Cybersecurity continues to be top of mind for IT professionals between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and record-breaking breaches. Investors are pouring billions of venture capital dollars into cybersecurity startups helping companies secure their operations.
“It is clear that the cloud digital transformation coupled by sophisticated attacks/bad actors is fueling a golden age for the cybersecurity sector looking ahead,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note last week.
The Seattle region is home to many cybersecurity startups that provide solutions ranging from blocking spam calls to real-time Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) monitoring. Scroll down to see a full list of these startups and other companies with a large presence in the area.
The Identity Theft Resource Center reported 23% more data breaches in 2021. Crunchbase reported that cybersecurity companies globally raised $21.8 billion in venture capital during 2021 following major breaches such as JBS Foods and SolarWinds.
These figures precede the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, which heightened the potential for security incidents on critical infrastructure. The Biden administration reiterated the potential for cybersecurity attacks last week based on “evolving intelligence” prior to a press briefing with Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology.
“If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defenses immediately by implementing the best practices we have developed together over the last year,” Biden said in a statement.
The ramifications of incidents in cyberspace to affect critical infrastructure (such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware breach in 2021) make the potential for an attack more personal and critical for individuals and enterprises alike to boost their online security.
Although advanced persistent threats (APTs), or nation-state actors, have the most advanced tools to launch devastating attacks in cyberspace, ransomware continues to grow in prominence among criminal organizations. The rise of business models as ransomware as a service (RaaS) grants anyone the ability to launch attacks against victims for as little as $40 per month.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars were paid in ransoms by U.S. companies just last year against criminal activity happening in the U.S. today,” Neuberger said. “Every single day, there should be a call to action.”
Everyone can fall victim to a major incident, including enterprises with some of the most rigorous compliance standards. Last week Microsoft confirmed it was hacked by Lapsus$ group, whose members include youth from Brazil and the United Kingdom. Seven people were arrested (including a teenager in Oxford) for hacks that also targeted major companies such as Samsung and Okta.
We’ve listed Seattle-area cybersecurity startups below, along with other companies that have a sizable presence in the area. We included companies that were acquired but still operate a standalone business. Consulting services businesses were not included. This is an active list, and we know there are more startups in the region. Email us at tips@geekwire.com with suggestions to add a company.
Auth0 (acquired in 2021)
Founded: 2013
Location: Bellevue, Wash.
What they do: Identity authentication tech that includes services like single sign-on, two-factor authentication, password-free login capabilities, and the ability to detect password breaches.
CEO: Eugenio Pace, who formerly ran the patterns and practices group at Microsoft
Related coverage: Auth0 CEO Eugenio Pace on the $6.5 billion deal with Okta and his advice for entrepreneurs
Founded: 1996
Location: Seattle
What they do: Secures cloud services by streamlining authorization across all platforms through authorization as a service.
CEO: Jason Needham, co-founder of CloudCoreo and senior director of multi-cloud security for VMware after it acquired CloudCoreo.
Related coverage: Seattle startup Cloudentity raises $13M to expand identity and authorization tech
Founded: 2012
Location: Seattle
What they do: Provides real-time incident response and security solutions for enterprises with a team of Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts.
CEO: Garrett Silver, who previously the CEO-in-residence at Madrona Venture Labs and a member of the Sharebuilder 401K board of directors.
Related coverage: Seattle cybersecurity startup Critical Informatics raises $9.6M and changes name to CI Security
Founded: 2014
Location: Seattle (R&D center)
What they do: Provides tailored solutions for financial institutions (such as cyberfraud and real-time detection).
CEO: Steve Soukup, who has more than 20 years of sales leadership in companies such as Intuit.
Related coverage: With $6M in fresh funds, new DefenseStorm CEO is ready to take on cybersecurity
DomainTools (acquired in 2020)
Founded: 2004
Location: Seattle
What they do: Sells a bevy of products including a domain and DNS threat intelligence platform; a domain risk assessment tool; a phishing domain discovery tool; and an API service.
CEO: Tim Chen, a longtime tech exec who joined in 2009.
Related coverage: Battery Ventures makes majority investment in Seattle enterprise security startup DomainTools
ExtraHop (acquired in 2021)
Founded: 2007
Location: Seattle
What they do: Cloud detection and incident response platform that uses machine learning to take action against security incidents.
CEO: Patrick Dennis, former CEO of Guidance Software with prior executive roles at Oracle and EMC.
Related coverage: ExtraHop names new CEO in planned transition following private equity acquisition
Founded: 1996
Location: Seattle
What they do: Provides software-as-a-service security solutions such as BIG-IP, which filters protocol and application traffic.
CEO: François Locoh-Donou, who has over two decades of experience in tech leadership.
Related coverage: Applications everywhere: F5 Networks’ CEO on the surprising evolution of apps and the cloud – GeekWire
Founded: 2016
Location: Seattle
What they do: Identifies caller ID to help consumers recognize and block spam calls and vishing (voice phishing) attempts.
CEO: Alex Algard, founder of Hiya who spun out the company from Whitepages, which he founded in 1996.
Related coverage: Spam smackdown: Hiya claims ‘massive step forward’ using AI against illegal phone calls
NetMotion (acquired in 2021)
Founded: 2001
Location: Seattle
What they do: Helps employees access resources from devices both on premises or remotely in the cloud.
Related coverage: Absolute Software to buy Seattle-based NetMotion for $340M
Founded: 2009
Location: Redmond, Wash. (engineering center)
What they do: Password manager that creates unique, complex passwords for all of your accounts so you only need to remember one master password.
Related coverage: Enterprise security startup OneLogin raises $22.5M, opens Seattle-area engineering office
Founded: 2015
Location: Bellevue, Wash.
What they do: Provides zero-trust software solutions such as polymorph on operating systems like Linux to harden machine defenses.
CEO: Alexander Gounares, who held prior leadership roles at AOL and other tech companies.
Related coverage: Seattle-area cybersecurity startup Polyverse raises $16M
Founded: 2020
Location: Seattle
What they do: Provides industry-standard compliance certifications such as SOC 2, HIPPA, and ISO 27001.
CEO: Justin Beals, co-founder of Strike Graph with almost 25 years of tech sector leadership experience.
Related coverage: Seattle compliance automation startup Strike Graph raises $8M to fuel growth and expand services
Founded: 2017
Location: Seattle (CEO based in Seattle, along with other executives)
What they do: Uses offensive tools of the trade to test and improve enterprise security.
CEO: David McGuire, a University of Washington alumni who has more than 20 years of experience in industry leadership and U.S. Marine cybersecurity roles.
Founded: 2007
Location: Kirkland, Wash.
What they do: Provides endpoint management solutions on the cloud to help enterprises manage assets, clients, and threats in real-time
CEO: Orion Hindawi, co-founder of Tanium with 18 years of experience at BigFix managing endpoint security.
Related coverage: Cybersecurity giant Tanium scores $150 million, following HQ move to Seattle area
Founded: 2014
Location: Lynnwood, Wash.
What they do: Focuses on securing critical networks through a solution that protects assets by limiting access to assets on a principle of zero trust.
CEO: Keith Beeman, general manager at Microsoft for almost 20 years prior to joining Tempered as chief financial officer and chief operations officer.
Related coverage: Led by F5 founder, Seattle cybersecurity startup Tempered Networks raises $17M
Founded: 1996
Location: Seattle
What they do: Provides a range of network and security services, such as multi-factor authentication.
CEO: Prakash Panjwani, who previously served as CEO and president at SafeNet prior to his role at WatchGuard.
Related coverage: Seattle-based WatchGuard to acquire endpoint protection provider Panda Security
