Neo Secures $100M to Lead Agentic AI Security Frontier
July 27, 2026, 3:38 pm
Location: United States, California, San Francisco
Employees: 51-200
Founded date: 1911
Neo emerges from stealth with $100 million in funding. The company aims to secure agentic AI software across enterprises. Its real-time control platform delivers crucial visibility and policy enforcement. Traditional security systems often fail against autonomous AI agents. These agents mimic users and access sensitive data. Neo's solution covers AI-enabled applications, browsers, identities, and plugins. It tackles critical security gaps in a rapidly evolving AI landscape. Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners led the substantial investment. This Boston-based firm is poised to define the next generation of AI cybersecurity, protecting businesses from unpredictable AI behaviors and escalating threats.
The digital landscape shifts. Autonomous software now takes center stage. Artificial intelligence agents reason, invoke tools, and execute complex workflows. They use valid user permissions. This power boosts productivity. It also creates profound security challenges. Existing cybersecurity architectures struggle. They were built for predictable applications. They assumed human users. Data movement followed established paths. This old model no longer applies.
Agentic AI changes everything. Software can mimic human behavior. It inherits user permissions. It moves between applications. It appears legitimate to traditional defenses. This new paradigm demands a new security approach. Neo steps into this void. It offers a critical control layer. The company focuses on Agentic Software Control.
Neo’s platform targets this specific security gap. It provides real-time oversight. Security operations teams gain necessary visibility. They get policy controls. This covers a vast array of assets. AI agents fall under its purview. AI-enabled applications are included. Browsers, identities, plugins, and extensions are secured. Even traditional software gaining autonomous capabilities is managed.
The market need is urgent. Agentic capabilities are rapidly integrating into enterprise applications. Gartner projects significant growth. Only 5% of enterprise applications included agentic features in 2025. That figure will soar to 40% by the end of 2026. This exponential adoption creates an immense attack surface. Enterprises require robust defense. Neo provides that defense.
The company delivers five primary capabilities. These functions safeguard modern enterprises. They ensure secure AI adoption.
First, **Software Inventory**. Neo builds a continuous knowledge base. It's called Neoverse. Neoverse maps agentic software. It covers capabilities, risks, and behaviors. This includes AI agents, applications, plugins, and browser extensions. Model Context Protocol servers are tracked. Conventional software becoming autonomous is also inventoried. Security teams know what is running. They understand its potential impact.
Second, **Risk Intelligence**. Neo assesses each application. It identifies what the tool can do. It clarifies which systems or data it can access. It determines if configurations are safe. This information is vital. It helps identify excessive permissions. It highlights capabilities inconsistent with company policies. Organizations can proactively mitigate threats.
Third, **Attribution**. The platform creates a clear audit trail. Every action is logged. Activity is attributed. It pinpoints the responsible human, agent, application, or identity. This is crucial in complex workflows. Multiple AI agents and software tools often collaborate. Security teams need to know who or what initiated an action. Neo provides this clarity.
Fourth, **Policy Enforcement**. Organizations establish precise policies. These govern tool calls. They manage application programming interface (API) access. Data movement is controlled. Agentic workflows are monitored. Controls customize for specific groups. Identities and roles dictate permissions. This ensures compliance and minimizes risk.
Finally, **Native Control**. Neo’s platform blocks risky activity directly. It stops malicious models. It redirects prompts falling outside approved boundaries. This happens without transferring enforcement. It avoids reliance on other security products. This direct action provides immediate protection.
Neo was founded by cybersecurity veterans. Nick Warner serves as CEO. He previously built SentinelOne’s go-to-market organization. He was COO when SentinelOne went public. Shlomi Salem led detection engineering and threat research at SentinelOne for over a decade. Eran Shirazi co-founded EasySend. He also led vulnerability research in the Israel Defense Forces. This team brings deep industry experience.
Their collective experience is critical. They understand the evolving threat landscape. They recognize the limitations of legacy systems. Their platform is purpose-built. It addresses the unique challenges of autonomous software. It secures environments where AI agents mimic users. It protects against inherited permissions and illicit data movement.
The $100 million funding round underscores market confidence. Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners led the investment. Craft Ventures and Merlin Ventures also participated. This capital will fuel expansion. Neo will rapidly scale its engineering teams. Go-to-market efforts will accelerate. The company prepares for widespread enterprise adoption.
Agentic AI promises transformative productivity. It also presents unprecedented security challenges. Neo stands at the forefront of this new era. It offers enterprises the control layer they urgently need. Businesses can embrace AI innovation securely. Neo ensures intelligent software operates within defined boundaries. The future of enterprise security relies on this new control.
The digital landscape shifts. Autonomous software now takes center stage. Artificial intelligence agents reason, invoke tools, and execute complex workflows. They use valid user permissions. This power boosts productivity. It also creates profound security challenges. Existing cybersecurity architectures struggle. They were built for predictable applications. They assumed human users. Data movement followed established paths. This old model no longer applies.
Agentic AI changes everything. Software can mimic human behavior. It inherits user permissions. It moves between applications. It appears legitimate to traditional defenses. This new paradigm demands a new security approach. Neo steps into this void. It offers a critical control layer. The company focuses on Agentic Software Control.
Neo’s platform targets this specific security gap. It provides real-time oversight. Security operations teams gain necessary visibility. They get policy controls. This covers a vast array of assets. AI agents fall under its purview. AI-enabled applications are included. Browsers, identities, plugins, and extensions are secured. Even traditional software gaining autonomous capabilities is managed.
The market need is urgent. Agentic capabilities are rapidly integrating into enterprise applications. Gartner projects significant growth. Only 5% of enterprise applications included agentic features in 2025. That figure will soar to 40% by the end of 2026. This exponential adoption creates an immense attack surface. Enterprises require robust defense. Neo provides that defense.
The company delivers five primary capabilities. These functions safeguard modern enterprises. They ensure secure AI adoption.
First, **Software Inventory**. Neo builds a continuous knowledge base. It's called Neoverse. Neoverse maps agentic software. It covers capabilities, risks, and behaviors. This includes AI agents, applications, plugins, and browser extensions. Model Context Protocol servers are tracked. Conventional software becoming autonomous is also inventoried. Security teams know what is running. They understand its potential impact.
Second, **Risk Intelligence**. Neo assesses each application. It identifies what the tool can do. It clarifies which systems or data it can access. It determines if configurations are safe. This information is vital. It helps identify excessive permissions. It highlights capabilities inconsistent with company policies. Organizations can proactively mitigate threats.
Third, **Attribution**. The platform creates a clear audit trail. Every action is logged. Activity is attributed. It pinpoints the responsible human, agent, application, or identity. This is crucial in complex workflows. Multiple AI agents and software tools often collaborate. Security teams need to know who or what initiated an action. Neo provides this clarity.
Fourth, **Policy Enforcement**. Organizations establish precise policies. These govern tool calls. They manage application programming interface (API) access. Data movement is controlled. Agentic workflows are monitored. Controls customize for specific groups. Identities and roles dictate permissions. This ensures compliance and minimizes risk.
Finally, **Native Control**. Neo’s platform blocks risky activity directly. It stops malicious models. It redirects prompts falling outside approved boundaries. This happens without transferring enforcement. It avoids reliance on other security products. This direct action provides immediate protection.
Neo was founded by cybersecurity veterans. Nick Warner serves as CEO. He previously built SentinelOne’s go-to-market organization. He was COO when SentinelOne went public. Shlomi Salem led detection engineering and threat research at SentinelOne for over a decade. Eran Shirazi co-founded EasySend. He also led vulnerability research in the Israel Defense Forces. This team brings deep industry experience.
Their collective experience is critical. They understand the evolving threat landscape. They recognize the limitations of legacy systems. Their platform is purpose-built. It addresses the unique challenges of autonomous software. It secures environments where AI agents mimic users. It protects against inherited permissions and illicit data movement.
The $100 million funding round underscores market confidence. Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer Venture Partners led the investment. Craft Ventures and Merlin Ventures also participated. This capital will fuel expansion. Neo will rapidly scale its engineering teams. Go-to-market efforts will accelerate. The company prepares for widespread enterprise adoption.
Agentic AI promises transformative productivity. It also presents unprecedented security challenges. Neo stands at the forefront of this new era. It offers enterprises the control layer they urgently need. Businesses can embrace AI innovation securely. Neo ensures intelligent software operates within defined boundaries. The future of enterprise security relies on this new control.