The 10 Hottest Cloud And AI Security Startups Of 2024

Startups offering tools for protecting cloud environments — including security for cloud data, identities and AI systems — are among those that have stood out during the year.

New Players In Cloud And AI Security

When organizations consider all of the functionality needed to keep their cloud environments secure today, it’s about a lot more than just addressing infrastructure and vulnerabilities. For starters, securing the associated data and identities are now essential pieces to any respectable cloud security strategy.

“When you look at cloud security, of course, you have the infrastructure and vulnerability aspect,” said Yotam Segev, co-founder and CEO of Cyera, a $3 billion data security startup. “But then you have the data and access aspect — what data lives where and who has access to it. And that's such a big part of protecting these new ecosystems.”

Cyera is among the up-and-coming players working to help partners and customers to protect the cloud environments of today — including not just AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, but also that cloud data platforms and SaaS applications that many organizations heavily rely upon.

Increasingly, protecting the cloud also entails securing AI — particularly amid the massive, industry-wide push for adoption of Large Language Models and GenAI-powered applications. Experts warn that the rising usage of AI significantly expands the cloud attack surface, with threat actors now targeting everything from data theft via GenAI apps to poisoning the underlying AI models.

For CRN’s end-of-year coverage, we’ve chosen 10 cloud and AI security startups that we believe exemplify the combination of promising technology, momentum in the market and engagement with solution providers that could make the companies into lasting players in the space. We’ve chosen startups that were founded since 2019 and have had major announcements in 2024—such as a significant product launch, channel partnership announcement or funding round—showing their traction in the market.

What follows are the details on 10 of the hottest cloud and AI security startups of 2024.

Astrix Security

Founded: 2021

CEO: Alon Jackson

Astrix Security provides greater control over non-human identities across SaaS, IaaS and PaaS with functionality including real-time discovery and posture management. Other key capabilities include ITDR (identity threat detection and response) for non-human identities, with the ability to detect anomalies that can signal malicious use of the identities, the company said. In September, Astrix announced the launch of a partnership with Herndon, Va.-based GuidePoint Security, No. 39 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 for 2024.

Cyera

Founded: 2021

CEO: Yotam Segev

Cyera provides an agentless data security platform — which works across environments including cloud, SaaS and on-premises — offering both data security posture management (DSPM) and data loss prevention (DLP). The combination of the capabilities provides unified visibility into data and access risks, according to the company. The startup expanded beyond its core focus on DSPM to add DLP capabilities with the $162 million acquisition of Trail Security in October. Key partners of Cyera 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.

Dope.security

Founded: 2021

CEO: Kunal Agarwal

Dope.security offers a simplified approach to secure web gateway, powered by its patented “fly-direct” architecture that avoids the need to reroute web traffic through stopover data centers. In April, the startup introduced its new CASB Neural offering, which the company called the “first” CASB (cloud access security broker) tool based upon deep learning AI, using Large Language Models (LLM) technology to prevent data loss. Then in October, Dope.security enhanced CASB Neural with capabilities for identification and management of public file sharing.

Mitiga

Founded: 2019

CEO: Tal Mozes

Mitiga — which was a finalist in this year’s RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox — provides capabilities for “advanced” visibility, threat detection, investigation and response in cloud and SaaS deployments. In September, the startup debuted its Cloud Managed Detection and Response service, which provides 24/7 monitoring of cloud and SaaS threats as well as rapid mitigation of attempted attacks.

Permiso

Founded: 2020

Co-CEOs: Jason Martin (left), Paul Nguyen

Permiso offers what it calls a “unified” identity security platform — which works across both cloud and on-premises environments — bringing together security posture management with threat detection and response for identities. In April, Permiso announced raising an $18.5 million Series A funding round led by Altimeter Capital to double down on integrations and product enhancements. The company followed up with a number of product announcements this fall including the launch of its Universal Identity Graph in September and the debut of a series of open-source tools in October and November including DetentionDodger, a tool for discovering leaked credentials in the cloud.

Protect AI

Founded: 2022

CEO: Ian Swanson

Protect AI brings a focus on AI-SPM (AI Security Posture Management) that aims to provide greater visibility, management and security for AI/ML environments, as well as providing remediation and governance capabilities. In July, the startup announced the acquisition of SydeLabs, which brought capabilities for automation simulation of attacks against GenAI systems. Then in August, Protect AI closed $60 million in Series B funding led by Evolution Equity Partners, bringing the company to $108.5 million in total funding raised to date.

Sentra

Founded: 2021

CEO: Yoav Regev

Sentra offers a data security posture management (DSPM) platform that aims to offer improved visibility into sensitive cloud data, along with greater automation for risk assessment and access analysis related to the data. In May, the startup unveiled a new offering, Sentra DataTreks, which provides alerts on movement of sensitive data as well as guidance and recommendations. Sentra also unveiled on-premises support in May.

Sweet Security

Founded: 2022

CEO: Dror Kashti

In December, Sweet Security debuted what it described as a “unified” Cloud Native Detection and Response platform, which can detect and respond to threats across applications, cloud environments and cloud workloads. GenAI-powered capabilities on the platform include vulnerability management, cloud visibility and runtime cloud security posture management (CSPM). Sweet Security announced in March that it had raised $33 million in Series A funding led by Evolution Equity Partners.

Upwind Security

Founded: 2022

CEO: Amiram Shachar

Upwind offers a comprehensive runtime cloud security platform that includes cloud workload protection and cloud detection and response as well as CSPM (cloud security posture management), CIEM (cloud identity entitlement management) and other capabilities. The Upwind platform leverages the company’s “lightweight” eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) sensor technology for identifying anomalous behavior and providing automated protection, the startup has said. In March, Upwind disclosed that its offering is available as an add-on for the Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS). And in December, Upwind announced raising $100 million in new funding led by Craft Ventures.

WitnessAI

Founded: 2023

CEO: Rick Caccia

WitnessAI announced the commercial launch of its Secure AI Enablement Platform in October, which provides security and governance guardrails — such as unified policy control and shadow IT visibility — for third-party GenAI applications. The platform also offers controls for first-party apps powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), such as prompt injection prevention. The launch of the platform followed the announcement in May of WitnessAI’s $27.5 million Series A funding round, led by GV and Ballistic Ventures. In December, the startup disclosed that retired U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone, who was also formerly commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and director of the NSA, has joined its board of directors.