Operators at heart

We admire the courage it takes to build something customers will love

Redbud Trail Group backs AI-minded founders at the moment the work gets more complex: product-market fit is real, customers are counting on the company, and the next stage demands judgment under pressure

Ready Before the Term Sheet

When we are in, we are in. We do our diligence ahead, so when you sign a term sheet with your lead, we are ready to go, we know you'd rather be building

In Austin. Global Reach

Our focus is on the best in cyber, defense, infra, and AI, with an open mandate for cool founders, filling out your seed to C, up to $25M per round

We're AI junkies like you

We are obsessed with helping founders with smart business minds turn market knowledge and technical advantage into durable companies

Partners

Jason Luce Jason Luce Partner Founder, operator, investment banker, and corporate attorney with deep experience across cybersecurity, infrastructure software, capital markets, strategic M&A, and company building Read full bio

Jason is a seasoned veteran in the cybersecurity world. He pioneered the zero-trust movement—inspired by Google’s BeyondCorp architecture—in his role as CEO and co-founder of ScaleFT. After raising capital from multiple Silicon Valley venture capital firms, his company was acquired by Okta, the market leader in identity and access management. Today, ScaleFT powers Okta Advanced Server Access and generates more than $150 million in annual revenue.

Previously, Jason was a senior executive at Rackspace—where he met Bret—helping take the company public and scaling it from a $1 billion to over a $10 billion market capitalization. His extensive experience helping companies raise capital and execute M&A transactions includes time as a Managing Director running the cybersecurity and infrastructure group at Citizens JMP, as well as serving as an investment banker on multiple IPOs at Morgan Stanley.

Earlier in his career, Jason practiced as a corporate attorney for Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York and London. He holds a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and an undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

Bret Piatt Bret Piatt Partner Operator, investor, board member, and corporate M&A professional with more than 20 years across cybersecurity, cloud computing, AI, and managed network services Read full bio

Bret Piatt is a Partner at Redbud Trail Group, where he brings decades of experience as an operator, investor, and board member across cybersecurity, cloud, and managed services. He partners with founders and management teams on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, product development, cybersecurity, and the operating disciplines required to build durable, profitable growth. Most recently, as an operator, he was the CEO of CyberFortress, a global data protection company.

Previously, Bret spent nine years at Rackspace Hosting—where he met Jason—as the company scaled from pre-IPO to a $10 billion market capitalization. He led a $100 million business unit and was a key part of the team that acquired nearly a dozen startups, including multiple YC-backed companies such as Cloudkick and Mailgun. Additionally, he served as an a16z technology advisory board member for companies including Arista Networks, and as a core team member on the OpenStack strategic plan, leading to the industry-changing open-source project and foundation that grew faster than Linux during its first decade.

Earlier in his career, Bret managed a global security portfolio for AT&T, served on the integration team for the $22 billion merger with SBC, and led the modernization that elevated AT&T's Global Firewall Services from Challengers to Leaders in the Gartner Magic Quadrant. Bret holds an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, studied Computer Science at California State University, Chico, and has held technology certifications including CISSP, CISA, CCNP, and RHCE.