Israeli Cybersecurity Companies Raised Record-Breaking $814.5M In 2017

January 30, 2018 | Israeli cybersecurity firms raised a record $814.5 million in 81 deals in 2017 both in venture capital funds and private equity, according to a new report on Israel’s cyber sector by Start-Up Nation Central. The sum marked a 28 percent increase from 2016 and makes up 16 percent of the overall cyber investments made worldwide last year. Three large funding rounds — $150 million for Skybox Security, $100 million for Cybereason, $70 million for SentinelOne — account for 40 percent of the total amount raised for 2017. The report, published Tuesday to coincide with the annual cyber conference Cybertech Tel Aviv, recorded 420 active cybersecurity companies in Israel in 2017, up from 379 in 2016. Seventy startups were founded over the course of the year, 20 of them in the IoT sub-sector, according to the report. In addition, 14 Israeli cyber companies made “exits” in 2017, including buy-outs, IPOs and acquisitions. The valuation of the deals for 12 of them totaled $1.4 billion, according to the report, while the remaining two were closed for undisclosed amounts. Notable exits for 2017 included the acquisition of Argus Cyber Security by Germany’s Continental for over $400 million and the acquisitions of Skycure and Fireglass by Symantec for $280 million and $250 million, respectively.