Pangolin

Cover Block

Name	Pangolin
Tagline	Identity-aware VPN and proxy for remote access to private networks
Headquarters	San Francisco, CA, USA
Founded	2025
Stage	Seed
Business Model	Open Source / Commercial
Industry	Security
Technology	Software (Non-AI)
Geography	North America
Growth Profile	Venture Scale
Founding Team	Co-Founders (2)
Funding Label	Undisclosed

Links

• Website: https://pangolin.net
• GitHub: https://github.com/fosrl/pangolin
• Y Combinator: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/pangolin

Executive Summary

Pangolin is an open-source remote access platform that uses WireGuard to provide secure tunnels and clientless browser access to private infrastructure [Y Combinator, 2025]. Founded in 2025 by Milo Schwartz and Owen Schwartz, the company emerged from Y Combinator with an undisclosed seed round, positioning itself as a challenger to established players like Cloudflare and Zscaler by emphasizing on-premises deployment and zero-trust principles [Fondo, 2025]. The core product differentiates by layering identity and access controls onto a proven tunneling protocol, aiming to serve IT, operational technology, and edge computing environments [pangolin.net, 2025]. The business model follows an open-core path, with the core platform freely available and a managed hosting service offered through a partner, Elest.io, starting at $14 per month [Elest.io, 2025].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from company and YC materials; funding details and team backgrounds lack independent corroboration.

How the Company Got Here

Pangolin was founded in 2025 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California [Y Combinator, 2025]. Its founding story centers on providing an open-source, self-hosted alternative to established cloud-based tunnel services [Fondo, 2025]. The company participated in Y Combinator [Y Combinator, 2025]. Its product was launched publicly, with a GitHub repository and documentation site established the same year [GitHub, 2025] [Pangolin Docs, 2025]. A third-party managed hosting option became available through Elest.io [Elest.io, 2025]. As of early 2026, the company is actively hiring for founding engineering roles [Y Combinator Jobs, 2026] [Pangolin Docs, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Company details confirmed via Y Combinator listing and company website; founding timeline and milestones are self-reported.

Product and Technology

Pangolin's product is an open-source platform built on WireGuard to provide secure tunnels for remote access to private networks [Y Combinator, 2025]. The company positions this as a direct alternative to tools like Cloudflare Tunnels and Ngrok, with a core differentiator being identity-aware access control baked into the connection layer [Fondo, 2025]. The platform offers two primary access methods: a traditional VPN client or a clientless browser for accessing specific web applications [Y Combinator, 2025]. A key feature is the self-hosting capability, which allows deployment in a cloud-hybrid or fully on-premises configuration [pangolin.net, 2025]. The technology stack includes Go [Y Combinator Jobs, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product claims are consistent across the company's website and Y Combinator listing, but detailed technical specifications and performance benchmarks are not publicly available.

Where the Demand Sits

The worldwide ZTNA market was projected to reach $2.1 billion in 2023, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 31% through 2026 [Gartner, 2023]. Demand is anchored by the expansion of operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT), and edge computing, alongside the rise of developer self-service [Fondo, 2025].

Metric	Value
ZTNA Market 2023	2.1 $B
Projected CAGR 2023-2026	31 %

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is based on an analogous category report from a major analyst firm; company-specific SAM/SOM is not disclosed.

Competitive Landscape

Company	Positioning	Stage / Funding	Notable Differentiator	Source
Pangolin	Open-source, identity-aware VPN/proxy for self-hosted remote access.	Seed (2025), Y Combinator.	Full self-hosting with optional cloud coordination for high availability.	[Y Combinator, 2025] [pangolin.net, 2025]
Cloudflare Tunnels	Cloud-based, zero-trust network access (ZTNA) as part of Cloudflare One.	Public company (NET).	Deep integration with global CDN, DNS, and DDoS protection services.	[Y Combinator, 2025]
Zscaler ZPA	Cloud-native zero-trust platform for enterprise application access.	Public company (ZS).	Purpose-built for large-scale enterprise security and IT policy enforcement.	[Y Combinator, 2025]
Ngrok	Developer-focused ingress platform for exposing local servers.	Venture-backed.	Simplicity and developer experience for quick, secure sharing of dev environments.	[Y Combinator, 2025]

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitor identification sourced from company materials; competitor details are public knowledge.

Opportunity

Pangolin's opportunity lies in capturing a share of the market for secure remote access and zero-trust network architecture by becoming the default self-hosted infrastructure for secure, identity-aware connectivity [Fondo, 2025].

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Open-source standard for hybrid IT	Pangolin's software becomes the de facto method for exposing internal services in enterprises with hybrid cloud footprints.	A major cloud provider or DevOps platform integrates or endorses Pangolin.	The product is designed for cloud-hybrid or fully on-premises deployment [Pangolin, 2025]. Managed hosting via Elest.io demonstrates early ecosystem support [Elest.io, 2025].
OT/Edge infrastructure wedge	The company gains deep adoption in operational technology (OT) and industrial IoT.	A publicly disclosed deployment with a major industrial or manufacturing firm.	The company's materials target IT/OT and edge environments [Perplexity Sonar PRO Brief, 2025]. Community guides document setups for homelab and VPS-to-home tunneling [RamNode, 2026].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Opportunity framing relies on company-stated positioning and comparable market outcomes.

Sources

1. [Y Combinator, 2025] Pangolin: Identity-aware VPN and proxy for remote access to anything, anywhere. | https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/pangolin
2. [Fondo, 2025] Pangolin launches | https://fondo.com/blog/pangolin-launches
3. [pangolin.net, 2025] Pangolin | https://pangolin.net
4. [Elest.io, 2025] Pangolin | https://elest.io/open-source/pangolin
5. [GitHub, 2025] fosrl/pangolin | https://github.com/fosrl/pangolin
6. [Pangolin Docs, 2025] Introduction to Pangolin | https://docs.pangolin.net
7. [Y Combinator Jobs, 2026] Founding Engineer at Pangolin | Y Combinator | https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/pangolin/jobs/7DeBchl-founding-engineer
8. [Pangolin Docs, 2026] Join Us! - Pangolin Docs | https://docs.pangolin.net/careers/join-us
9. [Gartner, 2023] Market Guide for Zero Trust Network Access | https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/4583243
10. [RamNode, 2026] Part 1: Pangolin Setup, VPS-to-Home Tunnels | Zero-Trust Homelab | https://ramnode.com/guides/series/zero-trust-homelab/pangolin-setup
11. [Reddit, 2026] r/PangolinReverseProxy on Reddit: I tried putting Pangolin's WireGuard site config on my home router | https://www.reddit.com/r/PangolinReverseProxy/comments/1nmvb3o/i_tried_putting_pangolins_wireguard_site_config/
12. [TechCrunch, 2023] Tailscale raises $100M at a $1.3B valuation for its zero config corporate VPN | https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/31/tailscale-raises-100m-at-a-1-3b-valuation-for-its-zero-config-corporate-vpn/