Native Emerges from Stealth with Significant Funding
Native, a cloud security control platform focused on integrating security directly into cloud architecture, has officially launched with a total funding of $42 million. This impressive amount includes a $31 million Series A round, which was spearheaded by Ballistic Ventures, alongside continued backing from earlier investors such as General Catalyst, YL Ventures, and Merlin Ventures.
Board Expansion with Industry Veteran
Phil Venables, the former chief information security officer at Google Cloud, has joined Native’s board of directors, bolstering the company’s leadership with significant industry expertise. Venables’ experience is expected to guide Native as it navigates the complexities of cloud security in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Transforming Cloud Security Management
Native’s platform is engineered to convert security intentions into enforceable, secure cloud architecture that adapts continuously across major cloud providers, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. This proactive approach eliminates the need for additional monitoring layers, facilitating a streamlined enforcement of security policies across environments.
Innovative Features for Effective Deployment
The platform incorporates several advanced features, including pre-deployment impact simulations, intelligent rollout strategies, and built-in approval workflows designed to minimize disruptions during business operations. This ensures that security teams can maintain operational speed while securely managing their cloud environments.
Addressing the Cloud Security Gap
This funding arrives at a critical juncture when organizations face an increasing disparity between cloud security strategies and what can be realistically managed at scale. As adversaries increasingly harness AI to expedite attacks, the importance of Native’s preventive solutions becomes all the more pronounced. Mandiant, a cybersecurity firm, has reported that average time-to-exploit vulnerabilities reached zero days in 2024, signifying the urgent need for effective security measures.
Leadership Insights on Cloud Security
According to Native co-founder and CEO Amit Megiddo, the disparity between the security controls provided by cloud providers and their effective utilization by enterprises is significant. Native aims to empower security teams to define their security policies and ensure these are enforced universally, fostering alignment even as cloud environments evolve. “When security is integrated into the infrastructure, it permits the business to operate swiftly within a secure framework,” Megiddo stated.
Investors Acknowledge the Need for Change
Phil Venables also emphasized the changing dynamics in cloud security, noting that the focus is shifting from merely identifying problems to swiftly enforcing robust architectures. This evolution requires platforms capable of translating intentions into real, provider-native enforcement while keeping pace with the rapid evolution of business environments. Additionally, other investors, such as YL Ventures’ Ofer Schreiber and Merlin Ventures’ Shay Michel, highlighted that the traditional reactive detection methods can no longer suffice in this landscape. The consensus is clear: a unified enforcement layer is essential for secure, scalable cloud infrastructure.