Co-founders of Cybereason Introduce a new AI venture and secure $36 million in seed money

Yonatan Striem-Amit, who cofounded Seven AI with Lior Div after leaving Cybereason last year, stated, “The time has come to equip defenders with the same cutting-edge technology, as attackers are using AI to unleash unprecedented levels of cyber assaults.”
Two of the founders of Cybereason, Lior Div and Yonatan Striem-Amit, have started a new venture with Seven AI, their newest cyber business. The pair is prepared to take on the cyber world anew after leaving Cybereason, a business that once hailed as a promising cyber unicorn but has since suffered difficulties like restructuring and layoffs.

Founded in secret in Boston at the end of 2023, Seven AI didn’t make headlines until last week, when a Wall Street Journal piece brought it to light. Greylock Partners led an astounding $36 million in seed funding for the firm, which was augmented by CRV and Spark Capital, two early supporters of Cybereason. Even though the company didn’t have a physical product at the time, Div disclosed that its valuation had already topped $100 million. Sales have not yet begun, although development got underway in February.

The goal of Seven AI is to develop a generative AI-based Security Operations Center (SOC) system of the future. Since attackers are using AI to launch previously unheard-of levels of cyberattacks, it is imperative that defenders have access to the same state-of-the-art equipment. Striem-Amit posted on LinkedIn, “Our goal is simple: to equip these defenders with AI and turn the tide in the cybersecurity war.”

Cybereason, which was poised to go public in 2021, has subsequently experienced a 90% decline in valuation, the resignation of its CEO, the layoff of hundreds of workers, and an effective takeover by its primary backer, SoftBank. After financing $325 million at a $3.1 billion valuation, Cybereason planned to go public in 2021 at a valuation of as much as $5 billion. Since then, though, not much has gone as planned; earlier this year, the company conducted its third round of layoffs, eliminating dozens of jobs.