{{Short description|American venture capitalist (born 1961)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Lane Bess | image = | alt = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|9|18}} | birth_place = Neptune City, New Jersey, U.S. | alma_mater = Carnegie Mellon University | known_for = Investing, Principal and Founder at Bess Ventures and Advisory | spouse = Letty Bess | children = Cameron Bess | awards = }}
'''Lane Bess''' (born September 18, 1961) is a venture capitalist known for his work in technology. He has served as principal and founder of family fund Bess Ventures and Advisory, LLC, a strategic management, investment and marketing services firm, since February 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://marketrealist.com/p/lane-bess-net-worth/|title=Lane Bess and Cameron Bess Slated for Dec. 9 Blue Origin Flight|date=November 23, 2021|website=Market Realist}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.thefocus.news/celebrity/lane-bess/ |title=Who is Lane Bess as passengers on Blue Origin's next flight are revealed? |work=The Focus |date=November 23, 2021 |last1=Rafter |first1=Darcy |access-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201193533/https://www.thefocus.news/celebrity/lane-bess/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Early life and education== Bess graduated from Ocean Township High School in 1979.<ref name = app>[https://www.app.com/story/news/local/people/2021/12/06/next-blue-origin-suborbital-flight-ocean-township-high-school-nj-alumnus/8751671002/ "Ocean Township H.S. alum Lane Bess heading to space on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin"], ''Asbury Park Press'', December 6, 2021. Accessed December 13, 2021. "Venture capitalist Lane Bess, a 1979 graduate of Ocean Township High School, will fly."</ref>
In 1983, Bess received a Bachelor of Science degree in Managerial Economics from Carnegie Mellon University. Bess has served as a Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University since June 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2019/may/new-trustees.html | title=Bess, Dempo Join CMU Board of Trustees - News - Carnegie Mellon University }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2019/june/bess-family-chair.html|title = $10 Million Gift Endows Carnegie Mellon Deanship - News - Carnegie Mellon University}}</ref>
==Career== Bess held senior sales and marketing positions at NCR Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3011430/lane-bess-what-do-you-do-when-you-dont-know-what-to-do|title=Lane Bess: What do you do when you don't know what to do?|first=Lane|last=Bess|date=March 2, 2012|website=Fast Company}}</ref>
Bess also served as President of Trend Micro.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2019-10-16/truefort-unveils-board-of-advisors-featuring-top-executives-from-cyber-security-financial-and-telco|title=TrueFort Unveils Board of Advisors Featuring Top Executives from Cyber Security, Financial and Telco|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=October 16, 2019}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.zerofox.com/press-release/former-palo-alto-networks-ceo-lane-bess-joins-zerofox/|title=Former Palo Alto Networks CEO Lane Bess Joins ZeroFox|website=ZeroFox}}</ref> In 2008, he became president and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, where in 2010 he was preparing the company for an initial public offering.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.crn.com/news/networking/225701537/palo-alto-eyes-ipo-distribution-as-growth-goes-viral.htm|title=Palo Alto Eyes IPO, Distribution As Growth Goes Viral|first=Chad|last=Berndtson|date=June 25, 2010|website=CRN}}</ref> From 2011 to 2015, Bess was the COO of Zscaler.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theorg.com/org/deep-instinct/org-chart/lane-bess|title=Lane Bess - Chairman at Deep Instinct|website=THE ORG}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2014/08/20/term-sheet-wed-august-20/|title=Term Sheet — Wednesday, August 20|website=Fortune}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://talent4boards.com/deep-instinct-appoints-lane-bess-as-ceo-alongside-guy-caspi-remaining-as-board-chair-and-cpo/|title=Deep Instinct appoints Lane Bess as CEO alongside Guy Caspi remaining as Board Chair and CPO}}</ref>
Bess serves on the boards of several companies, including Deep Instinct,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/video/events/ai-is-transforming-cybersecurity/6BA82F8C-D978-403F-9313-881CECDDB7B6.html|title=AI Is Transforming Cybersecurity|website=www.wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/deep-instinct-snags-former-palo-alto-zscaler-exec-as-ceo-a-20116|title=Deep Instinct Snags Former Palo Alto, Zscaler Exec as CEO|website=www.bankinfosecurity.com}}</ref> eSentire, TrueFort, ZeroFOX, PLUM (SPAC).<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sepiocyber.com/leadership/lane-bess/|title=Lane Bess|website=Sepio|accessdate=June 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/PLMIU/company-people/executive-profile/106344972|title=PLMIU Company Profile & Executives - Plum Acquisition Corp. I - Wall Street Journal|website=www.wsj.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forbes.co/2021/03/10/emprendedores/lumu-recibe-us7-5-millones-en-ronda-con-softbank-para-su-modelo-de-ciberseguridad/|title=Lumu recibe US$7.5 millones en ronda con SoftBank para su modelo de ciberseguridad|first=José|last=Caparroso|date=March 10, 2021|website=Forbes Colombia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://truefort.com/press-release/cybersecurity-veteran-marios-damianides-joins-truefort-advisory-board/|title=Cybersecurity Veteran Marios Damianides Joins TrueFort Advisory Board • TrueFort|accessdate=June 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/two-tech-industry-titans-join-130000292.html|title=Two Tech Industry Titans Join Salient Systems Board of Directors|website=finance.yahoo.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3927261,00.html|title=Lane Bess joins Sepio as Chairman of the Board|first=James|last=Spiro|date=January 16, 2022|website=CTECH - www.calcalistech.com}}</ref>
== Spaceflight == On December 11, 2021, Bess flew into space aboard Blue Origin NS-19.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/23/us/michael-strahan-space-blue-origin.html "Michael Strahan to Join Next Blue Origin Space Flight"] ''New York Times''. Retrieved 2021-12-03.</ref> Bess, along with the other members of Blue Origins NS-19, were the final recipients of the FAA Commercial Space Astronaut Wings,<ref>https://www.faa.gov/space/human_spaceflight/recognition</ref> an aviator wings-like badge created by the Federal Aviation Administration to encourage and draw attention to commercial space flight.
On February 25, 2025, Bess returned to space on Blue Origin NS-30.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Origin Completes 30th Mission to Space |url=https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-30-mission |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Blue Origin |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Personal life== Bess is married to his wife Letty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://casaofsantacruz.org/archive/our-impact/betty-lane.html|title=Donor Story: Letty and Lane Bess : Our Impact : Archive : CASA of Santa Cruz County|website=casaofsantacruz.org}}</ref> His son Cameron Bess accompanied him to space aboard Blue Origin NS-19, making them the first parent-child pair to fly to space together.<ref name = app/> Cameron is a furry, identifies as pansexual, and streams on Twitch.<ref name="howell2021">{{Cite web |last=Howell |first=Elizabeth |date=2021-12-12 |title=Pansexual astronaut Cameron Bess on launching with Blue Origin and why diversity matters in space |url=https://www.space.com/blue-origin-astronaut-cameron-bess-pansexuality-diversity |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name="griffin2021">{{Cite web |first=Andrew |last=Griffin |date=2021-12-10 |title=The first ever furry is about to go into space |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/space/cameron-bess-furry-blue-origin-dad-b1973915.html |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bess, Lane}} Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American astronauts Category:American businesspeople in finance Category:Carnegie Mellon University alumni Category:University of Dayton alumni Category:American venture capitalists Category:Ocean Township High School alumni Category:People from Neptune City, New Jersey Category:Commercial astronauts Category:New Shepard spaceflight participants Category:People who have flown in suborbital spaceflight