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Okta buys AI security startup Permiso; source says for about $200M. 9:09 AM PDT · July 30, 2026 Okta on Thursday agreed to acquire AI identity security startup Permiso Security, betting that demand for protecting AI agents and other machine identities will grow as enterprises deploy autonomous software across their operations. The identity management company did not disclose the terms of the transaction. But TechCrunch has learned that the acquisition is valued at just under $200 million and is structured as an almost all-cash deal, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. A spokesperson for Okta did not dispute the figure when asked by TechCrunch, but would not comment on specifics of the deal terms. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of its fiscal 2027, Okta said, subject to customary closing conditions. Okta's move to buy Permiso comes as identity management companies seek to expand beyond verifying users at login to continuously monitoring what users, applications, and AI agents do once gaining authorized access to a network environment. That shift has intensified competition to secure machine identities as enterprises embed AI deeper into everyday operations. Permiso, which emerged from stealth in 2022, develops software that helps security teams spot suspicious activity in cloud environments after users or applications have been granted access. More recently, the startup has expanded its platform to monitor AI agents and other machine identities. Co-founded by former FireEye executives Paul Nguyen and Jason Martin, Permiso specializes in detecting attacks that use stolen or compromised identities to move through cloud infrastructure. In April, the startup also introduced SandyClaw, a platform designed to analyze AI agent skills in a sandboxed environment to identify malicious behavior before they are deployed. The deal strengthens Okta's push into securing AI agents and other non-human identities alongside its core identity management business. "Permiso will extend Okta's identity security fabric with proven identity threat detection and response capabilities, and an incredible threat research and security team that will advance Okta's threat detection and prevention capabilities," Okta's chief product officer Ely Kahn said in a prepared statement. Permiso has raised about $29 million to date, including an $18.5 million Series A round in April 2024 led by Altimeter Capital. People familiar with the financing said the Series A valued the Palo Alto-based startup at about $80 million on a post-money basis. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn't affect our editorial independence. Jagmeet Singh Jagmeet covers startups, tech policy-related updates, and all other major tech-centric developments from India for TechCrunch. He previously worked as a principal correspondent at NDTV. October 13 - 15 San Francisco Scale faster. Grow your portfolio. Gain practical expertise. No matter your goal, Disrupt can empower you. Save up to $330 today!

Bloom Security launches with $20M seed to secure the ai-native endpoint. FinanceWire Jul. 30, 2026, 07:10 AM New York, USA, July 30th, 2026, FinanceWire The enterprise endpoint is undergoing a fundamental shift as AI agents, browser extensions, MCP servers and code packages become part of everyday work. While companies have spent years building defenses around traditional endpoints, the software running on employee devices is becoming more dynamic, decentralized and difficult for security teams to track. Bloom Security is entering that market with a $20 million seed round led by Glilot Capital Partners and Ten Eleven Ventures (1011vc), with participation from Okta Ventures and Runtime Ventures. Axios first reported about the company's launch and funding. The Tel Aviv-based startup is emerging from stealth with a focus on securing what it describes as the AI-native endpoint, where traditional endpoint security controls may not provide enough visibility into the tools and software employees are using. The Endpoint Is Becoming More Complex For years, endpoint security largely centered on managed devices and the detection of malware, malicious processes and suspicious executables. The rise of AI-powered software is changing that environment, with employees increasingly using tools that can install extensions, connect to external services or interact with sensitive data. "In the AI era, the employee device is no longer just a managed endpoint," said Itay Keren, Co-Founder and CEO of Bloom Security. "Every endpoint is now running software no one reviewed, connecting to services no one provisioned." That creates a broader category of risks that may not fit neatly into conventional endpoint detection and response systems. A misconfigured AI agent, a plugin with excessive permissions, a screen recorder or a code library from an untrusted source can all introduce potential exposure, even when the software itself is not classified as malware. "As AI adoption accelerated, it became clear that existing endpoint controls were not designed for this new reality," Keren added. "Security teams need a way to understand, govern, and control modern tools without disrupting how employees work." Moving Beyond Traditional Endpoint Visibility Bloom Security's platform is designed to provide organizations with visibility into software running across their endpoints, including tools, browser extensions and code. It also examines how those components interact with data and systems, while analyzing supply-chain risks, configurations and permissions. The company's approach is based on the idea that endpoint risk cannot always be determined by looking at an individual application in isolation. The same software may present different levels of risk depending on who is using it, what data they can access and what other tools are active on the device. "The same tool can be completely acceptable on one endpoint and high-risk on another," said Ofir Balassiano, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Bloom Security. "Risk depends on context: the user's role, their access to sensitive data, the other tools operating on that endpoint, their configurations, and how everything interacts. Bloom Security was designed to evaluate that context in real time." The platform also extends beyond visibility into enforcement and remediation. According to the company, security teams can block risky installations before they reach employee endpoints, enforce secure configurations and remediate risks without relying on manual approval workflows. A Team Built Around Enterprise Security Bloom Security's founding team has experience building security products at companies that include Palo Alto Networks, Dig Security and Demisto. Keren previously held engineering and sales engineering leadership roles at Palo Alto Networks, Dig Security and Demisto, while Balassiano led the Cortex Cloud Posture Security research group at Palo Alto Networks. Chief Technology Officer Itay Frishman previously built AISPM and DSPM solutions at Palo Alto Networks and Dig Security. The company currently has 30 employees, many of whom previously worked together at Dig Security. "While this is technically our first company as founders, our team has built and integrated category-defining products before," said Itay Frishman, Co-Founder and CTO. "We understand how enterprise security environments operate, and we built Bloom Security specifically for the reality of how endpoints are used today." Bloom Security said its platform is already deployed at dozens of large enterprises across the United States and Europe. The company's latest funding will support its effort to address a growing security challenge: giving organizations more visibility and control over the expanding software layer that now sits on employee endpoints as AI adoption accelerates. Contact. TVC Analyst [email protected] Sponsored Financial Content

Okta wins 2026 AI breakthrough award for AI security innovation. As enterprises accelerate the adoption of AI agents, securing autonomous identities has become one of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges. AI agents are rapidly moving beyond experimentation to perform business-critical tasks, access enterprise data, and interact with applications on behalf of users. Ensuring these agents operate securely requires a new approach to identity and governance.