Israeli cloud security startup Aqua Security secures $135 million in funding at $1 billion valuation

Aqua Security, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based cybersecurity tech startup that helps enterprises secure their cloud-native, container-based, and serverless applications from development to production, has closed $135 million in Series E funding to become a member of the highly-coveted unicorn club.

The round, which brings the company’s total funding to $265 million, was led by ION Crossover Partners, with participation from Aqua’s existing investors, including M12 – Microsoft’s venture fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Insight Partners, TLV Partners, Greenspring Associates, and Acrew Capital. The latest funding is a sign of investors’ confidence in the 6-year old startup. The new round of investment also follows a period of tremendous growth and will enable the company to broaden and deepen its solution portfolio, as well as expand its presence geographically.

Founded in 2015 by Amir Jerbi and Dror Davidoff, Aqua bridges the gap between DevOps and security, promoting business agility and accelerating digital transformation. Aqua’s Cloud Native Security Platform provides full visibility and security automation across the entire application lifecycle, using a modern zero-touch approach to detect and prevent threats while simplifying regulatory compliance.

Aqua customers include some of the world’s largest financial services, software development, internet, media, hospitality, and retail companies, with implementations across the globe spanning a broad range of cloud providers and on-premise technologies.

“Aqua has demonstrated that they have the strongest products and a compelling vision for how to best secure the modern technology stacks being deployed across the world’s largest enterprises,” said Gili Iohan, General Partner at ION Crossover Partners. “In speaking with Aqua’s customers, it was clear that Aqua has the best platform for Kubernetes and cloud-native security. Its ongoing innovative support for the wide range of multi-cloud environments, and superb customer success, have helped customers accelerate their move to cloud-native platforms. We look forward to working with Aqua to further grow the business to drive global adoption and category dominance.”

“I am proud of what the Aqua team has accomplished in five short years,” said Dror Davidoff, CEO and co-founder of Aqua Security. “We delivered on our vision and have a clear direction forward to provide the best platform for cloud-native security. We’ve shown that our research and development teams are ahead of the market with the launch of innovative products such as Aqua DTA, our new Kubernetes Security Posture Management, and the Aqua CSPM solution. As attacks targeting cloud-native applications are now a fast-growing threat, we are here to empower our customers to protect their investment and secure their future in the cloud.”