	DFJ	Andreessen Horowitz & 1 more

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View details of Forward Networks's funding rounds and investors

The founders of Forward Networks are Brandon Heller, Nikhil Handigol, David Erickson and Peyman Kazemian.

Here are the details of Forward Networks' key team members:

Brandon Heller: Co-Founder & CTO of Forward Networks. They serve on the board of 1 company.
Nikhil Handigol: Co-Founder of Forward Networks. They serve on the board of 1 company.
Contact Info: 1 email address
David Erickson: Co-Founder & CEO of Forward Networks.
Contact Info: 1 email address
Peyman Kazemian: Co-Founder of Forward Networks.
Contact Info: 1 email address

Forward Networks' Board of Directors

Forward Networks's board has 6 active members. Brandon Heller, Nikhil Handigol, L. William Krause, Joshua Matheus, David Erickson and Victor Hwang are independent board members.

Here is the list of Forward Networks' board of directors:

Name	Type	Representing	Status	Duration
Brandon Heller	Independent board member	-	Current	11y 9m
mdgcgvo	Independent board member	-	Current	5y 2m
{nv{qri	Independent board member	-	Current	5y 8m
qzuyfyk	Independent board member	-	Current	1y 9m
mbgavj{	Independent board member	-	Current	1y 9m
qntyefh	Independent board member	-	Current	4y 2m

View details of Forward Networks's Founder profiles and Board Members

Forward Networks' employee count trend

Forward Networks has 275 employees as of Aug 26. Here is Forward Networks's employee count trend over the years:

Employee count trend for Forward Networks

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Top competitors of Forward Networks include Comviva, SolarWinds and Viavi. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of Forward Networks, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	Comviva 1999, Gurugram (India), Acquired	Developer of platforms for digital payments, marketing, and business operations	$13.5M	Cisco, Sequoia Capital & 27 others	77/100
2nd	SolarWinds 1999, Austin (United States), Acquired	Provider of IT management, database management, and observability software solutions	$105M	Austin Ventures, ADS Ventures & 12 others	74/100
3rd	Viavi 1923, Milpitas (United States), Public	Provider of network test, monitoring, assurance, and optical technology solutions	-	NTIA, Avante Capital Partners & 2 others	72/100
4th	Auvik 2011, Waterloo (Canada), Acquired	Cloud based network monitoring and management solutions	$33.4M	OpenView, Rho Canada Partners & 5 others	71/100
5th	Synchronoss 2000, Bridgewater (United States), Acquired	SaaS-based platform providing subscriber analytics, network asset management, and cloud services	$34M	Adams Street Partners, Saints Capital & 12 others	70/100
6th	Aruba Networks 2002, Sunnyvale (United States), Acquired	Provider of edge-to-cloud solutions including networking, security, and AI operations	$86.5M	Cervin, Artis Ventures & 8 others	69/100
7th	Blue Planet 2000, Hanover (United States), Acquired	Developer of cloud-native software for network automation and orchestration solutions	$97.6M	Meritech, Tenaya Capital & 6 others	68/100
8th	Luna Innovations 1990, Roanoke (United States), Public	Fiber optic testing and sensing instrumentation	$3.5M	Columbia Capital, Novak Biddle Venture Partners ... & 12 others	67/100
9th	Neusoft 1991, Shenyang (China), Public	IT solutions and service provider	-	Legend Capital, Intel Capital & 6 others	67/100
10th	NetScout 1985, Westford (United States), Public	Provider of network performance, observability, cybersecurity, and DDoS solutions	$6M	Silver Lake, TA Associates & 4 others	65/100
13th	Forward Networks 2013, Los Altos (United States), Series D	Developer of network modeling software delivering digital twin of the network	$116M	Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Omega Venture Partners ... & 8 others	64/100