AI security unicorn Cyera acquires two-year-old startup Ryft in $100-$130 million deal
Ryft, founded in 2024, raised $8 million before the deal and has built tools for automated data access and governance in AI environments.
Data security company Cyera announced on Thursday the acquisition of Israeli startup Ryft, which enables organizations to manage their data in an automated and secure manner to support the adoption of AI systems and autonomous agents. The companies did not disclose the purchase price, but it is estimated to be between $100 million and $130 million. The acquired company raised only $8 million, making the return on the deal significant for both the company and its investors.
Ryft was founded in 2024 by Yossi Reitblat (CEO), Yuval Yogev (CTO), and Guy Gadon (VP R&D). The company developed a data management platform tailored to the era of AI agents, enabling organizations to access data efficiently, quickly, and securely. Its platform automatically analyzes all data access across an organization, by both humans and AI agents, and automates authorization, classification, and data optimization processes. To date, the company has raised $8 million in a Seed round led by Index Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. Its customers include global organizations such as Sonos, Unity, and Voodoo.
Ryft currently employs around 15 people, most of them based in Israel. Following the acquisition, Reitblat will lead the AI security division at Cyera, and the Ryft team will join Cyera’s AI security group as part of building a leading team of experts in AI, data, and data security.
“We were not planning to sell and were not actively seeking a buyer,” Reitblat told Calcalist. “We had strong momentum, but Cyera approached us before a significant fundraising round. The war disrupted that process. Tamar [Bar-Ilan, Cyera CTO] came to Israel, and given our long-standing relationship from our days in Unit 8200, discussions about collaboration quickly evolved into acquisition talks. The offer came on the day the war started, we were literally discussing terms while running to shelters. Despite the circumstances, this is a significant deal that reflects the strong momentum of both companies. I will lead Cyera’s AI division following the acquisition.”
“The value of a company is not measured by headcount or the amount it has raised, it is a strategic matter,” said Yonatan Itai, co-founder and VP R&D at Cyera. “Ryft brings deep technological expertise in a highly relevant area, solving one of the most critical challenges in enabling secure AI adoption. This is a domain we aimed to accelerate over the coming year, and speed to market was essential. This acquisition gives us that opportunity. There is strong technological alignment between the platforms, and we plan to integrate and build upon what they have developed. We are continuing to grow and hire in this space while also exploring additional acquisitions of high-quality teams. We have made similar moves in the past to accelerate entry into new domains, and we expect the same here.”
The acquisition comes amid Cyera’s rapid growth as one of the leading companies in data security. A few months ago, the company completed a $400 million Series F funding round at a valuation of $9 billion, bringing its total funding to more than $1.7 billion. In just one year, Cyera tripled its valuation and completed four acquisitions in five years, positioning itself among the fastest-growing cyber companies globally.
