Venice Security
A Tel Aviv zero-standing-privilege access startup (formerly Valkyrie) backed by Wiz founders and IVP, positioned against legacy PAM.
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Venice Security (formerly Valkyrie), founded in 2024 and based in Tel Aviv, gives organizations a zero-standing-privilege access platform built for AI-era environments, eliminating permanent access to sensitive systems across cloud, SaaS, on-premises, and machine identities without agents or proxies. It was founded by former Microsoft PM Rotem Lurie and CTO Or Vaknin and positions itself as a modern alternative to legacy PAM vendors like CyberArk.
It is backed by Wiz founders and IVP and reports real traction at Fortune 500 accounts, though it remains at pre-Series B scale.
Innovation Matrix Assessment
Emerged from stealth in Feb 2026 with a working agentless, proxyless PAM platform already deployed at Fortune 500 accounts, per the $33M Series A launch announcement.
Zero standing access model addresses a real operational pain point in privileged access, but deployment breadth beyond early Fortune 500 pilots is unproven at this stage.
Backed by IVP, Index Ventures and Wiz/Axis/Descope founders as angels, with $33M raised in combined seed and Series A funding announced Feb 2026.
Explicitly targets displacing entrenched PAM incumbents like CyberArk with an AI-native, agentless architecture, though the category itself is not new.
Efficacy claims rest on company and investor statements at launch; no independent third-party validation of security outcomes has surfaced yet.
Privileged access for AI agents and machine identities is a growing enterprise priority, giving Venice's positioning durable relevance beyond a single hype cycle.
Why CISOs Should Care
Venice (formerly Valkyrie) gives CISOs a zero-standing-privilege access platform built for AI-era environments, eliminating permanent access to sensitive systems across cloud, SaaS, on-prem, and machine identities without agents or proxies.
What Makes It Different
Founded by former Microsoft PM Rotem Lurie and CTO Or Vaknin, Venice positions itself as a modern alternative to legacy PAM vendors like CyberArk, targeting unified control over human, machine, and AI-agent identities rather than bolting AI access onto older architectures.
The Matrix Verdict
53/100 — INCREMENTAL INNOVATOR
A well-capitalized, high-pedigree early-stage entrant (backed by Wiz founders and IVP) in a hot identity security category; real customer traction at Fortune 500 accounts but still pre-Series B scale.
Editorial Note: Claims vs. Verified Findings
Funding and Fortune 500 customer claims are drawn from the company's own launch announcement and press coverage; independent efficacy data (e.g., red-team validation) is not yet publicly available given the company only exited stealth in February 2026.
Sources
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