MobileSpaces

About MobileSpaces

MobileSpaces was a mobile security firm established in 2011, initially under the name CellSec, by co-founders David Goldschlag (CEO) and Yoav Weiss (CTO). Goldschlag brought executive-level experience from his prior role as VP of Mobile at McAfee, while Weiss was an accomplished security veteran and one of the early employees at Check Point Software Technologies. Their combined expertise in enterprise and mobile security directly addressed the growing trend of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in corporate environments.

The company focused on the enterprise mobile security market, providing a solution to protect corporate applications and data on employees' personal smartphones and tablets. MobileSpaces targeted enterprises struggling to manage the security risks associated with personal devices accessing sensitive corporate information. The business model centered on providing this security and management solution to IT departments, enabling them to create a policy-managed, secure workspace on user devices without intruding on the employee's personal data.

The core product utilized a proprietary application virtualization technology to create a distinct, encrypted workspace on a device. Within this workspace, enterprise apps—whether built-in, custom, or from public app stores—could run natively and share information securely, while all enterprise data remained isolated from personal apps. A key feature was the 'badging' of corporate apps, allowing employees to use the same familiar applications (like Dropbox or email clients) for both personal and work accounts, with the system automatically enforcing security policies for the business-use version. This approach aimed to deliver robust security for the enterprise while maintaining a natural, non-intrusive user experience and respecting employee privacy, a significant differentiator from more restrictive container solutions.

The company successfully raised a total of approximately $11.6 million over two funding rounds. This included a $3 million Series A in August 2012 led by Accel Partners and an $8.6 million Series B in July 2013, with participation from Accel and Marker LLC. These funds were allocated to expand sales and marketing efforts. In a significant milestone, MobileSpaces was acquired by Pulse Secure in October 2014 for an estimated $100 million. The acquisition integrated MobileSpaces' BYOD technology with Pulse Secure's VPN and network access control products to bolster their mobile security offerings.