AI-powered security startup Orchid Security emerges from stealth with $36M in funding led by Intel Capital and Team8

Orchid Security, an identity security startup focused on protecting customer identities as AI technology advances, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $36 million in seed funding. The early-stage funding round marks the company’s emergence from a year of operating in secrecy, often referred to as “stealth mode.”

The funding was led by Intel Capital and Team8, with additional backing from CapitalOne and other investors. The funds will be used to accelerate Orchid’s growth and refine its identity management solutions, which leverage large language models (LLMs) to address complex challenges in identity systems.

Orchid Security was founded by a team of AI and cybersecurity experts: CEO Roy Katmor, Robert Weisman, and Ido Kelson. The platform aims to simplify and secure identity management across enterprise environments by utilizing LLMs to handle the intricacies of modern identity systems.

Before Orchid, Katmor served as General Manager and VP of Endpoint Security at Fortinet after Fortinet acquired enSilo, a company he founded and led as CEO for over five years. EnSilo specialized in real-time automated endpoint security and was backed by LightSpeed Ventures. Katmor’s resume also includes key roles at Akamai, Imperva, Trustwave, and SAP.

Orchid Security’s $36 Million Seed Funding

As the focus shifts to safeguarding customer identities against the growing risks associated with AI, Orchid’s $36 million seed funding underscores investor confidence in its identity security platform, which uses large language models (LLMs) to streamline and secure complex enterprise systems.

Headquartered in New York with R&D operations in Israel, Orchid’s platform supports enterprises by reducing costs and improving compliance across their digital ecosystems. The solution continuously discovers self-hosted and SaaS applications evaluates their identity controls, and addresses gaps—all from a single dashboard. This approach minimizes the need for extensive manual effort or recording applications.

The company has already secured partnerships with major firms in industries such as finance, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. Current clients include Fortune 100 companies like Costco and Repsol.

Jon Raper, Costco’s Chief Information Security Officer, highlighted the platform’s impact: “Our objective with Orchid is to transform our largely (90%) manual process of onboarding applications—which can take weeks after release—into one that is highly (90%) automated and accomplished in just days. Orchid greatly improves our speed to delivery for business units.”

The Broader Context

Identity verification remains a critical process for organizations, ensuring individuals engaging with businesses are who they claim to be. Orchid’s innovative approach is designed to simplify and enhance this verification process.

Israel continues to assert its dominance in the cybersecurity sector. While cybersecurity startups account for 7% of Israeli tech firms, they raised nearly $4 billion in 2024, representing 36% of the total funds raised by startups in the country. Orchid’s dual presence in New York and Israel places it at the intersection of two major tech hubs, with access to talent and resources that bolster its potential for long-term success.