Even as software evolves towards user-friendly interfaces, the underlying security mechanisms have become increasingly intricate—particularly for medium-to-large enterprises that depend on software for their operations.
While many organizations strive for a "security by design" methodology—where security considerations are integral to every update or system change—experienced infosec teams often struggle to grasp their entire system and the implications of necessary adjustments, such as firewall updates.
Prime Security, an Israeli-founded startup, aims to address this challenge with its beta release of an AI-driven platform. This system monitors the entirety of your network and application stack, proactively identifying risks and suggesting actionable solutions that are categorized as “Analyze,” “Monitor,” or “Intervene,” enabling security teams to prioritize tasks effortlessly.
The company has secured $6 million in seed funding led by Foundation Capital, along with contributions from Flybridge Capital Partners and notable angel investors.
Michael Nov, CEO and co-founder of Prime Security, highlighted a prevalent issue in software-dependent industries: delays caused by late-stage security interventions. “Product velocity is fully dependent on product security,” Nov explained during a recent video interview. "I often heard developers say, ‘I’m stuck in security,’ making security appear to be the bottleneck."
Integrating Security in the Design Phase
Prime Security’s product aims to embed security into the design phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Utilizing advanced AI models trained on synthetic data, the platform helps teams identify, prioritize, and mitigate security risks before writing any code. This proactive approach minimizes vulnerabilities, allowing organizations to build security best practices into their products from the start.
“We established Prime after I missed a deadline due to security concerns,” Nov revealed. “The issue stemmed from an absence of proactive security measures in the design phase.”
Now in private beta, the product removes friction between security and engineering teams by integrating with tools like Jira and Confluence, providing real-time security recommendations directly to developers.
Seed Funding for Expansion
The recently acquired funding will fuel Prime Security’s research and development initiatives, as well as enhance its sales and engineering capabilities. Operating out of New York and Tel Aviv, the company plans to utilize this investment to further develop its AI-driven platform.
Key Features of the Product
Prime Security’s platform emphasizes the following critical areas:
- Security Gaps in Product Architecture: Detects issues such as authorization mistakes, unencrypted sensitive data, and improper access control.
- Design Stage Security Violations: Identifies risks like unauthorized external entities and unrestricted network access.
- Audit and Compliance Violations: Addresses concerns regarding unauthorized data transfers and incomplete security policies.
By incorporating these features, Prime Security encourages organizations to adopt a proactive security stance. Nov pointed out, “Why pay bug bounties if the issues can be resolved at inception? Solve potential problems efficiently.”
Differentiation in a Competitive Landscape
Prime Security distinguishes itself from competitors like Apiiro, Remy Security, and Snyk by offering actionable recommendations, rather than just risk identification. “Security teams want solutions, not just alerts,” Nov emphasized.
While other firms like Snyk have partnered for design-stage solutions, they often overlook early-risk detection, focusing instead on later stages of development.
Prime plans to align with industry initiatives, including the Secure by Design pledge from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Acknowledging Industry Trends
The integration of security in the design phase is increasingly recognized, especially as regulatory bodies advocate for secure-by-design principles. However, scaling security efforts within large organizations remains challenging. “There’s one security professional for every 150 developers,” Nov noted. “Our clients find that we help them prevent issues and scale their security efforts without increasing their workforce.”
Future Prospects
With strong investor backing and a clear market gap for early-stage security solutions, Prime Security is poised to make a significant impact. Sid Trivedi, a partner at Foundation Capital, remarked on Prime's potential to transform traditional security practices through AI-enhanced product design.
Now available in private beta, Prime Security is actively working on expanding its features to better assist organizations in managing security challenges from the outset of the software development process.
Ranking
