Upwind Security
Israeli-founded cloud-security company set up in 2022 by Amiram Shachar, a former officer in the IDF's Mamram computer unit; valued at $3.8 billion in 2026
| Upwind Security
| |
|---|---|
| Trade name | Upwind |
| Logo |  Upwind logo |
| Type | Private company |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Founder(s) | Amiram Shachar, Liran Polak, Lavi Ferdman, Tal Zuri |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California (according to TechCrunch) |
| Industry | Cyber security |
| Services | Cloud security platform (runtime protection, cloud detection and response, vulnerability management, identity and container security) |
| Homepage | upwind.io |
Upwind Security (Upwind) is a cloud-security company founded in 2022 by Amiram Shachar, who had previously founded Spot.io, and three of his partners from that company. Ctech describes it as an Israeli company and reports that Shachar "served for six years as an officer in the IDF's Mamram unit, where he managed the military's data center infrastructure" (Israel Defense Forces; Mamram).[1] TechCrunch calls it "a San Francisco startup". In October 2026 it raised $400 million at a valuation of $3.8 billion after turning down an acquisition offer from Datadog.[2]
Founders and military service
According to Ctech, Upwind was founded in 2022 by its chief executive, Amiram Shachar, "along with his founding partners from Spot.io (acquired by NetApp for $450 million in 2020): Liran Polak, Lavi Ferdman, and Tal Zuri" (Liran Polak, Lavi Ferdman, Tal Zuri; NetApp).[1]
Ctech describes Shachar as "Upwind's founder and most prominent figure" and reports: "He served for six years as an officer in the IDF's Mamram unit, where he managed the military's data center infrastructure and led the first implementation of virtualization technologies, including VMware, within the IDF." Mamram is the computer unit of the Israel Defense Forces. In 2015 Shachar founded Spot.io (originally Spotinst), which NetApp bought in 2020 for $450 million; he then served as a vice-president and general manager at NetApp.[1]
Funding
In January 2026 Upwind announced a $250 million Series B round at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Ctech reported that its previous round, in late 2024, had raised $100 million at an estimated valuation of $800–900 million, and that in July 2025 it had been reported to be in talks to be acquired by Datadog for about $1 billion. The company listed Siemens, Peloton, Roku and NuBank among its customers.[1]
On 28 October 2026 TechCrunch reported that Upwind had raised a $400 million Series C at a $3.8 billion valuation, led by Bessemer with Greylock Partners and Craft Ventures. Citing "a person familiar with Upwind", it said that the round nearly fell apart after Datadog tried to buy the company, but that Datadog "didn't offer a premium above the $3.8 billion valuation set by venture capital investors", so Upwind decided to stay independent.[2]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Meir Orbach, Cyber startup Upwind joins unicorn club with $250 million Series B at $1.5 billion valuation Ctech, 26 January 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Marina Temkin, Upwind raises $400M after walking away from Datadog acquisition offer TechCrunch, 28 October 2026, accessed 10 November 2026.