Perception Point
Israeli email and collaboration security company founded in 2015 by Unit 8200 veterans and backed by former Unit 8200 commander Pinhas Buchris; bought by Fortinet in 2024
| Perception Point
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Perception Point logo |
| Type | Acquired by Fortinet (December 2024) |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder(s) | Yevgeny Pats, Shlomi Levin, Michael Aminov |
| Headquarters | Israel |
| Industry | Cyber security |
| Services | Protection of email, browsers, cloud storage and collaboration apps against content-based attacks (now FortiMail Workspace Security) |
| Parent | Fortinet |
Perception Point was an Israeli cyber-security company that protected email, cloud-storage, browser and collaboration tools against malicious content. It was founded in 2015 by Yevgeny Pats, Shlomi Levin and Michael Aminov, who, according to Globes, "worked together in the IDF's elite intelligence section, Unit 8200" (Unit 8200).[1] Its first investor was State of Mind Ventures, the fund of Pinhas Buchris, a former commander of Unit 8200 and former director-general of the Ministry of Defense.[1] The US security company Fortinet bought it in December 2024, for about $100 million according to Calcalist.[2]
History
In November 2015 Perception Point raised $2 million from State of Mind Ventures (SOMV), the fund of Pinhas Buchris, and Yuval Baharav, formerly of Sequoia Capital Israel. Globes wrote that Buchris's investment "represents a fitting closure, as the three trained in a select course created by the SOMV founder". It reported that the founders had all worked at companies sold in recent exits: Pats at Hyperwise (sold to Check Point), Levin at Cyvera (sold to Palo Alto Networks) and Aminov at CyActive (sold to PayPal).[1]
In April 2021 the company raised $28 million in a Series B round led by Red Dot Capital Partners, with NGP Capital, Pitango Venture Capital and State of Mind Ventures, bringing its total funding to $48 million. Its chief executive was then Yoram Salinger, formerly chief executive of Redband, and it had 40 employees, most of them in Israel. Yoram Oron and Atad Peled of Red Dot and Bo Ilsoe of NGP joined its board.[3]
On 11 December 2024 Fortinet said that it had completed the purchase of Perception Point.[4] Ctech reported that the company had raised about $75 million and that the price was estimated at "just $100 million", calling it "a lukewarm exit".[2] The former company website now redirects to Fortinet's "FortiMail Workspace Security" product.[5]
Founders and military service
- Globes reported in 2015 that "Pats, Levin, and Aminov worked together in the IDF's elite intelligence section, Unit 8200" (Unit 8200; Intelligence Corps).[1] Ctech later described Aminov and Levin as having "served in the technological unit of the Israeli military's Intelligence Corps" and as "alumni of the Israeli Defense Forces' Intelligence Corps technology unit".[3][2]
- Pinhas Buchris, investor: described by Globes as "a former commander of the distinguished unit" and former director-general of the Ministry of Defense.[1]
See also
- Unit 8200
- Pinhas Buchris
- Fortinet
- Cyber and tech firms founded by ex Unit 8200 or occupation forces veterans
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Roy Goldenberg, Cyber security co Perception Point raises $2m Globes, 4 November 2015, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Meir Orbach, Fortinet buys Perception Point for $100M: A lukewarm exit for Israeli cyber startup Ctech, 12 December 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Meir Orbach, Perception Point raises $28 million to grow Prevention-as-a-Service solution Ctech, 21 April 2021, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Fortinet, Fortinet Acquires Perception Point Fortinet, 11 December 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ↑ Fortinet, FortiMail Workspace Security Fortinet, accessed 10 November 2026.