The early-stage vendor, which is focused on protecting data in the cloud and the use of GenAI, is one of the hottest cloud security startups this year.
Securing cloud environments continues to be a major concern for organizations, but the advent of generative AI has created or exacerbated a number of challenges for securing the cloud: When it comes to data security, for example, GenAI systems rely on massive datasets that may contain sensitive information, making data privacy and security an even bigger priority as AI-related initiatives increase.
[Related: The 20 Coolest Cloud Security Companies Of The 2024 Cloud 100]
As a result, there is a continuing demand for new cloud security capabilities that offer a differentiated approach to securing the cloud and AI, and many emerging startups are stepping up to meet that need. Notably, many of these startups are prioritizing collaboration with channel partners from the early stages of their sales efforts.
For example, cloud security startup Upwind Security is focused on driving growth through partnerships with solution and service providers, says Amiram Shachar, co-founder and CEO of Upwind. “I’m a big believer in the channel,” says Shachar. Partnerships include both smaller VARs and larger solution and service providers. “Most of our larger accounts today are through the channel,” says Shachar.
To be included in the list below, startups must have been founded in 2019 or later. (Note: we’ve also excluded cloud security startups that have already achieved significant scale, such as Wiz and Orca Security.)
Below are some key details about the 10 hottest cloud security startups in 2024 so far.
Astrix Security
Established: 2021
CEO: Aaron Jackson
Astrix Security takes an agentless approach with the goal of providing greater control over non-human identities across SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS. The company says the tool rapidly discovers all non-human identities and access tokens, then detects and remediates risky access. Astrix has raised around $40 million in funding, including a $25 million Series A round led by CRV in June 2023.
Sierra
Established: 2021
CEO: Yotam Segev
Cyera offers an agentless data security posture management (DSPM) tool that can discover, classify, assess, and protect both unstructured and structured data. Best of all, Cyera’s DSPM technology works across cloud environments, SaaS applications, data lakes, and on-premise environments, according to the company. In April, Cyera announced it had raised $300 million in a Series C round led by Coatue, bringing the company’s valuation to $1.4 billion and its total funding to $460 million.
Daz
Established: 2021
CEO: Merav Bahat
Dazz offers a cloud security platform focused on improving cloud vulnerability prioritization and remediation. Rather than generating alerts, the company says the Dazz platform aims to correlate issues across detection tools and provide robust remediation plans. Dazz has raised $60 million in funding to date, including $50 million in a Series A round in late 2021 from investors including Insight Partners, Greylock Partners and Index Ventures.
grip security
Established: 2021
CEO: Lior Yaari
Grip Security provides a platform that mitigates identity security risks associated with SaaS usage through detection, prioritization, and remediation orchestration capabilities. In August 2023, Grip Security announced a $41 million Series B funding round led by Third Point Ventures.
Legal Security
Established: 2020
CEO: Roni Fuchs
Legit Security offers an application security posture management platform that aims to improve visibility and security throughout the software development process. The startup’s “code-to-cloud” platform provides a “unified” control plane for application security, as well as automated discovery and analysis across the software development lifecycle, according to the company. In September, Legit Security announced a $40 million funding round led by CRV.
Mitiga
Established: 2019
CEO: Tal Mozes
Mitiga, a finalist in the RSAC Innovation Sandbox in May, provides “advanced” visibility, threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities in cloud and SaaS deployments. The company said the service will ultimately enable customers to address cloud threats “70 times faster than traditional capabilities.” In March 2023, Mitiga announced it had raised $45 million in Series A funding led by ClearSky Security.
Sentra
Established: 2021
CEO: Yoav Regev
Sentra offers a data security posture management platform aimed at improving visibility into sensitive cloud data and better automating risk assessment and access analysis associated with that data. At RSAC 2024 in May, the startup announced a new service, Sentra DataTreks, along with on-premise support that helps organizations determine when sensitive data has moved between environments. In January 2023, Sentra announced it was raising $30 million in Series A funding led by Standard Investments.
Sweet Security
Established: 2022
CEO: Dolor Kashti
Sweet Security announced the release of its Cloud Runtime Security Suite in August 2023, which provides detection and response, discovery and prevention at runtime. The company said the tool will leverage the startup’s quickly deployable runtime sensors and the ability to stream app data and business logic to servers. In March, Sweet Security announced it had raised $33 million in Series A funding led by Evolution Equity Partners.
Upwind Security
Established: 2022
CEO: Amiram Shachar
Upwind offers a comprehensive runtime cloud security platform that includes capabilities such as cloud workload protection, cloud detection and response, CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management), and CIEM (Cloud Identity Privilege Management). According to the startup, the Upwind platform leverages the company’s “lightweight” eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) sensor technology to identify anomalous behavior and provide automated protection. In September 2023, Upwind announced a $50 million funding round led by Greylock, Cyberstarts, and Leaders Fund, bringing the company’s total funding to $80 million less than a year after founding.
Veza
Established: 2020
CEO: Tarun Thakur
Veza provides tools aimed at helping organizations improve access and privilege security with a focus on providing a visual display to make unusual or dangerous privileges easier to spot. The tools also allow organizations to monitor privilege activity, automate access reviews, and remediate privilege violations. The Veza platform works across identity and data systems, cloud infrastructure, SaaS, and custom-built apps. In September 2023, Veza announced it had raised an undisclosed amount of funding from The Syndicate Group, intended to accelerate its expansion with channel partners.
