AIR raises $50M to help companies vet the skills and add-ons AI agents use
techcrunch ·
AI security startup AIR emerged from stealth with $50 million raised across two seed rounds to help companies monitor and secure the tools and add-ons used by AI agents. Founded by Yair Saban and Niv Hoffman, veterans of Israel's Unit 8200, the company offers a platform that discovers agents running inside companies, continuously vets their skills and components, and blocks those that fail security criteria. The first seed round raised $10 million led by Sequoia, while the second raised $40 million led by Greenoaks, with participation from several angel investors. AIR argues that as AI agents operate more autonomously, attackers can poison the content agents consume, so it provides visibility, enforcement, and a whitelist of approved tools. The startup claims it filters out about 27% of add-ons and skills it evaluates and has more than 20 customers, with strong demand in financial services and pharmaceuticals. It faces competition from companies like Noma Security, Zenity, Astrix Security, and Operant AI, but CEO Saban believes its continuous vetting capability is a strong moat. The new funding will be used primarily to hire researchers and expand go-to-market efforts in the U.S. and Europe.
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