Using no-code approaches to data analytics allows you to process data 5x faster than you would by writing code. Data is an integral part of a growing number of functions within organizations but traditionally there has been a siloed approach that prevents accessibility across various functional departments, limiting collaboration. Facet is a collaborative data analytics platform that allows individuals from all parts of an enterprise to seamlessly integrate data into their decision-making through its interactive front end, without knowledge of code or SQL. Data can sit anywhere on the company’s cloud infrastructure but is accessible to any team within the organization using Facet’s workspace. Facet acquired the technology from ad tech company Metamarkets, so it’s been battle-tested in the ad space but the platform is versatile enough to handle any data in any industry. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO Kevin Weatherman to learn more about the practical applications of the platform, the company’s strategic plans, recent round of funding from investors that include Harrison Metal, Bedrock, Breakpoint Capital, Gokul Rajaram, Slava Rubin, Brian Long, and Andrew Jones.
Enterprise
Twosense Raises $3M for its Biometric Continuous Authentication Platform
When you think about enterprise security, the image of the RSA dongle or hardware token that generates random numbers and looks like a flash drive with a small led screen may come to mind (something you have). That’s one of the three popular elements of multi-factor authentication when it’s combined with a username or password (something you know). The third form of verification that’s growing in popularity is biometric verification like palm scanning, fingerprints, keystroke tracking, retinal scans, facial recognition (something that you are). While the first two types provide entrance through the front door, security erodes as a session grows longer in length. Twosense is a continuous authentication platform that uses invisible biometrics to provide unparalleled security through full sessions – beginning to end, providing heightened endpoint security. The company’s underlying technology creates a risk engine for fraud prevention based on behavioral traits and is versatile enough to be used across a range of industries and the company has deployed its passive biometric authentication platform for the defense industry, healthcare, and the enterprise. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO & Cofounder Dawud Gordon, Ph.D. to learn more about the promise of continuous authentication, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding from investors that include Atypical Ventures, Preface Ventures, Jonathan Cogley, Glasswing Ventures, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, Brand New Matter Ventures, Josh Lospinoso, Marc Weiss, and others.
Cape Privacy Raises $20M for its Platform That Allows Secure Collaboration on Machine Learning Models
Machine learning model development needs to be methodically, with extreme care, in order to yield effective results as unintended consequences can emerge at the various stages of model development. Flexible data ingestion policies allow companies to simplify ML model development by reducing the time needed for the model to teach itself and achieve greater levels of accuracies. However, enterprises are often unable to collaborate on model development as a result of the risk associated with data security in a model developed by multiple stakeholders. Cape Privacy is an encrypted learning platform that allows companies to collaborate on machine learning models without the risk of compromising any proprietary or sensitive data. The data remains encrypted throughout and can be plugged into models seamlessly, allowing data scientists to truly harness the power of machine learning with efficiency and unprecedented speed. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO Che Wijesinghe to learn more about the inspiration for the business, future plans, latest round of funding from investors that include Evolution Equity Partners, Tiger Global Management, Version One Ventures, Haystack, Radical Ventures, Ridgeline Partners, and Boldstart Ventures.
DoControl Raises $10M for its Data Access Control Platform for SaaS Applications
The pandemic has introduced new security demands for enterprises. The average company uses 137 unique SaaS applications on average. Figuring out how increased usage of these applications fits into a company’s security protocol is ends up being a daunting task. DoControl is an automated data access control platform that’s integrated with the most popular SaaS applications like Dropbox, Google Drive, Salesforce, and Zendesk, allowing companies to take control over their various cloud deployments without compromising security. The platform focuses on asset management, security policy enforcement, and bot-based remediation in instances where vulnerabilities have surfaced. Organizations like Bizzabo, Digital Asset, and Lili are already using DoControl’s solution to manage their data exposure. AlleyWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Adam Gavish to learn more about how DoControl fosters business enablement, the company’s strategic plans, latest round of funding from investors that include RTP Global, StageOne Ventures, Cardumen Capital, and CrowdStrike Falcon Fund.
HYPR Raises Another $35M for its Passwordless Multi-Factor Authentication Platform
20-50% of help desk calls are in reference to password resets. 80% of cybersecurity attacks are focused on passwords. 92% of businesses believe passwordless authentication is the future of business. HYPR makes a passwordless future a reality with its multi-factor authentication platform that provides industry-leading security without the hassle of remembering passwords. The company focuses on delivering a better user experience with the convenience of smartphones combined with the security of a smart card. The immense shift to work from home has only further accelerated the need for modern security solutions in a remote world and HYPR has been able to more than triple its ARR since its previous funding in the fall of 2019. AlleyWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO George Avetisov to learn more about the impact the pandemic has on the state of security, the company’s impressive traction, growth plans, and latest round of funding led by Advent International.
SecurityScorecard Raises $180M for its Industry-Leading Cybersecurity Rating Platform
According to IBM, the average cost of a data breach is $4M and as we move into an era where more and organizations are leveraging their data with partner integrations, this risk compounds. Understanding where your organization ranks in terms of security risk is critical as is understanding where your partners stand. SecurityScorecard is a cybersecurity rating platform that provides near-instant analysis of a companies security risk. The platform presently features over 1.8M businesses and plans to cover 20M business by year-end. The rating and analysis provided contextualizes cybersecurity risk so that all parties involved – including vendors and suppliers – can interpret and assess any vulnerabilities within a business operation. AlleyWatch caught up with CEO and Cofounder Aleksandr Yampolskiy to learn more about the company’s impressive traction since the last time we spoke, future plans, and latest round of funding from investors that include Silver Lake Waterman, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Kayne Anderson Rudnick, Fitch Ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Accomplice, Riverwood Capital, Intel Capital, NGP Capital, AXA Venture Partners, GV (Google Ventures), and Boldstart Ventures.
WorkFusion Raises $220M for Enterprise Robotic Process Automation Platform for Regulated Industries
Robotic process automation (RPA) enables businesses to free up their human capital to focus on higher-value tasks by automating repetitive, tedious tasks. These robotic systems also free up IT departments as they do not require any specialized skillset to deploy, end up being cost-effective in the longer term, and more accurate. WorkFusion has built its Intelligent Automation enterprise-level software that allows highly -regulated specialized industries like banking, finance, and healthcare to seamlessly adopt RPA. The bots learn in real-time and this knowledge is shared across WorkFusion’s bot ecosystem with sensitive information stripped out so that all customers benefit from a network learning effect. The company counts companies like Deutsche Bank, Hewlett Packard, Standard Bank, and Humana as customers and these partners have been able to save up to 50% in time and 50% in costs for tasks that WorkFusion has been able to automate. AlleyWatch caught up with President and CEO Alex Lyashok to learn more about the power of combining AI, machine learning, and RPA for the enterprise, the company’s future plans, impressive traction, and latest round of funding led by Georgian.
Arthur Raises $15M for its AI Monitoring Solution to Protect the Integrity of Automated Workflows
The AI software market is expected to grow 54% per annum over the next several years according to Statista. As the evolution of AI continues, challenges do remain especially when it comes to the effects of bias in models. Arthur is a comprehensive monitoring solution, fairness assessment tool, and model management platform that allows firms to gain oversight and control of their machine learning systems. The platform gives companies the confidence that they are scaling with visibility as a simple mistake can become catastrophic as AI-powered models scale. Founded in 2018, Arthur’s technology has been deployed at organizations like Humana, Bloomberg, Truebill, and the US Air Force and the company is growing very fast with revenue up 300% in the last six months alone. AlleyWatch caught up with Cofounder and CEO Adam Wenchel to learn more about the importance of AI monitoring, the company’s future plans, and latest round of financing from investors that include Index Ventures, Acrew, Plexo Capital, Work-Bench, and AME Ventures.
Unqork Pulls in Another $207M for its No-Code Platform to Build Enterprise Solutions
Gary Hoberman spent decades in the world’s largest and most sophisticated companies as a technology leader: CIO at MetLife, MD at Citi and years on Wall Street building technology solutions to business challenges. He kept running into the same barrier. Traditional software development methods – using custom code and accepting all the costs, complexities and delays that come with it – were stifling the business. This led him to found Unqork, the no-code application development platform for building enterprise solutions. Hoberman shares more about the impressive growth in the popularity of no-code platforms, expanding Unqork’s team by 150 in the midst of the pandemic, and the company’s recent $207M funding round from investors that include BlackRock, Eldridge, Fin Venture Capital, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, Sunley House Capital Management, CapitalG, Goldman Sachs, Broadridge Financial Solutions, and Aquiline Technology Growth.
Sonrai Security Raises $20M to Uncover and Map Cloud Platform Security Risks
Brendan Hannigan and Sandy Bird are repeat entrepreneurs. They founded Q1 Labs, a company they started, scaled, and sold to IBM for ~$600M. The duo is now building Sonrai Security, an enterprise identity and data governance platform for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Kubernetes. Hannigan joined AlleyWatch to share more about the company, the process of fundraising, and the company’s recent funding round from investors that include Menlo Ventures, Polaris Partners, and Ten Eleven Ventures.
Grata Raises $3.2M for its Search Engine for Small to Middle Market Private Companies
The pandemic has been a particularly challenging time for business development professionals who have had to find new ways of meeting prospects outside of conferences, in-person meetings, and other traditional methods. Grata has built the first search engine of small and mid-sized companies for recruiting, banking, and private equity professionals. Unlike a traditional Google search or legacy databases, instantly reveals companies by strategic fit, whether that be by what they do, how they’re positioned, or the markets they target. CEO and Cofounder Andrew Bocskocsky shares more about how Grata is transforming prospecting, the company’s seed round from investors that include Bling Capital. Accomplice, and Alumni Ventures Group, and much much more…