Symmetry Systems Launches AI Security and Governance Platform

Symmetry Systems, the company behind AIGuard, originated in the Spark Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Co-founders Mohit Tiwari, a former cybersecurity professor, and Casen Hunger spun the company out of their research on information flow security, which had received funding from DARPA and the National Science Foundation and involved collaborations with entities like Lockheed Martin and Google. The company has raised a total of $36 million in funding across three rounds. The AIGuard platform is built upon Symmetry's existing DataGuard product, which focuses on Data Security Posture Management (DSPM). This foundation uses a data-and-identity graph with over 400 sensitive data identifiers and 500 semantic data types to map what data AI systems can access and why. This allows AIGuard to address not just AI activity, but the potential blast radius of that activity related to sensitive data. A key focus for AIGuard is governing "agentic AI," treating autonomous AI agents as security principals similar to human employees. The platform inventories these agents, maps their permissions to determine potential reach, and provides workflows to approve or revoke their access. This directly confronts risks like "excessive agency," where an AI is granted too many permissions, creating potential for unintended actions. The launch addresses the rapid, often ungoverned, proliferation of AI within enterprises, a phenomenon known as "shadow AI." AIGuard specifically monitors both sanctioned and unsanctioned use of external LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini by integrating with proxies to see what data is being shared in prompts and whether it violates corporate policy. This capability is critical as employees adopt third-party AI tools without formal approval, creating supply chain and data leakage risks. The AI governance market is projected to grow significantly, with one forecast predicting a rise from $0.9 billion in 2024 to $7.1 billion by 2034. This growth is driven by increasing regulatory pressure, such as the EU's AI Act, and the need for enterprises to manage risks like data poisoning, model theft, and compliance violations. AIGuard enters a market where enterprises are seeking consolidated platforms to manage these complex and evolving AI-specific threats. Symmetry's client base already includes demanding security teams in finance, healthcare, and the U.S. government. The company provides solutions tailored for federal agencies to manage compliance with regulations like FedRAMP and NIST standards, positioning AIGuard to address the specific AI governance needs of public sector and govtech clients.