Israeli cloud-security startup Upwind has raised $250 million in a Series B round, lifting its valuation above $1 billion and taking its total funding to $430 million since launch.
The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with Picture Capital participating, alongside existing backers including Cyberstarts, Greylock, Leaders Fund, Craft Ventures, TCV, Alta Park, Cerca Partners, Swish Partners, and Stephen Curry’s Penny Jar Capital.
Why investors are leaning in now
Upwind’s pitch is built around what it calls “runtime-first” cloud security, a direct response to how fast cloud environments change in real time. “Cloud infrastructures have evolved far faster than the security models designed to protect them,” said Amiram Shachar, Upwind’s CEO and co-founder, adding that protecting cloud systems in the AI era needs “a fundamentally different method with a runtime-first approach”.
The company is positioning itself inside the fast-growing CNAPP (cloud-native application protection platform) segment. The report notes that the CNAPP market is (as per the source) expected to grow at an annual rate of 28%, as enterprises move deeper into AI-powered cloud architectures.
It also highlights the central problem Upwind is trying to solve: traditional models that rely on “static snapshots and posture signals” can’t keep pace with dynamic environments and often flood teams with alerts that don’t clearly map to real threats.
Growth claims Upwind is attaching to this round
Upwind says it has seen rapid momentum since its previous $100 million round roughly a year ago, reporting a 900% increase in revenue and a 200% rise in its customer base . The platform is currently used by major companies including Siemens, Peloton, Roku and NuBank.
On product impact, Upwind claims it helps security teams reduce their alert load by up to 98%, freeing them to focus on “meaningful risks” . Shahar also argues the runtime-first model is designed to cut noise and surface real risks, emphasizing real-time data analysis inside the cloud environment, rather than processing vast volumes of data after the fact.
What backers are saying?
Cyberstarts founder Gili Raanan framed the milestone as a signal that Upwind is aiming to “drive a meaningful change in cloud security,” calling it the seventh unicorn to emerge from Cyberstarts.
Bessemer partner Elliot Robinson, who led the round, said the firm was drawn to the category’s scale and speed, describing cloud security as “one of the largest and fastest growing segments in cybersecurity”.
He pointed to Upwind’s “runtime-first approach” and “focus on signal over noise,” adding that Bessemer is “very proud to partner” as Upwind builds a runtime-first cloud security platform for the next generation of enterprises.
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