Crosspoint Capital Partners Adds Former Five9 and Cisco Executive Panos Kozanian to Operating Team

Crosspoint Capital Partners added former Five9 and Cisco executive Panos Kozanian to its operating team as an Operating Partner focused on product, AI strategy and engineering scale.

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09/15/2026 - 09:02 AM

Product and engineering leader brings a track record of turning AI, cloud and software inflections into scaled products, platforms and businesses

MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Crosspoint Capital Partners (“Crosspoint Capital”), an investment firm focused on cybersecurity and its intersection with infrastructure software, today announced the addition of Panos Kozanian, former Executive Vice President of Product Engineering at Five9 (NASDAQ: FIVN) and former leader of Cisco's (NASDAQ: CSCO) emerging technologies incubation lab, to its operating team.

Kozanian has built his career at the intersection of technology judgment and execution. Across AI, cloud and collaboration software, he has identified major technology shifts, made strategic bets and then built the products, platforms and global engineering organizations required to turn those shifts into commercial growth. His addition expands Crosspoint's operating capabilities as AI reshapes product development, software engineering and the competitive landscape for enterprise technology companies.

“Panos has a rare ability to see a technology shift early, understand what it means for customers and then build the product, platform and organization required to capture it,” said Samir Kapuria, Managing Director of Crosspoint Capital. “He has done that across AI, cloud and collaboration software, from incubating new technologies to scaling platforms used by the world's largest enterprises. That combination of technical judgment, product instinct and operating execution will be extraordinarily valuable across the Crosspoint portfolio.”

As an Operating Partner at Crosspoint, Kozanian will work with the firm's investment and portfolio teams on product and AI strategy, engineering scale, platform architecture, innovation and technical diligence. He will also help portfolio companies evaluate technology choices, accelerate product development and translate emerging technologies into durable business value.

Kozanian spent more than 14 years at Cisco where he led Cisco's emerging technologies incubation lab, which was chartered with identifying and developing the company's next billion-dollar businesses. He also built and scaled Cisco’s collaboration software, including Webex. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped scale Webex by 400 percent to support unprecedented demand, with the platform serving 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies.

Kozanian served as Executive Vice President of Product Engineering at Five9, where he was responsible for the company's full technology stack, including product development, AI and machine learning, cloud operations and security. He led a 1,000-person global engineering organization spanning five SVP-led divisions across more than six countries and regularly presented to Five9's Board of Directors on AI strategy, platform reliability and technology risk. At Five9, Kozanian helped build the company's AI portfolio into a business generating more than $100 million in revenue, demonstrating his ability to translate emerging technology into products with commercial impact.

Kozanian brings extensive experience evaluating technology through an investment and M&A lens, having led technical due diligence on more than $250 million in acquisitions. That combination of product, engineering, AI and transaction experience gives Crosspoint and its portfolio companies an operator who can connect what is technically possible with what can be built, scaled and monetized.

“AI is changing the economics of software and the way great technology companies are built,” said Greg Clark, Managing Partner of Crosspoint Capital. “The advantage will accrue to companies that can translate technical innovation into products customers value and then execute at scale. Panos has spent his career doing exactly that. He combines deep technical expertise with the product judgment and operating discipline required to turn important technology shifts into durable businesses. He is an exceptional addition to the capabilities Crosspoint brings to our portfolio companies.”

Kozanian joins Crosspoint amid significant growth for the firm. Since its founding in 2020, Crosspoint has grown to $8.6 billion in assets under management and established a differentiated model that combines investment professionals, experienced operating executives and deep sector expertise to provide capabilities and perspective to its portfolio companies. Crosspoint has invested in companies across network security, endpoint security, digital trust, authentication, software supply chain security, agentic security operations and applied artificial intelligence.

About Crosspoint Capital Partners

Crosspoint Capital is an investment firm focused on the cybersecurity and infrastructure software markets. Crosspoint has assembled a group of successful operators, investors and sector experts to partner with foundational technology companies and drive differentiated returns. Crosspoint has offices in Menlo Park, CA and Boston, MA. For more information, visit www.crosspointcapital.com.