SafeBase Leverages AI to Streamline Software Security Reviews

Entrepreneurs Al Yang and Adar Arnon: A New Force in Cybersecurity

Al Yang and Adar Arnon, who met at Harvard Business School, discovered a shared passion for an increasingly vital field: cybersecurity. “We’ve observed a shifting business landscape that has created an urgent demand for enhanced security processes,” Arnon explained. “The significance of security has surged dramatically … [it’s] an essential requirement for technology buyers.”

Building on their mutual interest, Yang and Arnon launched SafeBase, a company that gained acceptance into Y Combinator's accelerator program during the pandemic.

This week, SafeBase announced a successful $33 million Series B funding round, led by Touring Capital. The company specializes in helping clients efficiently complete security questionnaires—routine assessments that organizations conduct before purchasing software. This process is critical for governance and compliance.

Filling out these security questionnaires can be incredibly tedious, often taking teams anywhere from weeks to months to complete, especially for more complex software solutions. However, Arnon argues that SafeBase streamlines this process through automation and AI technologies.

SafeBase utilizes AI models “specifically trained on security documentation scenarios” to analyze, interpret, and automatically respond to security questions. “[Our platform] simplifies the cumbersome security review process by empowering teams in security, governance, risk and compliance, and revenue,” Arnon stated.

As a self-proclaimed skeptic of AI's reliability, I inquired about the accuracy of SafeBase’s models, noting that AI is often criticized for its inaccuracies. Arnon reassured me, asserting that the platform’s performance is bolstered by a “combination of large and small language models” that enhance “answer coverage.”

Beyond tailored models, SafeBase offers tools that enable organizations to implement “rules-based behavior” for customer access, along with dashboards that provide insights and analytics on their overall security posture.

SafeBase is not alone in this space; other providers like Conveyor, which recently secured $12.5 million, Kintent, and Quilt also offer solutions to automate security questionnaires and reviews. However, Arnon remains confident, likely bolstered by SafeBase's growing customer base, which now exceeds 700, including high-profile clients such as Palantir, LinkedIn, Asana, and Instacart.

“SafeBase experienced remarkable growth in recent years,” Arnon noted. “Customers are enthusiastic about our product, and adoption continues to accelerate. The company is seeing increased visibility throughout its vendor network as more high-volume customers establish trust centers, effectively replacing countless manual security reviews.”

Based in San Francisco, SafeBase currently employs 55 people. The Series B round featured participation from prominent investors, including Zoom Ventures (the corporate venture arm of Zoom), NEA, Y Combinator, Comcast Ventures, and Cerca Partners, along with angel investors like former Salesforce chief trust officer Jim Alkove. With this funding, SafeBase has raised over $50 million in total, and Arnon indicated that a substantial portion will be allocated to expanding their team.