Is Malwarebytes owned by another company?

No. Malwarebytes is an independent private company that owns itself. It is not a subsidiary of any larger corporation, though Vector Capital holds a minority investment.

When was Malwarebytes founded?

Malwarebytes was founded in 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. Marcin Kleczynski built the first tool as a teenager and incorporated the company while still a student.

What is Malwarebytes' market position?

Malwarebytes is the leading specialist anti-malware brand, known for catching threats other antivirus tools miss. It competes with Norton, McAfee, Bitdefender and Avast in consumer and with CrowdStrike and Sophos in business.

Technology & Software

Who Owns Malwarebytes?

Q: Is Malwarebytes publicly traded?

No. Malwarebytes Inc. is privately held and not listed on any stock exchange. It remains independent under founder and investor ownership.

Q: Who founded Malwarebytes?

Marcin Kleczynski founded Malwarebytes in 2008 after his family's computer was infected by malware that other tools could not remove. He remains CEO.

Malwarebytes is owned by Malwarebytes Inc., a private cybersecurity company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, backed by private equity firm Vector Capital following a $100 million minority investment in 2022. The brand sells anti-malware, endpoint protection, VPN and privacy software. Founded in 2008 by Marcin Kleczynski, it built its reputation on a free scanner that catches threats other antivirus tools miss.

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Parent Company

Malwarebytes Inc.

Founded

2008

Status

Private

Headquarters

Santa Clara, California, USA

mid rangechallengerGlobalOfficial Website

Who Owns Malwarebytes?

Parent Company: Malwarebytes Inc.
Ownership Type: Brand division
Company Type: Privately Held

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Malwarebytes	Malwarebytes Inc.	Brand division

History of Malwarebytes

Founded: 2008
Founders: Marcin Kleczynski

Marcin Kleczynski built the first Malwarebytes tool as a teenager after his family's computer contracted malware that existing antivirus software could not remove. He shared the tool on online forums, gathered a team of remote collaborators, and incorporated the company in Chicago in 2008 while still a college student.

The brand grew through reputation rather than traditional marketing: the free scanner became the go-to second-opinion tool among IT professionals and consumers frustrated with mainstream antivirus misses. By the 2010s it had relocated to Silicon Valley, settling in Santa Clara, and expanded into paid consumer subscriptions and business endpoint products.

Vector Capital's $100 million minority investment in 2022 marked the company's transition into a growth-stage private entity positioned for a potential public offering or acquisition. Acquisitions expanded the line into VPN, privacy and managed security services, but the free scanner remains the brand's defining product and primary user acquisition channel.

About Malwarebytes Inc.

What does Malwarebytes own?

Malwarebytes owns the Malwarebytes brand and product line plus acquired assets including VPN technology and small-business security tools. It does not own separate consumer brands.

Is Malwarebytes publicly traded?

No. Malwarebytes is privately held and not listed on any stock exchange. Vector Capital's $100 million 2022 investment is a minority stake in a private company.

Who founded Malwarebytes?

Marcin Kleczynski founded Malwarebytes in 2008 in Chicago. He built the first version as a teenager to remove malware from his family's computer and has remained CEO throughout.

Where is Malwarebytes headquartered?

Malwarebytes is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, in Silicon Valley. It was founded in Chicago and relocated its headquarters to California.