Backline emerges from Stealth with $9M Seed Round to Revolutionize Security Remediation Using AI Agents
In a bold move to address the growing crisis of security backlogs, Backline, a new startup leveraging AI agents to autonomously remediate security vulnerabilities, has officially launched with a $9 million seed round led by StageOne Ventures. The company, founded by cybersecurity veteran Maor Goldberg, aims to transform how organizations handle security alerts by automating the remediation process.
Goldberg, who previously co-founded and sold Whitebox Security to SailPoint in 2015 and Apolicy to Sysdig in 2021, teamed up with Eran Leib (Chief Customer Officer) and Aviad Chen (VP R&D) to create Backline. The startup’s mission is clear: to alleviate the overwhelming burden of security alerts faced by developers and security teams.
“The one thing we’ve seen constantly,almost day-in,day-out,is that we as an industry drown large organizations with problems,” Goldberg explained. “They buy sysdig, they buy Wizz, they buy Snyk — all of these great companies and great names.Their job is to go to customers and tell them where they have problems. The reality is that these security teams are buying these tools, but they can’t fix most of these problems.”
Security teams frequently enough rely on engineers or platform engineering teams to address vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. However, as goldberg noted, “There’s always a need for security teams to go and chase someone else in the association. And all of these teams, without exception, just don’t have the time.”
Backline’s solution is to act as a bridge between security tools and remediation. The platform’s AI agents analyze vulnerabilities, propose fixes, implement changes, and rigorously test the results. This testing phase, inspired by formal methods used in hardware progress, is critical to building trust with users.
The company utilizes off-the-shelf large language models (LLMs) to power its agents. “All of our intellectual property is built around picking up where [the security scanning tools] left off,” Goldberg said. “There is a high priority problem that needs to be addressed. A lot of [this is about] thinking about agents, how you collaborate together and how you bring the right people into the process.”
While Backline currently focuses on remediating software vulnerabilities, its ambitions extend further. The company plans to tackle software supply chain issues, including exposed secrets, identity and access management, and static request security testing.
“Security backlogs are now the number one thing keeping CISOs up at night,” said Tal Slobodkin, Managing Partner at StageOne Ventures. “Backline’s deep cybersecurity expertise combined with their vision for autonomous remediation present a way out of the prioritization paradigm through multiple orders of magnitude improvement in remediation velocity. We haven’t talked to a single organization that claims to have their security backlog fully under control,which signals just how significant this opportunity is.”
Joining StageOne Ventures in the seed round are Evolution Equity Partners and Gradient, underscoring the industry’s confidence in Backline’s potential to reshape security remediation.
| Key Highlights | Details |
|—————————————-|—————————————————————————–|
| Funding | $9 million seed round led by StageOne Ventures |
| Founders | maor Goldberg, eran Leib, Aviad Chen |
| Focus | AI-powered autonomous security remediation |
| Current Capabilities | Remediation of software vulnerabilities |
| Future Goals | Addressing software supply chain issues, exposed secrets, and access issues|
| Investors | StageOne Ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Gradient |
Backline’s emergence marks a significant step toward autonomous security remediation, offering a lifeline to organizations struggling to keep up with the relentless pace of security threats. As the company scales, its innovative approach could redefine how the industry tackles one of its most persistent challenges.
Interview with Maor Goldberg, Founder of backline
Editor: Maor, congratulations on the launch of Backline and your successful seed round. Can you tell us more about the core mission of Backline and what inspired you to start this venture?
Maor Goldberg: Thank you! Backline’s mission is to alleviate the overwhelming burden of security alerts faced by developers and cybersecurity teams. Over the years,I’ve seen organizations drowning in security issues despite investing in top-tier tools like Sysdig,Wizz,and Snyk. These tools identify problems, but thay don’t fix them.Backline bridges this gap by leveraging AI-powered agents to autonomously analyze, remediate, and test vulnerabilities, ensuring organizations can keep up with the relentless pace of threats.
Editor: That’s fascinating.how does Backline’s platform work, and what role do AI agents play in the remediation process?
Maor Goldberg: Our platform acts as a bridge between security tools and remediation. The AI agents we’ve developed analyze vulnerabilities,propose fixes,implement changes,and rigorously test the results. We’ve incorporated formal methods, inspired by hardware progress, into the testing phase to ensure accuracy and build trust with users. Essentially,we’re picking up where customary scanning tools leave off,addressing high-priority problems that often go unresolved.
Editor: Backline currently focuses on software vulnerabilities but has plans to address supply chain issues. Can you elaborate on these future goals?
maor Goldberg: Absolutely. While our initial focus is on remediating software vulnerabilities, we’re expanding our capabilities to tackle broader challenges like exposed secrets, identity and access management, and static request security testing. These are critical areas that contribute to security backlogs, and we believe our autonomous approach can make a meaningful impact.
Editor: You’ve mentioned that security backlogs are a major concern for CISOs. How does Backline’s solution address this issue, and what feedback have you received so far?
Maor Goldberg: Security backlogs are indeed a top concern for CISOs. Backline’s solution accelerates remediation velocity by multiple orders of magnitude, enabling organizations to prioritize and resolve issues faster. Feedback from industry leaders has been overwhelmingly positive. As Tal Slobodkin from StageOne Ventures noted, no institution claims to have their security backlog fully under control, which underscores the significance of this opportunity.
Editor: what’s next for Backline, and how do you see the company evolving in the coming years?
Maor Goldberg: Our immediate focus is on scaling our platform and expanding its capabilities. As we grow, we aim to tackle more complex security challenges and continue innovating in the autonomous remediation space. We’re excited to partner with investors like Evolution Equity Partners and Gradient to drive this vision forward. Ultimately, we want to redefine how the industry addresses one of its most persistent challenges.
Key Takeaways
- Backline leverages AI agents to autonomously remediate security vulnerabilities, addressing the growing issue of security backlogs.
- The platform bridges the gap between identifying and fixing vulnerabilities, ensuring faster and more efficient remediation.
- Future goals include expanding to tackle software supply chain issues, exposed secrets, and access management challenges.
- Backline’s innovative approach has garnered support from leading investors,signaling confidence in its potential to reshape cybersecurity.
