From Teen Hacker to Iron Dome Innovator: How This Entrepreneur Secured $28M to Combat AI-Driven Phishing Threats

Shay Shwartz possesses a profound knowledge of email phishing dangers. As a teenager, he explored hacking; however, after being apprehended at 16, he recognized he could leverage his cyber skills to defend against attacks rather than execute them.

He subsequently committed nearly ten years to reputable cybersecurity positions, spearheading significant projects for Israel’s leading defense and intelligence agencies, including his participation in the Iron Dome initiative, before joining Axis, a startup that was later purchased by HPE.

Throughout this time, he aspired to launch his own startup, and two years ago, that aspiration became a reality.

His company, Ocean, is a forward-thinking email security platform designed to combat AI-generated threats, and it has recently come out of stealth mode with $28 million in funding. The funding round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with additional backing from Picture Capital and Cerca Partners. Notable angel investors also took part, including Assaf Rappaport, co-founder and CEO of Wiz, as well as Yevgeny Dibrov and Nadir Izrael, co-founders of Armis, which was recently acquired by ServiceNow for $7.75 billion.

While established names like Proofpoint and Mimecast, along with newer players like Abnormal Security, tackle conventional phishing schemes, Shwartz (pictured here with co-founder and CTO Oran Moyal) asserts that AI necessitates a distinct defensive strategy.

Traditionally, only exceptionally skilled hackers could successfully execute spear-phishing campaigns due to the substantial time, research, and manual effort required for custom attacks.

“AI has simplified the entire process, significantly enhancing its potential,” Shwartz conveyed to TechCrunch. “I can instruct a large language model to aggregate detailed information about you, compile vast amounts of public data, and generate phishing attempts specifically designed for you.”

Ocean claims its AI can meticulously assess the context of each incoming email to identify fraudulent activities and impersonation tactics.

Presently, the startup evaluates billions of emails monthly for clients such as Kayak, Kingston Technology, and Headspace.

Shwartz mentioned that Ocean has crafted a small language model capable of swiftly analyzing emails, grasping the sender’s intent, and contextualizing it within the specific organizational setting.

“It’s akin to having a guard at every entry point,” Shwartz stated. “That’s how we maintain a secure and tidy inbox environment.”