The joint Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator from CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA just unveiled its 2026 cohort, signaling a major industry focus on AI-native security solutions. Thirty-five companies are joining the eight-week program, which runs through March 2026, zeroing in on the critical intersection of AI, cloud infrastructure, and next-generation threat defense. This is where security budgets are clearly heading.
The accelerator’s focus areas—cloud-native security, identity-first architectures, and agentic AI—directly mirror the current rebuilding phase of enterprise security stacks. Startups like Above Security and Pluto Security are building defenses designed from the ground up for AWS and Kubernetes, tackling cloud workload protection and posture management with AI at the core. This isn't about bolting on AI; it's about native integration at cloud scale.
A significant trend emerging from the cohort is the move toward security copilots and autonomous workflows. Companies such as Drift Security and Simbian AI aren't aiming to rip and replace existing SIEMs or cloud tools. Instead, they are deploying foundation models and agents to drastically compress the detection, investigation, and response lifecycle—turning hours-long triage processes into near-instantaneous machine-led oversight. This shift from manual security work to supervisory roles is powered by agentic AI.
The Identity Perimeter Redefined
Identity is no longer just an access point; it’s the new perimeter, and the accelerator reflects this with a strong contingent of identity-first players. Startups like Jazz Security and QIZ Security are embedding continuous verification and access intelligence directly into enterprise layers. They recognize that modern attacks exploit OAuth, API keys, and third-party SaaS integrations, treating these connections as the primary attack surface.
Furthermore, the cohort highlights the convergence of data security and identity control planes, often assisted by AI observability tools. This move away from endpoint-centric defense toward data and integration-centric controls is crucial for securing complex, multi-tenant SaaS environments.
NVIDIA’s influence is palpable, particularly around agentic AI—which the company views as the next evolution of enterprise automation. Many cohort members are expected to leverage NVIDIA Inception resources and frameworks like Morpheus to build AI agents capable of autonomously inspecting environments, correlating threats, and orchestrating remediation across sprawling cloud estates. For these early-stage founders, access to NVIDIA’s accelerated compute stack significantly shortens the time needed to move from prototype to production-ready AI security products.
This accelerator functions as a powerful ecosystem flywheel. By aligning startups with the platforms of CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA, it provides mentorship and co-marketing muscle. The program’s credibility is already established, evidenced by previous cohorts generating acquisitions and significant funding rounds. The final pitch day at RSA Conference in March 2026 will effectively serve as a high-signal marketplace for CISOs and investors scouting the next wave of AI cybersecurity startups shaping enterprise defense.
Founded in 2025; part of the CrowdStrike/AWS/NVIDIA 2026 Accelerator. They focus on advanced threat detection and AI-driven defense mechanisms.
Founded in 2025; raised €150 million in equity financing from Altor, Kinnevik, and Temasek. They specialize in clean energy-tech security and residential heating electrification.
Founded by Josh Gray and William Shi; raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding led by Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. They automate data cleaning and preparation to protect data integrity.
Founded in 2025; selected for the 2026 Cybersecurity Startup Accelerator. They focus on identity-first defenses and cloud security.
Founded by Sunil Gottumukkala and Vishal Agarwal in 2024; raised $10.5 million in Seed funding led by Voyager Capital and Salesforce Ventures. They provide an AI platform for vulnerability management and remediation.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator cohort. They specialize in securing decentralized data and cloud environments.
Founded in 2025; joined the 2026 Accelerator to advance identity-first security solutions. They focus on protecting complex enterprise identity environments.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They provide automated security operations and threat response systems.
Founded by Or Latovitz, Amit Nir, and Nadav Geva in 2025; raised $9 million in Seed funding led by Redpoint Ventures and TLV Partners. They use agentic AI to tackle cyber exposure and vulnerability triaging.
Founded by Jeffrey Chan and Jason Rebholz in 2025; currently operating as an unfunded startup in Austin. They provide an AI security platform to discover and secure agentic AI risks.
Founded by Raz Rotenberg and Ofir Yakovian in 2025; raised $8 million in Seed funding from Norwest and Merlin Ventures. They developed an AI-native identity platform for human and non-human (bot) identities.
Founded in 2025; received initial backing from Antler. They focus on AI-driven threat intelligence and automated defense.
Founded by Henry Comfort and Benji Weber in 2025; raised $6.5 million in Seed funding co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and General Catalyst. They provide a platform to govern and secure the adoption of agentic AI.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator cohort. They specialize in AI-native security architectures for large-scale enterprise deployments.
Led by CEO Micha Rave in 2025; raised $11 million in Seed funding led by Battery Ventures and YL Ventures. They provide a "secretless" platform to secure machine identities and AI agents.
Founded in 2025; selected for the 2026 Accelerator. They focus on securing decentralized networks and blockchain-based credentials.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They provide identity-centric security solutions for distributed teams.
Founded in 2025; joined the 2026 Accelerator cohort. They focus on cloud-native protection and autonomous security monitoring.
Founded by Asaf Wiener, Oren Saban, and Guy Pergal in 2025; raised $15.5 million in Seed funding from Team8 and Insight Partners. They use AI agents to automate Security Operations Center (SOC) investigations.
Founded in France; raised $4.2 million in Seed funding from Inovia Capital and G+D Ventures. They provide software-based network detection and response (NDR) for hybrid systems.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They specialize in credit-based security financing and resource protection.
Founded in 2017 but reached Unicorn status in late 2024/2025; raised $106 million Series C led by Reinvent Capital. They provide autonomous robotic solutions with integrated AI security for e-commerce.
Founded by Barak Perelman and Ido Trivizki in 2024; raised $20 million in Seed funding led by YL Ventures and Mayfield Fund. They provide an AI-native identity and access management (IAM) platform.
Founded in 2025; raised $4.1 million in Seed funding led by Rhino Ventures and Born Capital. They focus on securing cloud infrastructure and automated risk mitigation.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They focus on identity-first defenses and the next generation of AI-driven security.
Founded by Venkatesan Anandaraj in 2023 (Raven Mail); raised $552k in Seed funding by 2025. They provide enterprise cloud email security and data loss prevention for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Founded in 2025; raised an undisclosed Seed round from SaaS Ventures and Overline. They develop an autonomous defense platform using agentic AI to hunt and remediate threats.
Founded by Alankrit Chona and Ambuj Kumar in 2023; raised $10 million in Seed funding in 2024/2025 led by Cota Capital. They provide an AI security operations platform using autonomous agent technology.
Founded by Casey Bleeker and Randy Birdsall in 2023; raised $5.2 million in Seed funding led by Uncork Capital. They provide a GenAI governance platform to ensure secure usage of AI within enterprises.
Founded by Joel Bauman and Steven Erickson in 2023; raised $4 million in Seed funding led by SYN Ventures and Okta. They offer an "Integration as a Service" platform for security and infrastructure products.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They focus on real-time visibility and AI-based engagement security.
Founded in 2025; joined the 2026 Accelerator cohort. They focus on advanced computer vision and physical-to-digital security integration.
Founded in 2025; part of the 2026 Accelerator. They provide high-fidelity security monitoring and visualization for cloud assets.
Founded in 2025; selected for the 2026 Accelerator. They focus on AI-driven threat intelligence and predictive risk analysis.
