Cyberstarts
About Cyberstarts
Israeli seed fund specializing in cybersecurity.
Gili Raanan founded Cyberstarts in 2018. Calcalist reports that General Partners Lior Simon, Emily Heath and Hila Zigman joined him later, along with operating partner Adam Aarons, a former Okta Chief Revenue Officer. The firm's team page also lists Jason Clark, and a third-party directory lists Dor Knafo as a General Partner. Cyberstarts says it has raised more than $1.4 billion across seven funds. The most recent is the $380M Opportunity Fund II, announced in 2025 to give follow-on capital to companies that started with Cyberstarts at seed. Earlier vehicles include a $480M fund for follow-on investments, a $60M fourth seed fund, and a $300M employee liquidity fund. Its best-known exit is Wiz, which Google bought for $32B in a deal reported as closed in March 2026.
Cyberstarts does not run a separate AI fund. It invests only in cybersecurity, so its AI exposure is security for and with AI. The firm works with founders at the earliest stage through a validation process it calls Sunrise, and it draws on a network of CISOs. In June 2026 it led the seed round in NewCore, which builds identity management for AI agents. It is also an investor in Upwind, a cloud security company that describes its platform as AI-driven and that plans to expand its AI security capabilities. The firm has not published which partners lead AI deals.
Cyberstarts focuses on pre-seed and seed, often before a product or team exists. It follows on in its own companies through Opportunity Funds. The firm does not publish check sizes. Third-party estimates differ: NFX Signal lists $100K to $5.0M, F4 lists $1M to $15M, and Peony estimates $2M to $25M or more. Founders should treat these as rough guides only.
- NewCore: AI agent identity management. Cyberstarts led a $66M seed round in 2026, and the Lounge deals desk also lists a led $16M seed round.
- Upwind: runtime cloud security with AI-driven features. Public reports describe a $250M Series B in January 2026 led by Bessemer, with Cyberstarts participating. The Lounge deals desk lists a $300M growth round in September 2026.
- Glow: the Lounge deals desk lists a $100M growth round in July 2026. A third-party tracker lists it as a Series B.
- cyberstarts.com/approach-and-team
- calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hy0hpokhlg
- calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/sju926mlyx
- timesofisrael.com/israels-cyberstarts-launches-300-million-fund-to-hel
- timesofisrael.com/israels-cyberstarts-closes-480m-fund-for-cybersecuri
- f4.fund/firms/cyberstarts
- signal.nfx.com/investors/gili-raanan
- peony.ink/blog/investors-cyber-security
Investing activity
Cyberstarts appears in 5 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $882M, and led 2 of them. The rounds are mostly Growth, Seed and Series C, with a median round size of $100M and the largest at $400M. The most recent are Upwind Security (Series C, $400M, Oct 2026), Upwind Security (Growth, $300M, Sep 2026) and Glow (Growth, $100M, Jul 2026).
Cyberstarts most often invests alongside Bessemer Venture Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Craft Ventures and TCV, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in AI, AI cloud security and Cloud & AI security.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Cyberstarts
Does Cyberstarts invest in AI startups?
Only where AI meets cybersecurity. The firm invests exclusively in cybersecurity, and its recent AI-related deals include NewCore (AI agent identity) and Upwind (AI-driven cloud security).
What stage does Cyberstarts invest at?
Mainly pre-seed and seed, often before a product exists. It also invests later in its own portfolio companies through its Opportunity Funds.
How big are Cyberstarts checks?
The firm does not publish check sizes. Third-party estimates range from $100K up to about $25M or more, depending on the source and whether follow-on investments are counted.
Who founded Cyberstarts and who are its partners?
Gili Raanan founded it in 2018. General Partners include Lior Simon and Hila Zigman, and Emily Heath was named in 2024 press coverage.
How much money has Cyberstarts raised?
The firm says it has more than $1.4 billion across seven funds. These include the $380M Opportunity Fund II, announced in 2025.
What AI companies has Cyberstarts invested in?
Cyberstarts's AI investments include Upwind Security, Glow and NewCore. The 5 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Cyberstarts based?
Cyberstarts is based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Who does Cyberstarts co-invest with?
Cyberstarts's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Bessemer Venture Partners (2 deals), Salesforce Ventures (2 deals), Craft Ventures (2 deals), TCV (2 deals) and Greylock (2 deals).
How can founders reach Cyberstarts?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Cyberstarts's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Cyberstarts to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.