Startups > eSentire

eSentire

eSentire hunts, investigates, and stops cyber threats before business disruption occurs.
Venture Round $412M total Founded 2001 Cambridge, Ontario
eSentire is a cloud-native managed detection and response (MDR) platform that combines AI/ML with 24/7 human-led threat hunting to detect and contain cyber attacks in under 15 minutes. The company serves 2,000+ organizations across 80+ countries and 35 industries, with particular strength in financial services, legal, healthcare, and government. eSentire differentiates through its Atlas XDR platform, elite threat hunter access, and Threat Response Unit (TRU) for advanced incident investigation, complemented by digital forensics capabilities acquired through CyFIR.
Problem solved
Organizations lack the internal expertise and resources to detect advanced threats in real-time and respond fast enough to prevent business disruption.
Target customer
Mid-to-large enterprises in regulated industries (financial services, legal, healthcare, biopharma, government) with complex security environments and high breach risk exposure.
Website LinkedIn Crunchbase
Founders
E
Eldon Sprickerhoff
Founder and Chief Innovation Officer
University of Waterloo Computer Science graduate; founded eSentire in 2001.
M
Matt McKeen
Co-Founder
Co-founded eSentire in 2001 with Sprickerhoff.
Funding history
Grant Unknown October 28, 2011 Led by Ontario Canada · Unknown
Series B Unknown July 17, 2013 Led by Edison Partners · VentureLink Funds
Series C $14M CAD September 16, 2014 Led by Georgian Partners · Cisco Investments, Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund, Edison Partners, VentureLink
Series D $100M March 3, 2019 Led by Warburg Pincus · Unknown
Series E $325M February 22, 2022 Led by Georgian Partners · Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Warburg Pincus
Total raised: $412M
Industries
Network Security Cyber Security Security
Pricing
Flexible endpoint-based packages with customization options. Pricing varies based on number of endpoints, third-party technology investments, service scope, and add-on services. 24/7 MDR coverage included; no publicly disclosed rates (quote-based).
Notable customers
Quarles & Brady, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Texas United Management Corporation, KidsAbility, Hexagon
Website
esentire.com/
Competitors
Arctic Wolf
Offers Cyber-SOC as a service; also provides managed security services but with different platform architecture and threat hunting approach.
CrowdStrike
Endpoint-focused security with broader endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities; less emphasis on managed SOC services and human-led threat hunting.
Rapid7
Vulnerability management and incident detection platform; broader vulnerability assessment focus rather than pure threat hunting and response.
Trustwave
Managed security services provider with broader compliance and vulnerability management offerings; different service delivery model.
Expel
Cloud-first MDR platform; competes on similar managed detection and response but with different AI/ML implementation and analyst model.
Why this matters: eSentire is notable for combining AI-driven threat detection with human-led threat hunting and achieving sub-15-minute threat containment times at scale—serving 2,000+ organizations across 80+ countries. The $325M Series E valuation at $1B+ reflects strong market demand for managed SOC services and the company's leadership in the growing XDR (extended detection and response) market.
Best for: Regulated enterprises and organizations with high-security requirements that need 24/7 threat detection, investigation, and containment without building in-house security operations centers.
Use cases
Financial Services Threat Response
Banks and financial institutions use eSentire to detect and contain advanced persistent threats targeting customer data and financial systems. The platform's sub-15-minute containment time reduces breach impact and regulatory reporting requirements.
Legal Firm Compliance and Client Data Protection
Law firms with sensitive client privileged information use eSentire's DFIR capabilities combined with MDR to ensure client data protection and meet cybersecurity compliance requirements. The Threat Response Unit provides specialized expertise for complex investigations.
Healthcare Incident Response and Continuity
Healthcare organizations leverage eSentire's 24/7 monitoring and rapid containment to prevent ransomware attacks that could disrupt patient care. The DFIR services support rapid recovery and forensic evidence collection for regulatory authorities.
Government Agency Defense
Government agencies use eSentire's Atlas XDR platform and threat intelligence to defend against nation-state and state-sponsored cyber attacks. Elite threat hunters provide advanced investigation capabilities for critical infrastructure protection.
Alternatives
Sophos Provides cloud-native endpoint and network security with AI enhancement; broader focus on endpoint protection than managed SOC services.
Tanium Endpoint management and detection platform; focuses on endpoint visibility and control rather than managed threat hunting and response services.
CyberArk Identity and access management security platform; focuses on privileged account protection rather than threat detection and response.
FAQ
What does eSentire do? +
eSentire is a managed detection and response (MDR) platform that hunts, investigates, and stops cyber threats in real-time. The company provides 24/7 access to SOC analysts, elite threat hunters, and a dedicated Threat Response Unit, targeting threat containment in under 15 minutes. Services also include managed risk and digital forensics and incident response (DFIR).
How much does eSentire cost? +
eSentire uses flexible, customized endpoint-based pricing that varies based on the number of endpoints, technology investments, service scope, and add-on services. Specific pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers must request a quote. The service includes 24/7 coverage with no hidden fees.
What are alternatives to eSentire? +
Key alternatives include Arctic Wolf (Cyber-SOC as a service), CrowdStrike (endpoint-focused EDR), Rapid7 (vulnerability and detection), Sophos (cloud-native endpoint security), and Expel (cloud-first MDR platform). Each differs in focus area, platform architecture, and service delivery model.
Who uses eSentire? +
eSentire serves 2,000+ organizations across 80+ countries in 35 industries, with particular strength in financial services, legal, healthcare, biopharma, government, and engineering. Named customers include Quarles & Brady, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Hexagon, Texas United Management Corporation, and KidsAbility.
How does eSentire compare to CrowdStrike? +
eSentire is a managed SOC service with human-led threat hunting and 24/7 analyst support, while CrowdStrike is primarily an endpoint detection and response (EDR) platform for endpoint protection. eSentire offers broader infrastructure monitoring (network, cloud, endpoints, logs) and dedicated incident response, whereas CrowdStrike focuses on endpoint visibility. eSentire is better for organizations wanting outsourced threat hunting; CrowdStrike suits those needing endpoint-specific protection.
Tags
managed detection and response MDR XDR threat hunting SOC incident response DFIR cybersecurity cloud-native AI-ML threat detection