Startups Directory

Expel is a 24/7 managed SOC (Security Operations Center) that monitors cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments using its proprietary Expel Workbench platform paired with expert security analysts. Unlike traditional MSSPs, Expel operates with complete transparency—customers see the same interface and investigation details as Expel analysts, eliminating the black box. The company helps organizations stop cyberattacks faster by extracting maximum value from existing security investments through API-based integrations that deploy in hours, not weeks.

Wiz is a cloud-native security platform that provides real-time visibility across multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, Kubernetes) using agentless APIs and graph-based analysis. It identifies exploitable attack paths and prioritizes risk based on business impact, enabling security teams to fix issues before they reach production. The platform serves enterprise security teams and has won over 40% of Fortune 100 companies with its unified "single pane of glass" approach to cloud security.

Orca Security provides agentless cloud security scanning for AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud environments using proprietary SideScanning technology that analyzes block storage without deploying agents or impacting workload performance. The platform delivers instant visibility across multi-cloud infrastructure, detecting vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, malware, and compliance violations. Orca serves enterprise organizations requiring rapid deployment, complete cloud asset visibility, and minimal operational overhead. The company has achieved $1.8B valuation with backing from Google, Temasek, and other tier-one investors.

Kiteworks is a unified secure communication platform that consolidates email, file sharing, managed file transfer, and data forms into a single solution with consistent security policies. It serves highly regulated enterprises and government agencies that need to protect sensitive data across multiple channels while maintaining audit compliance. The platform unifies disparate communication channels under one Data Policy Engine, provides DRM-enabled file editing, and includes an AI Data Gateway for safe generative AI usage.

Netskope is a cloud-native security platform that provides converged security and networking services through a CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) and SASE architecture. The company monitors and governs cloud, SaaS, web, and private application traffic while preventing data theft and malware attacks using policies, algorithms, and heuristics. Netskope serves enterprises needing zero-trust security at scale, with 25% of Fortune 100 companies as customers. The platform went public in September 2025 after raising $1.44B across 9 funding rounds.

Sysdig is a cloud-native security platform that stops cloud attacks in real time through runtime insights and AI-powered threat detection. It delivers unified visibility across cloud workloads, identities, and services to uncover hidden attack paths and prioritize vulnerabilities that matter most. The platform combines vulnerability management, adaptive runtime defense, compliance automation, and forensics in a single agent, serving enterprise DevOps and security teams managing containerized and Kubernetes environments. Sysdig differentiates through its ContainerVision and ServiceVision technologies, offering both security and observability capabilities that competitors typically provide separately.

Chainguard provides secure-by-default container images, language libraries, and VM images with zero known CVEs, eliminating vulnerabilities at the source rather than scanning after deployment. Every artifact includes built-in SBOMs, signed provenance, and daily security patches with an SLA-backed remediation guarantee. The platform delivers a 97.6% reduction in CVEs on average and serves enterprises and development teams building software supply chains that require compliance and security assurance.

Upwind Security is a cloud security platform that consolidates CSPM, CWPP, CDR, vulnerability management, identity security, and container security into a single offering. It uses eBPF kernel-level monitoring paired with cloud telemetry to detect malicious activity and correlate runtime context with build-time data, reducing alert noise by ~95%. The platform serves enterprise security teams protecting cloud infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and other environments.

Verkada is an AI-powered, cloud-native security platform that unifies video surveillance, access control, alarms, intercoms, and air quality monitoring through a single integrated software interface called Verkada Command. Built by Stanford founders and a Meraki veteran, it replaces legacy hardware-based security systems with a modern, subscription-based model where sensors stream to secure cloud infrastructure with hybrid architecture for continuous operation during outages. The platform processes over 20 million images per hour to provide actionable insights like occupancy rates, foot traffic patterns, and security violations across enterprise campuses.

Axonius is a cybersecurity asset management platform that aggregates and normalizes security data from 1,100+ business, IT, and security sources to provide unified visibility across endpoints, cloud services, and SaaS applications. The agentless, single virtual appliance integrates with 300+ security and IT solutions and automatically identifies security gaps while enforcing policies. It serves enterprise organizations including Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies seeking complete asset inventory and automated policy validation across their entire infrastructure.

Contrast Security embeds runtime security sensors directly into application code to detect vulnerabilities and attacks in real time across the entire software lifecycle. Unlike traditional static or dynamic scanning tools, it uses patented deep security instrumentation to observe actual data flows and execution paths in development, testing, and production environments. The platform combines IAST (Interactive Application Security Testing) and RASP (Runtime Application Self-Protection) capabilities in a single solution, dramatically reducing false positives and enabling developers and security teams to act on real threats. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies including BMW, AXA, and NTT.

Torq is an AI-driven security hyperautomation platform that automates threat detection, investigation, prioritization, and response across enterprise security operations. The platform uses agentic AI (notably its Socrates agent) to autonomously handle alert triage, case management, and threat remediation at scale, claiming to resolve 95% of Tier-1 alerts without human intervention. It serves Fortune 500 enterprises and MSSPs seeking to reduce mean time to respond (MTTR) and investigation overhead, positioning itself as an open, modern alternative to monolithic legacy SOAR platforms from Palo Alto Networks and Splunk.

Noname Security is an AI-powered API security platform that automatically discovers, inventories, and protects all APIs across an organization's environment. The platform identifies vulnerabilities including data leakage, authorization issues, misconfigurations, and suspicious behavior without requiring agents or network modifications. It serves enterprises across financial services, healthcare, retail, and public sector, protecting over 10 million APIs and nearly $3 trillion in revenue streams. Noname was acquired by Akamai in May 2024 for $450M and is being integrated into Akamai's API Security offering.

CAST AI is a machine learning-powered platform that automatically optimizes Kubernetes clusters and cloud infrastructure in real time, reducing cloud costs by 50% or more while improving application performance and security. Unlike competitors that merely monitor and recommend fixes, CAST AI actively implements optimizations across AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-premises environments. The platform uses advanced ML algorithms to continuously analyze workload behavior, automate resource allocation, and eliminate waste through intelligent bin packing and pod scheduling.

Veza is the authorization platform for data security built on a graph-based architecture that maps access permissions across 300+ integrations in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It enables enterprises to visualize, manage, and control granular access down to specific data objects, tables, and cloud resources. Used by Global 500 companies like Expedia, Blackstone, and Wynn Resorts to solve privileged access monitoring, non-human identity security, and identity governance challenges. Recently acquired by ServiceNow in December 2025 at a $1B-$1.5B valuation.

Cyberhaven is a unified data security platform that combines DSPM, DLP, insider risk management, and AI security with deep data lineage capabilities. It records every event for every piece of data—every move, copy, edit, and share—across endpoints and cloud applications to provide complete visibility into how data moves throughout an organization. The platform delivers 95% fewer false positives than traditional DLP solutions and enables customers to investigate incidents up to five times faster. Founded by five PhD researchers, it's trusted by top 5 North American banks, Fortune 500 companies, and highly regulated enterprises.

Upwind Security is a cloud security platform that protects cloud infrastructure, workloads, applications, and APIs through a runtime-first approach using eBPF technology. The platform combines posture management, vulnerability and identity security, container and serverless protection, and cloud detection and response in a single environment. Its key differentiator is reducing alert noise by ~95%, enabling security teams to focus on critical threats. The company serves enterprise customers globally including Waste Management, Siemens, Carvana, Roku, and others.

Alkira is a cloud-native network infrastructure-as-a-service platform that unifies connectivity across multiple clouds, data centers, and on-premises environments through a single control plane. It solves the fragmentation of east-west traffic between clouds by providing enterprises with an intuitive design canvas to deploy and manage network connectivity in minutes without hardware or agents. Founded by the team behind Viptela (acquired by Cisco for $610M), Alkira has raised $184M from top-tier investors including Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, and Tiger Global Management.

CyCognito is an attack surface discovery platform that autonomously simulates attacker techniques to identify internet-exposed and unmanaged assets across an organization's infrastructure. Using machine learning, NLP, and graph data models, it discovers business relationships, subsidiaries, and cloud environments without requiring customer integration or configuration. The platform prioritizes critical risks by filtering false positives through advanced AI, enabling security teams to focus remediation efforts on actual threats rather than vulnerability lists.

Apiiro is an Application Security Posture Management (ASPM) platform that unifies application risk visibility, prioritization, and remediation across the entire software development lifecycle using proprietary Risk Graph technology and Deep Code Analysis. It provides contextual security insights starting from the design phase through production, integrating software supply chain security with native CI/CD pipeline and source control visibility. Built by former Microsoft and IDF cybersecurity experts, Apiiro serves enterprise organizations seeking a developer-centric approach to application security that minimizes backlogs and triage time.