Imperva
Data and application security firm founded in Israel as WebCohort by Check Point co-founder Shlomo Kramer; owned by Thales since 2023
| Imperva
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary of Thales |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder(s) | Shlomo Kramer, Mickey Boodaei, Amichai Shulman |
| Industry | Data and application security |
| Parent | Thales (from December 2023) |
Imperva is a data and application security company founded in 2002 as WebCohort by Shlomo Kramer, a co-founder of Check Point Software, with Mickey Boodaei and Amichai Shulman.[1] It was bought by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2019 and sold to the French arms and electronics group Thales in 2023.[2][3]
Founders and military intelligence
WebCohort's first funding came from Accel Partners; Kramer became chief executive.[1] The venture capital firm Greylock wrote that Kramer "first honed his cybersecurity chops while doing his military service in an Israeli army intelligence unit".[4] Globes has reported that Check Point was founded in 1993 by Gil Shwed, Kramer and Marius Nacht, "all of whom had served in the 8200 unit" (Unit 8200).[5] No sourced military background has been found for Boodaei or Shulman.
Ownership
Thoma Bravo's acquisition closed in January 2019, with Imperva's shareholders receiving $55.75 a share in cash and the company delisted from Nasdaq.[2] Globes put the deal at $2.1 billion.[6] On 4 December 2023 Thales announced that it had completed its acquisition of Imperva, which it said made North America its second-largest country of operations.[3]
See also
- Check Point Software Technologies
- Shlomo Kramer
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Imperva, Check Point Software Co-Founder Starts New Security Company – WebCohort, 2002.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Imperva, Thoma Bravo Completes Imperva Acquisition, Imperva, 10 January 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thales, Thales Completes the Acquisition of Imperva, Creating a Global Leader in Cybersecurity, Imperva, 4 December 2023.
- ↑ The godfather of Israeli cybersecurity, Greylock.
- ↑ Assaf Gilead, Check Point names Nadav Zafrir next CEO, Globes, 24 July 2024.
- ↑ Shiri Habib-Valdhorn, Thoma Bravo completes $2.1b Imperva acquisition, Globes, 13 January 2019.