Cyber unicorn Upwind acquires nine-month-old Aegis for tens of millions
The Israeli cloud security company is folding the startup into a new AI security lab focused on protecting AI agents and AI-driven workflows.
Upwind, the Israeli cybersecurity unicorn developing a cloud infrastructure security platform, is acquiring Israeli cyber startup Aegis in a stock-based deal valued at tens of millions of dollars, just nine months after Aegis was founded.
Following the acquisition, Upwind is establishing Upwind AI Labs for Cybersecurity, a new R&D operation focused on emerging cyber threats targeting AI systems and on developing defensive capabilities for organizations deploying AI agents and AI-driven workflows.
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Amiram Shachar (right) alongside Aegis founders Omri Limor and Saar Ankonina.
(Photo: Omer Gueta)
The deal comes just weeks after Upwind raised $300 million at a valuation of approximately $3.8 billion, more than doubling its valuation from the $1.5 billion it commanded when it raised $250 million in January.
Aegis was founded by Omri Limor and Saar Ankonina, both veterans of Unit 8200 who began their careers together in the unit’s offensive cyber operations. After completing their military service, the two founded Aegis to address security challenges emerging from the deployment of AI infrastructure, with a particular focus on protecting AI agents.
Aegis subsequently entered into a strategic partnership with Upwind. After several months of working together, Upwind decided to acquire the company and integrate its technology and team into its own platform.
Limor and Ankonina will lead the new AI lab. The lab will combine Aegis’s technology and research with Upwind’s existing cloud security capabilities, with a focus on identifying new attack techniques, scanning for and detecting threats, and developing security tools for AI environments.
The lab initially comprises 12 developers and researchers from Aegis and Upwind. The company plans to expand the team to approximately 25 employees within three months and eventually to around 35.
The acquisition represents a further expansion of Upwind’s focus from securing conventional cloud infrastructure toward the security challenges created by AI systems and autonomous agents.
Upwind was founded in 2022 by CEO Amiram Shachar and his partners from Spot.io, a cloud software company that was acquired by NetApp for $450 million. The company’s technology analyzes threats in cloud environments in real time rather than relying primarily on retrospective static scans, allowing security teams to prioritize risks and reduce false-positive alerts.
Upwind recently appointed Omer Grossman, the former commander of Mamram and a senior executive at CyberArk, as its chief business officer.
The company has raised more than $700 million since its founding. Its investors include Bessemer Venture Partners and TCV, which led its latest funding round, as well as Cyberstarts, Sarka, Swish, Picture Capital, Greylock, Craft Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and Penny Jar Capital.
