Israeli cybersecurity startup Way Security has raised $20 million in a funding round co-led by Insight Partners and Glilot Capital, as the company looks to address one of the enterprise security industry's most persistent challenges: the costly and often unsuccessful implementation of identity and access management (IAM) systems.
The company, founded by cybersecurity veterans Yossi Barishev and Yonatan Rosenberg, has developed an AI-powered platform designed to automate much of the operational work required to deploy and maintain IAM systems. Rather than replacing existing identity platforms, Way Security aims to help organizations get more value from the software they already use by reducing their dependence on consultants and lengthy implementation projects.
Way Security team
(Photo: Geva Talmor)
Identity management has become increasingly central to enterprise cybersecurity as organizations move more applications and services to the cloud and traditional network boundaries disappear. At the same time, cyberattacks increasingly target user identities and credentials instead of infrastructure.
Despite the strategic importance of IAM, implementation remains a major obstacle. Large enterprise projects often take years to complete, cost millions of dollars and require extensive customization and ongoing professional services. Industry observers note that implementation and operational costs frequently exceed the price of the software itself.
Way Security's founders argue that this imbalance has become an accepted part of the market.
"IAM is the only space in cyber where overspending and under-delivering is an acceptable reality," said Barishev, the company's CEO. "The more time we spent doing IAM, the more we realized the industry had normalized mediocrity and almost given up trying to solve some of its biggest challenges."
The company's platform uses AI agents to automate many of the repetitive tasks traditionally handled by consultants, systems integrators and internal engineering teams. Those tasks include deploying identity controls, enforcing lifecycle management and managing access policies across complex enterprise environments.
According to Way Security, the platform works alongside existing identity providers and governance systems rather than requiring organizations to migrate to new software.
The founders bring experience from both consulting and enterprise security leadership roles, having advised Fortune 500 companies on identity governance and cybersecurity. Rosenberg also served in Israel's elite military intelligence Unit 8200, where he gained experience in offensive cyber operations.
Investors say the company's focus reflects a broader shift in enterprise security priorities.
"Identity is one of the most critical layers of enterprise security, yet organizations still struggle to operationalize their investments efficiently," said Jeff Horing, co-founder and managing director of Insight Partners. "Way Security is addressing a large and persistent gap between IAM software and real-world execution."
Nofar Amikam, managing partner at Glilot Capital, said the firm viewed the company as targeting a market that extends beyond identity software itself because organizations spend heavily on implementation and ongoing operational services.
While Way Security did not disclose revenue figures, it said it is already working with Fortune 500 companies as well as organizations in the healthcare and financial sectors.
The new funding will be used to expand the company's presence in the United States and continue developing its AI-based identity operations platform.
Founded in Israel, Way Security focuses on extending identity management capabilities to applications that lack support for modern identity standards, including legacy and internally developed software. The company says this enables organizations to apply security controls such as single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and access governance more consistently across their technology environments.