At a glance.
- Sophos to acquire Secureworks for $859 million.
- Socket secures $40 million in Series B funding.
Mergers and acquisitions.
British cybersecurity firm Sophos has agreed to acquire Atlanta, Georgia-based Secureworks for approximately $859 million. The companies stated, "Sophos expects to integrate solutions from both companies into a broader and stronger security portfolio benefiting small, mid- and enterprise customers. This includes Sophos expanding its current portfolio with other new offerings like identity detection and response (ITDR), next-gen SIEM capabilities, operational technology (OT) security, and enhanced vulnerability risk prioritization. As two partner-centric organizations, the combination of Sophos and Secureworks will enable the combined company to expand its market presence to create greater value within the channel and strengthen the overall security community."
New York City-based data security company Cyera has acquired Israeli data loss prevention firm Trail Security for $162 million. The company stated, "The acquisition integrates Trail's advanced DLP capabilities with Cyera’s Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) platform, Cyera’s core product, offering the market’s first Unified Data Security Platform."
Leeds Equity Partners has acquired cybersecurity workforce development training provider OffSec. Leeds stated, "The acquisition of OffSec builds upon Leeds Equity's deep experience and investment track record in vertical training and professional development, as well as IT certifications and cybersecurity data and technology solutions."
Investments and exits.
San Francisco-based software supply chain security firm Socket has secured $40 million in a Series B round led by Abstract Ventures, with participation from angel investors. The company stated, "With fresh capital, Socket plans to accelerate its product development and expand its team. The company is actively hiring for roles in engineering, product, and sales as it scales to meet the growing demand for Socket’s next-gen application security platform."
New York-based deepfake detection startup Reality Defender has raised $33 million in an expanded Series A round led by Illuminate Financial, with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, the Jefferies Family Office, Accenture, and existing investors DCVC, The Partnership Fund for New York City, and Y Combinator. Accenture says it "intends to integrate Reality Defender’s capabilities into its existing deepfake detection and protection offering, including extending it to their call center AI automation solution."
French cyber insurance firm Stoïk has secured €25 million (US$27 million) in a Series B round led by Alven, with participation from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Munich Re Ventures, Opera Tech Ventures, and Anthemis. EU-Startups states, "With this new financing round, Stoïk aims to further solidify its position as a key player in the cyber insurance space for European SMEs. Its immediate focus will be on scaling the distribution of its managed EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) product, Stoïk MDR, through partner brokers. The company also plans to further expand its European footprint, building on its success in Germany and recent office openings in Austria and Monaco."
Irish data science and AI development platform Zerve has raised $7.6 million in a seed round led by Paladin Capital Group, with participation from existing investor Elkstone and angel investors.
Executive moves.
Sevco Security has hired Ken Shelton as Chief Technology Officer and promoted Aaron Griffin to Chief Architect.
Sophos has named Torjus Gylstorff as Chief Revenue Officer and Jon Bove as Senior Vice President of Americas Sales.
Apono has appointed Dan Parelskin as Senior Vice President of Sales and Stephen Lowing as Vice President of Marketing.