Cyera acquires two-year-old Ryft for up to $130M to lock down AI data access
What's the deal? Data security unicornCyera has acquired Israeli startup Ryft in a deal estimated at $100–$130 million. Founded in 2024 and backed by just $8 million in seed funding fromIndex Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners, Ryft built a platform that automates data access, classification, and governance for AI agents. Ryft's CEO Yossi ReitblatDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → will lead Cyera's new AI security division.
Why now? As AI agents proliferate inside enterprises, controlling what data they can access — and how — has become a critical security challenge. Cyera, fresh off a $400 million Series F at a $9 billion valuation, is moving fast: this is its fourth acquisition in five years. Speed to market was the explicit rationale, with Cyera's co-founder noting the company wanted to accelerate entry into AI data governance rather than build from scratch.
What could go wrong? Ryft has just 15 employees and was barely two years old at acquisition — integrating so young a team into a fast-scaling organisation carries execution risk. The deal was also struck under unusual circumstances: terms were reportedly being negotiated as founders ran to bomb shelters on the day war broke out in Israel.
The signal: The $100–$130 million exit on $8 million raised is a striking return, and signals how urgently established security players are scrambling to own the AI governance layer. Cyera's acquisition spree — tripling its valuation in a year while snapping up specialist teams — reflects a broader race to define what enterprise data security looks like in an agentic AI world.
Sources:
CTech
BusinessWire
Tech in Asia
Globes
Image Credit:
Omer Hacohen
A.M.
