About
Philip R. Zimmermann is the creator of Pretty Good Privacy, an email encryption software package. Originally designed as a human rights tool, PGP was published for free on the Internet in 1991. This made Zimmermann the target of a three-year criminal investigation, because the government held that US export restrictions for cryptographic software were violated when PGP spread worldwide. Despite the lack of funding, the lack of any paid staff, the lack of a company to stand behind it, and despite government persecution, PGP nonetheless became the most widely used email encryption software in the world. After the government dropped its case in early 1996, Zimmermann founded PGP Inc. That company was acquired by Network Associates Inc (NAI) in 1997. In 2002 PGP was acquired from NAI by a new company called PGP Corporation, where Zimmermann served as special advisor and consultant until its acquisition by Symantec in 2010. Since 2004, his focus has been on secure telephony for the Internet
Position in the VCSift Database
- • 2,490 investors hold the Founder role in VCSift. Phil Zimmermann is one of them.
- • 132 investors are based in The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.
Data sourced from 410,343 investor profiles. Updated July 2026.
Investment Focus
- Location
- The Hague, The Netherlands
Contact Information
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