Cylake Emerges with $45M AI Cybersecurity Seed
Sunnyvale-based Cylake emerged from stealth with a $45 million seed round led by Greylock, exemplifying the move toward "AI-native" cybersecurity. Their platform automates threat detection and response, further proving that cybersecurity remains a core vertical for verticalized AI. This shows sizable early-stage checks are still available for technical teams.
Cylake was co-founded by Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu, and Ehud (Udi) Shamir. Zuk previously founded Palo Alto Networks in 2005 and served as its CTO for over two decades. Xu spent over a decade at Palo Alto Networks, leading engineering teams. Shamir co-founded SentinelOne in 2013. The company aims to provide a cloud-independent platform, allowing organizations to maintain control over their data. Cylake's platform is designed for highly regulated organizations requiring full data sovereignty and on-premises protection. Commercial availability of the product is expected in early 2027. Greylock, which led the seed round, also backed Zuk's previous venture, Palo Alto Networks, starting from a desk at Greylock in 2005. Asheem Chandna, a partner at Greylock, noted that AI and autonomous systems are increasingly important in cybersecurity. Cylake's focus is on a market segment where security must operate under full control. The cybersecurity landscape is seeing increased investment in AI-driven solutions. Global VC spending in cybersecurity reached $13.97 billion across 392 funding rounds in 2025. This represents a 47% increase from $9.5 billion in 2024.
