The audit log shows a human employee logged in. The activity that follows is not. This is the core problem Rig Security, an Israeli startup that emerged from stealth last month, is built to solve. Its platform creates a security layer for what it calls the agentic-AI era, designed to identify, monitor, and control AI agents operating through borrowed human or machine credentials [SiliconANGLE, September 2026]. The company announced a $12 million seed round to back its bet that identity protection must now extend to non-human actors [Business Wire, September 2026].
A wedge in agent identity
Rig's product is not a replacement for broad identity and access management suites. Its wedge is narrower and more immediate: securing the rapidly expanding population of AI agents before attempting to overhaul entire legacy systems [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. The platform links human, machine, and AI-agent identities into a unified graph, aiming to detect threats at runtime. A key claimed capability is the ability to distinguish AI-agent activity from the employee's own actions, and to stop the agent without necessarily blocking the human user [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. For security teams, the promise is a single control plane to see and protect all identities, including agents as they operate [Rig Security | Portfolio | Ten Eleven, retrieved 2026].
The team behind the bet
The founding team carries pedigree from some of Israel's most notable cybersecurity exits. CEO Guy Kozliner previously served on the CTO team at cloud security giant Wiz, reporting to co-founder and CTO Ami Luttwak [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. CTO Nokky Goren was the first engineer at Axis Security, which was acquired by HPE. Head of Product Michal Haikov is a Unit 8200 veteran who previously worked at Flow Security, acquired by CrowdStrike [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. This collective background in building and selling security infrastructure informed the company's early focus on production deployments and marketplace strategy.
| Role | Name | Key Prior Experience |
|---|---|---|
| CEO & Founder | Guy Kozliner | CTO Team, Wiz |
| CTO | Nokky Goren | First Engineer, Axis Security (acquired by HPE) |
| Head of Product | Michal Haikov | Unit 8200; Flow Security (acquired by CrowdStrike) |
Early traction and distribution
Rig is not starting from zero. The company reports it is already running in production with Fortune 200 organizations across financial services, insurance, healthcare, and technology [FinSMEs, September 2026]. One named customer is New American Funding, whose employees use AI agents across engineering, marketing, and operations [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. The platform is available through both the AWS Marketplace and the CrowdStrike Marketplace, creating built-in distribution channels [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. The company has grown to a team of 20 employees [Tech Startups, September 2026].
The funding and strategic backers
The $12 million seed round was co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and Brightmind Partners. Strategic participation came from the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund, and the round included personal investment from Wiz co-founder and CTO Ami Luttwak [Business Wire, September 2026]. The investor mix signals a dual focus: pure venture capital for scale, and strategic capital for distribution and product integration. CrowdStrike's involvement as both an investor and a marketplace partner is a notable lock-in.
Seed (Sep 2026) | 12 | M USD
Where the wheels could come off
Rig's bet is compelling, but its path is lined with credible execution risks. The company is entering a market where established identity players are already adding AI-focused features. Its differentiation rests on a deep, runtime understanding of agent behavior, a technical claim that will require continuous validation as AI models and agent capabilities evolve. Furthermore, the sales motion for a new layer of security software, even as a wedge, must prove its ROI against other pressing security budgets. The company's answer to these pressures appears to be its early focus on tangible production deployments and its embedded distribution through major cloud and security marketplaces.
The next twelve months
With capital in hand and initial customers live, Rig's immediate focus is scaling its team and technology. The company is hiring for platform engineering, data engineering, and product roles [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026]. The next milestone to watch is whether the early Fortune 200 deployments convert into expanded enterprise-wide contracts, proving the platform's utility beyond initial pilot use cases. The strategic partnership with CrowdStrike will be tested on its ability to drive customer adoption through its marketplace. For a company that just raised $12 million from Ten Eleven Ventures and Brightmind Partners, the question is no longer about building the product, but about how quickly the market adopts a new category of identity protection built for an agentic world.
Sources
- [SiliconANGLE, September 2026] Rig Security launches with $12M to watch AI agents that run under employees’ accounts | https://siliconangle.com/2026/09/29/rig-security-launches-with-12m-to-watch-ai-agents-that-run-under-employees-accounts/
- [Business Wire, September 2026] Rig Security Emerges From Stealth to Define Identity Protection in the Agentic Era | https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260929825288/en/Rig-Security-Emerges-From-Stealth-to-Define-Identity-Protection-in-the-Agentic-Era
- [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF, September 2026] Company and product details, team bios, customer claims
- [FinSMEs, September 2026] Guy Kozliner Archives | https://www.finsmes.com/tag/guy-kozliner
- [Tech Startups, September 2026] Rig Security emerges from stealth with $12M to secure AI agents using human identities | https://techstartups.com/2026/09/29/rig-security-emerges-from-stealth-with-12m-to-secure-ai-agents-using-human-identities/
- [Rig Security | Portfolio | Ten Eleven, retrieved 2026] Platform description | https://www.teneleven.vc/portfolio/rig-security