Channel-friendly startups offering tools for cloud and AI security, data protection and security operations are among the startups that have emerged during the year.
Hot Startup in Security
While working with a well-known cybersecurity vendor can have a lot of advantages for the solution provider, emerging startups can bring a level of innovation and energy – something that some established vendors don’t always bring to the table. For example, the attitude among some of the larger vendors in the security space is, “‘We’re popular, so maybe we don’t need to change our technology too much,'” said Trace3’s Jason Berland.
[Related: These Are The Stellar Startup Security Vendors To Know In 2024]
Berland said that as much as possible he wants to work with new players in cybersecurity that are showing significant potential. Their goal is to evaluate at least one new technology every month. “What I love to do is see the little people — the ones who are hungry, the ones who want to make a difference,” said Berland, senior practice director of identity and access management at Irvine, Calif.-based Trace3. Number 34 on CRN solution provider 500 For 2024.
For CRN’s year-end coverage, we’ve selected 10 cybersecurity startups that we believe exemplify the combination of promising technology, speed to market, and engagement with the channel that companies are pursuing in this space. Can make permanent players in. Our picks include companies offering tools in fast-growing categories like cloud and AI security, data protection, and security operations.
In terms of specific criteria, we have chosen partner-friendly startups that were founded from 2020 and have major announcements in 2024 – such as a significant product launch or funding round – that are showing their attractiveness in the market. (Note: We also excluded some security vendors that would otherwise have qualified, such as Viz, which have already achieved critical status.)
The details of the 10 most popular cyber security startups of 2024 are as follows.
Saira
Established: 2021
CEO: Yotam Segev
Cyra offers an agentless data protection platform that now combines both data protection state management (DSPM) and data loss prevention (DLP), ultimately providing unified visibility into data and access risks. The startup has expanded beyond its core focus on DSPM — which works in environments including cloud, SaaS and on-premises — to add DLP capabilities with the $162 million acquisition of Trail Security in October. Cyra’s key partners include Guidepoint Security, World Wide Technology and Trace3.
In November, New York-based Cyra announced Raising a $300 million Series D round of funding, which follows a previous fundraise of the same amount in April. The latest round more than doubled the company’s valuation to $3 billion.
Cynomy
Established: 2020
CEO: David Primor
Cynomy offers an automated vCISO platform that aims to offer capabilities equivalent to a governance, risk and compliance (GRC) tool, as well as conduct gap analysis, create customized policies, and prioritized remediation to ensure cybersecurity is also The plan has to be developed. According to the company, the MSP-centric platform is designed to secure small and medium-sized enterprises.
In April, Herzliya, Israel-based Cynomy announced it raised $20 million in new funding led by Canaan to fuel its growth. And in November, the company hired out Ken Marks – a cybersecurity veteran most recently at SentinelOne – as its new CRO. Kevin Baker, CISO of Fortress Security Risk Management, a Cleveland-based Cynomy partner, said the company is proving by hiring Marks how serious it is about growing with the channel. “It gives me a lot of confidence that this company is going to move forward,” Baker said.
deskope
Established: 2022
CEO: Slavik Markovich
According to the Los Altos, California-based startup, Deskscope offers a platform for customer identity and access management (CIAM) that is simple and highly flexible. Deskope’s platform aims to be easier to implement and use than competitors due to its low-code/no-code capabilities that provide a drag-and-drop method for managing identities and access permissions. In November, Deskope announced Launching its first formal channel program with the goal of recruiting more partners and accelerating the development of the company’s CIAM platform. Deskop’s current key partners include Irvine, CA-based Trace3, ranked No. 34 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024, and Canonsburg, PA-based DeFi Security.
Andor Labs
Established: 2021
CEO: Varun Badhwar
Andor Labs’ goal is to enable a better way to secure the software supply chain, with a focus on identifying, prioritizing, and eliminating risks across the software development life cycle. There is a large emphasis on helping developers safely incorporate open-source software. Key milestones announced by Palo Alto, Calif.-based Endor in 2024 include the launch of a partnership with GuidePoint Security in May and the introduction of new capabilities in August that will help teams better prioritize software upgrades by providing details on the potential level of difficulty. Allows. Of implementing a certain upgrade.
island
Established: 2020
CEO: Mike Fay
Island Chromium offers a secure workplace-focused web browser built on the Island Enterprise Browser, which offers a range of capabilities to protect data and users automatically embedded within the browser. Capabilities include protection against web-based threats, conditional access controls, data loss prevention (DLP), and zero-trust network access to private apps. In April, Dallas-based Island disclosed raising a $175 million Series D funding round led by Coatue and Sequoia, bringing with it a $3 billion valuation. Island’s key partners include Trace3.
legitimate security
Established: 2020
CEO: Ronnie Fuchs
Legit Security provides an application security state management platform that aims to provide better visibility and security throughout the software development process, including offering a unified console for code and cloud security. In April, Boston-based Legit Security unveiled a partnership with Herndon, Virginia-based GuidePoint Security, No. 39 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024. And in August, the startup debuted what it’s calling “the industry’s first AI security command center.” , which offers a dedicated dashboard for AI security.
reality protector
Established: 2021
CEO: Ben Coleman
According to the company, Reality Defender offers deepfake detection using a “multi-model” approach and hundreds of patented technologies to effectively detect deepfakes in images, video, audio, and text. The startup offers an API that allows organizations to upload large amounts of content and scale detection capabilities as needed.
In May, New York-based Reality Defender received the “Most Innovative Startup” award at the RSA conference Innovation Sandbox. And this fall, the startup also announced an investment from IT consulting giant Accenture, as well as a partnership with co-engineer A deepfake detection service that will be available from Accenture. “I believe there is nothing available yet in the market” that is comparable to what is being offered, said Paolo Dal Sin, global head for security at Accenture, No. 1 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024. .
common sense
Established: 2021
CEO: Guy Guzner
Sevi aims to strengthen SaaS identity security through greater automation, including the company’s browser extension that provides direct guidance to users on resolving password and other account issues. In September, Tel Aviv, Israel-based Sevi launched new capabilities for user off-boarding that can help IT and security teams better prioritize user access removals.
Mark Jones, CEO of Blacklake Security, a solution provider partner of Sevi, said the startup’s offering provides solutions at scale. challenge In the area of identity security for organizations. Sevi deploys quickly and “gives you a lot of visibility into your identities and the vulnerabilities that are out there,” said Jones, who is also the founder of Austin, Texas-based Blacklake Security, which is on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024. But is at number 221.
upwind protection
Established: 2022
CEO: Amiram Shachar
Upwind provides a comprehensive runtime cloud security platform that includes cloud workload protection and cloud detection and response, as well as CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management), SIEM (Cloud Identity Entitlement Management), and other capabilities. The startup said the Upwind platform leverages the San Francisco-based company’s “lightweight” EBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) sensor technology to identify abnormal behavior and provide automated protection. Upwind’s key partners include Denver-based Optiv, No. 25 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024.
In March, Upwind revealed that its offering is available as an add-on to Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), and in October, the company said it now offers automated discovery and classification of data flows involving sensitive information. Provides.
torque
Established: 2020
CEO: Ofer Smadari
Security “hyperautomation” startup Torque offers a no-code method to automate security operations activities. The platform increases security analyst productivity by completing many security operations center (SOC) tasks faster and more easily, and a major push for Torque is to displace “legacy” providers of SOAR (security orchestration, automation, and response) technology. Has been on. Ricardo Panez, president and COO of Torque partner Compuquip, based in Doral, Florida, told CRN that when it comes to “automating our tasks within our SoC,” [Torq] Light years ahead of other products.
In January, Tel Aviv, Israel-based Torque announced it had added $42 million in funding — which followed Announcement An additional $70 million Series C funding round in September was partly aimed at boosting investment in the channel.