Among those that stood out during the year were channel-friendly startups that provide teams for cloud and artificial intelligence security, knowledge security, and security operations.
While working with a well-known cybersecurity vendor can have many benefits for a solutions provider, new startups can bring a point of innovation (and energy) that some established vendors don’t. For example, the attitude of some primary vendors in the security area is: “We’re popular, so maybe we don’t want a lot of adjustments to our technology,” said Trace3’s Jason Berland.
[Related: These are the startup security services you should know about in 2024]
Wherever possible, Berland said he looks to work with new cybersecurity players that show significant potential. Its purpose is to compare at least one month of new generation. “What I love to do is look at the little ones, the hungry, the ones who need to make a difference,” said Berland, senior director of identity and access control at Trace3, based in Irvine, California. No. 34 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 by 2024.
For CRN’s year-end coverage, we picked 10 cybersecurity startups that exemplify the combination of promising technology, market dynamics, and channel share that can turn those corporations into sustainable players in the field. Our variety includes corporations that provide equipment in fast-growing categories. such as cloud security and AI, knowledge security, and security operations.
In terms of express criteria, we have selected user-friendly startups, founded since 2020 and that have been the subject of primary announcements in 2024, such as a primary product launch or an investment round, demonstrating their market traction. (Note: We’ve also excluded some security vendors that would otherwise qualify, such as Wiz, which have already achieved significant scale).
Here are the top 10 takeaways from the cybersecurity startups of 2024.
ciera
Founded: 2021
Managing Director: Yotam Segev
Cyera offers an agentless knowledge security platform that now combines knowledge security posture monitoring (DSPM) and knowledge loss prevention (DLP), offering unified visibility into knowledge and access risk. The startup has expanded beyond its core DSPM, which works in environments such as cloud, SaaS, and on-premises, to load DLP capabilities with its $162 million acquisition of Trail Security in October. Cyera’s key partners include GuidePoint Security, World Wide Technology and Trace3.
In November, New York-based Cyera announced raising a $300 million Series D round of funding, which followed a previous fundraise of the same amount in April. The latest round has more than doubled the company’s valuation to $3 billion.
cinón
Founded: 2020
CEO: David Primor
Cynomi will offer an automated vCISO platform that aims to offer functions equivalent to a governance, risk and compliance (GRC) tool while going the extra mile by analyzing failures, creating traditional policies and developing a prioritized remediation plan to ensure cybersecurity is also considered. The MSP-focused platform is designed to protect small and medium-sized businesses, according to the company.
In April, Herzliya, Israel-based Cynomi announced that it had raised $20 million in new investments made across Canaan to fuel its growth. And in November, the company hired Ken Marks, a top cybersecurity veteran recently at SentinelOne, as its new CRO. Kevin Baker, CISO at Fortress Security Risk Management, a Cleveland-based partner at Cynomi, said the company demonstrates how much it sought to grow with the help of the channel by hiring Marks. “It gives me a high level of confidence that this company is going through somewhere,” Baker said.
descope
Founded: 2022
CEO: Slavik Markovich
Descope will offer a simplified and highly flexible visitor identity and control (CIAM) platform, according to the Los Altos, California-based startup. Descope’s platform is intended to be less difficult to deploy and use than its competitors thanks to its low-code/no-code features that offer a drag-and-drop approach to managing identities and authorizations. In November, Descope announced the launch of its first formal channel program with the goal of recruiting more partners and accelerating the expansion of the company’s CIAM platform. Descope’s existing most sensible partners are Irvine, California-based Trace3, No. 34 in CRN’s 500 Solution Provider by 2024, and Defy Security, based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
Endor Laboratories
Founded: 2021
CEO: Varun Badhwar
Endor Labs aims to enable a better way to protect the software source chain, with a platform focused on identifying, prioritizing and resolving threats to the software progression lifecycle. The number one goal is to help developers securely integrate open source software. Milestones announced by Palo Alto, California-based Endor for 2024 included launching a partnership with GuidePoint Security in May and launching new features in August that allow groups to further prioritize software updates offered by Points. of the most likely point of difficulty. to implement some improvement.
Island
Founded: 2020
Executive Director: Mike Fey
Island offers a Chromium-based workplace-focused secure Internet browser, Island Enterprise Browser, which provides a variety of insights and user coverage features automatically built into the browser itself. Features include Internet-based risk coverage, conditional access controls, unconsciousness prevention (DLP), and trusted network access to personal applications. In April, Dallas-based Island announced a $175 million Series D fundraising circular led through Coatue and Sequoia, resulting in a $3 billion valuation. Island’s key partners are Trace3.
Legitimate Security
Founded: 2020
CEO: Roni Fuchs
Legit Security offers an application security posture monitoring platform that aims to provide improved visibility and security into the software progression process, as well as providing a unified console for code and cloud security. In April, Boston-based Legit Security unveiled a partnership with Herndon, Va. -based GuidePoint Security, No. 39 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024. And in August, the startup unveiled what it calls “the industry’s first AI security command. ” center. “”, which offers a panel committed to AI safety.
Defender of reality
Founded: 2021
CEO: Ben Colman
Reality Defender offers deepfake detection by utilizing a “multi-model” approach and hundreds of patented techniques to effectively detect deepfakes across images, video, audio and text, according to the company. The startup offers an API that allows organizations to upload large amounts of content and scale detection capabilities as necessary.
In May, New York-based Reality Defender won the “Most Innovative Startup” award at the RSA Innovation Sandbox conference. And this fall, the startup announced an investment from IT consulting giant Accenture, as well as a partnership to co-design a deepfake detection service, which will be available from Accenture. “I don’t think there’s anything on the market yet” that compares to the offering, said Paolo Dal Cin, global head of security at Accenture, No. 1 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024.
Witty
Founded: 2021
CEO: Guy Guzner
Savvy is targeting SaaS identity security through greater automation, adding through the company’s browser extension that provides direct guidance to users in resolving passwords and other account issues. In September, Tel Aviv, Israel-based Savvy introduced new user opt-out features that will help IT and security teams place a higher priority on cutting off user access.
At BlackLake Security, Savvy’s response provider partner, CEO Mark Jones said the startup’s offering addresses a core challenge in the area of identity security for organizations. Savvy is being rolled out temporarily and “gives you excellent visibility into your identity and the gaps that exist. ” ” said Jones, who is also the founder of Austin, Texas-based BlackLake Security, No. 221 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024.
Upwind Security
Founded: 2022
CEO: Amiram Shachar
Upwind offers a comprehensive cloud security execution platform that includes cloud workload protection, cloud detection and response, as well as CSPM (cloud security posture management) and CIEM (entitlement management). cloud identity) and other features. The Upwind platform leverages the San Francisco-based company’s “lightweight” eBPF (Berkeley Extended Packet Filter) sensor generation to identify anomalous habits and provide automated protection, the startup said. Upwind’s most sensible partners are Denver-based Optiv, No. 25 in CRN’s 500 Solution Provider by 2024.
In March, Upwind revealed that its offering would be available as an add-on to Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS), and in October, the company announced that it now offers automatic discovery and classification of data flows involving sensitive information.
Torq
Founded: 2020
Managing Director: Ofer Smadari
Security “hyperautomation” startup Torq offers a no-code approach to automating security operations activities. The platform increases the productivity of security analysts by completing many middle security operations (SOC) responsibilities more quickly and easily, and Torq has focused on replacing “legacy” SOAR generation providers (orchestration, automation and security response). Ricardo Panez, president and COO of Torq partner Compuquip in Doral, Florida, told CRN that when it comes to “automating our functions within our SOC, [Torq] is miles ahead of other products.
In January, Tel Aviv, Israel-based Torq announced that has added $42 million in funding—which was followed by the announcement of an additional $70 million Series C funding round in September aimed in part at boosting investments into the channel.