Full-Time

Applied AI Engineer

Cylake

Cylake

11-50 employees

AI-powered music composition and production platform

Compensation Overview

$150k - $250k/yr

Sunnyvale, CA, USA

In Person

PhD

Category
AI & Machine Learning (1)
Required Skills
LLM
Python
Neural Networks
Model Distillation
PyTorch
Machine Learning
Cybersecurity
Reinforcement Learning

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Requirements
  • At least 5 years of experience applying machine learning, deep learning, or generative artificial intelligence to cybersecurity or related domains, or a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical field.
  • A proven track record of applying machine learning, deep learning, or generative artificial intelligence techniques and delivering high-quality models and solutions into production environments end-to-end.
  • Deep understanding of modern artificial intelligence agent architectures, agent frameworks, and implementation patterns.
  • Experience with large language model supervised fine-tuning, reinforcement learning, preference optimization, and model distillation.
  • Strong understanding of supervised and unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning algorithms, model training, and evaluation on large-scale datasets.
  • Experience with domain-specific feature engineering, data labeling, and data quality optimization.
  • Strong proficiency in Python programming and experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch.
  • Familiarity with databases, large-scale data processing systems, and production machine learning pipelines.
  • Strong communication and technical documentation skills.
Responsibilities
  • Develop state-of-the-art agentic artificial intelligence systems for next-generation Security Operations Center, Security Orchestration, Automation and Response, and Security Information and Event Management platforms.
  • Build and optimize large language models for cybersecurity and security operations use cases through post-training techniques.
  • Develop domain-specific evaluation frameworks and benchmarks to continuously improve model quality, accuracy, and efficiency.
  • Design and implement machine learning and deep learning solutions for security threat detection, including malware, phishing, anomaly detection, and attack activity classification.
  • Develop artificial intelligence workflows and model pipelines that leverage large-scale security datasets.
  • Partner with security researchers to improve data quality, model evaluation, and cybersecurity artificial intelligence capabilities.
  • Collaborate with software engineers to integrate artificial intelligence models into scalable, production-ready security products.
  • Research and apply advancements in large language model architectures, artificial intelligence agents, model inference, and serving optimization.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with large language model architecture, model pre-training, inference optimization, and model serving infrastructure.
  • Experience with big data streaming pipelines, large-scale analytics, and distributed data processing.
  • Prior experience applying artificial intelligence to cybersecurity domains such as threat detection, anomaly detection, fraud detection, malware classification, network traffic analysis, webpage classification, or security operations.
  • Contributions to artificial intelligence and machine learning competitions, hackathons, open-source projects, technical blogs, arXiv, or top-tier research publications.

Cylake builds an AI-powered music creation platform that acts as a collaborative partner for musicians, producers, and content creators. It generates melodies, harmonies, and other musical ideas from user input, supports MIDI editing and audio stem separation, and integrates with existing DAWs through a SaaS model. The platform lets users describe what they want in natural language and refine AI outputs, helping to accelerate idea-to-track timelines without replacing the artist. By combining deep AI capabilities with music-domain expertise, Cylake aims to reduce creative blocks and broaden access to music-generation tools for both hobbyists and professionals.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

$290M

Headquarters

Sunnyvale, California

Founded

2026

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • September 8, 2026 financing raised $245 million, lifting total funding to $290 million.
  • IQT's April 7, 2026 strategic investment opens U.S. government and allied procurement channels.
  • More than 40 employees and design partners signal real demand before beta and GA.

What critics are saying

  • Beta is due by end-2026; any slip pushes revenue to 2027 or later.
  • Crowded rivals like Palo Alto Networks, Wiz, and CrowdStrike already own security budgets.
  • If regulated customers reject another platform migration, Cylake's sovereign-cloud thesis collapses.

What makes Cylake unique

  • September 2026 funding backs an on-premises, private-cloud AI security stack for regulated buyers.
  • Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu, and Udi Shamir bring Palo Alto Networks and SentinelOne pedigree.
  • April 2026 board additions Mark McLaughlin, Jim Goetz, and Asheem Chandna reinforce enterprise credibility.

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Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

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Tech in Asia
Sep 9th, 2026
Lightspeed joins $245m raise for cybersecurity startup Cylake.

Lightspeed joins $245m raise for cybersecurity startup Cylake. Israeli cybersecurity startup Cylake, which builds AI-native security software for large organizations, has raised US$245 million through a convertible note, bringing its total funding to US$290 million. The round included Lightspeed Venture Partners, Picture Capital, and Redpoint Ventures. It followed Cylake's March launch with a US$45 million seed round led by Greylock Partners. Lightspeed's Ravi Mhatre joined the board, while Picture Capital's Rakesh Loonkar became a board observer. Founded in early 2026 by Palo Alto Networks founder Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu, and Ehud (Udi) Shamir, Cylake is developing a cybersecurity platform for organizations with strict regulatory and security needs, including government agencies, critical infrastructure operators, and financial institutions. The platform is designed to run entirely on-premises or in private-cloud environments. Cylake has more than 40 employees and expects a beta release toward the end of 2026, before general availability in 2027. That focus reflects data-sovereignty and compliance requirements that affect where financial institutions decide data is stored and processed and how governments approach using public cloud. Stay updated on the go with our mobile app. Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app. How would you feel if you could no longer use Tech in Asia? Share, tag us, and land on our Wall of!

CloudLink Tech
Sep 8th, 2026
Cylake raises $245M for sovereign, on-premises AI security.

Cylake raises $245M for sovereign, on-premises AI security. Cylake raised $245 million via a convertible note to build an AI-native cybersecurity platform for on-premises and private cloud use; beta is planned for end of 2026, GA in 2027. Cylake has raised $245 million through a convertible note to develop an AI-native cybersecurity platform that runs on customer premises and in private cloud environments. The company plans a beta release by the end of 2026 and general availability in 2027. The financing brings Cylake's total funding to $290 million after a $45 million seed round led by Greylock Partners when the company emerged from stealth in March 2026. Investors in the latest round include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Picture Capital and Redpoint Ventures. Lightspeed partner and co-founder Ravi Mhatre will join Cylake's board of directors. Picture Capital partner Rakesh Loonkar will serve as a board observer. Cylake was founded by Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu and Ehud "Udi" Shamir. Zuk founded Palo Alto Networks and served more than two decades as its chief technology officer. Xu held engineering leadership roles at Palo Alto Networks. Shamir co-founded SentinelOne and later worked at Palo Alto Networks as a senior developer and security researcher. René Bonvanie, formerly chief marketing officer at Palo Alto Networks, has also joined the startup. The company says the platform will aggregate data and context from across an organization's systems into a single foundation to support protection and AI-driven security workflows. Cylake built the product to operate entirely on customer premises or in private clouds to meet data sovereignty requirements and to address visibility gaps that arise when multiple security tools each see only part of an organization's data. Since emerging from stealth, Cylake has grown to more than 40 employees and plans to expand hiring across engineering, product and other functions. The company intends to use the new funding to accelerate product development and scale its team ahead of the beta and public release. In the company's funding announcement, Zuk wrote that Cylake targets organizations that must combine advanced cybersecurity technology with control over their data and infrastructure. He added that for those customers public cloud is not the right operating model and that architecture needs to be rebuilt around complete data, sovereignty and control for an AI-native world. Cylake positions its offering for government agencies and highly regulated enterprises that restrict use of third-party cloud services. The startup differentiates itself from security vendors that operate primarily from public cloud platforms.

Asianet-Pakistan (Pvt.) Ltd.
Sep 8th, 2026
Cylake closes $245 million funding round ahead of beta release for next-generation cybersecurity product.

Cylake closes $245 million funding round ahead of beta release for next-generation cybersecurity product. 5 hours ago Funding will support continued team growth and accelerate development of Cylake's complete, AI-native, data-driven cybersecurity platform for the world's largest and most regulated institutions. SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Cylake, the complete cybersecurity platform for operational sovereignty, announced today it has raised $245 million through a convertible note, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Picture Capital, and Redpoint Ventures. This latest funding brings Cylake's total raised to $290 million, following a $45 million seed round in March 2026 led by Greylock Partners. The new capital will support continued product development for Cylake's complete, AI-native, fully sovereign cybersecurity platform, as well as ongoing team growth. The company is currently working with a cohort of industry-leading design partners to deliver a cyber platform for highly regulated commercial and government organizations, with a beta product expected by the end of 2026 and full general availability in 2027. "Most of the market has been slow to realize how AI and SaaS shifted the goalposts for enterprise cybersecurity. Cylake identified that gap early and is building the answer," said Ravi Mhatre, Partner and Co-founder at Lightspeed Venture Partners, who joins Cylake's Board of Directors. "Highly regulated organizations have requirements around data sovereignty and control that existing approaches were not designed to address, and Cylake has assembled an exceptional team to take on that opportunity." End-to-end protection without sacrificing control Cylake is developing its platform for organizations that require complete cybersecurity capabilities with full data sovereignty. The product will operate entirely on premises or in private cloud environments, enabling organizations to maintain full control over their data, infrastructure, and operations. This holistic approach also enables Cylake to operate on a single, complete data foundation, avoiding coverage gaps that create vulnerabilities while empowering AI workflows with an end-to-end view. "Having worked with Nir for more than 30 years, I've seen firsthand his ability to anticipate where the market is going and build the anchor products that will define the next generation of cybersecurity," said Rakesh Loonkar, Partner at Picture Capital, who joins as a Board Observer. "Cylake is already partnering with some of the top organizations across industries on product development, and I'm confident demand will only accelerate as the team moves toward general availability." Strong momentum and continued growth Since emerging from stealth in March, Cylake has expanded its engineering and product teams and deepened its work with design partners ahead of beta. The company has grown to more than 40 employees and plans to continue hiring across engineering, product, and other key functions. "We are building Cylake for organizations that cannot compromise between adopting advanced cybersecurity technology and maintaining control of their data and infrastructure," said Nir Zuk, CEO and Founder of Cylake. "In those cases, the public cloud is not the right operating model. The architecture needs to be rebuilt around complete data, sovereignty, and control for an AI-native world. This investment lets us accelerate that work." Cylake's cybersecurity platform is centered on a unified data foundation for highly regulated organizations that require greater sovereignty, control, and visibility. Rather than relying on fragmented security tools that operate on partial information, the platform gives organizations a holistic view of data and context across their infrastructure while maintaining full operational control. About Cylake Cylake is a cybersecurity company built for the world's largest and most regulated institutions. Co-founded by Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu, and Ehud (Udi) Shamir, Cylake is led by a team of experienced security engineers and operators. The company is developing a complete cybersecurity platform designed for full data sovereignty and intended for on-premises and private environments that require operational control and accountability. Cylake is focused on helping organizations that operate under strict constraints maintain security at scale. For more information, visit cylake.com or LinkedIn, X, Substack, and YouTube. Media contact: [email protected] GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9822072

Business Insider
Sep 8th, 2026
Cylake closes $245M funding round for AI-native cybersecurity platform

Cylake, a cybersecurity platform company, has raised $245 million in a convertible note round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Picture Capital, and Redpoint Ventures. This brings the Sunnyvale-based startup's total funding to $290 million, following a $45 million seed round in March 2026. The company is developing an AI-native cybersecurity platform designed for highly regulated organisations requiring full data sovereignty. The platform operates entirely on premises or in private cloud environments, enabling organisations to maintain complete control over their data and infrastructure. Cylake plans to release a beta product by the end of 2026, with general availability expected in 2027. The company has grown to over 40 employees since emerging from stealth in March and will use the funding to support product development and team expansion.

GlobeNewswire
Sep 8th, 2026
Cylake closes $245 million funding round ahead of beta release for next-generation cybersecurity product.

Cylake closes $245 million funding round ahead of beta release for next-generation cybersecurity product. Funding will support continued team growth and accelerate development of Cylake's complete, AI-native, data-driven cybersecurity platform for the world's largest and most regulated institutions. September 08, 2026 10:00 ET | Source: Cylake SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Cylake, the complete cybersecurity platform for operational sovereignty, announced today it has raised $245 million through a convertible note, with participation from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Picture Capital, and Redpoint Ventures. This latest funding brings Cylake's total raised to $290 million, following a $45 million seed round in March 2026 led by Greylock Partners. The new capital will support continued product development for Cylake's complete, AI-native, fully sovereign cybersecurity platform, as well as ongoing team growth. The company is currently working with a cohort of industry-leading design partners to deliver a cyber platform for highly regulated commercial and government organizations, with a beta product expected by the end of 2026 and full general availability in 2027. "Most of the market has been slow to realize how AI and SaaS shifted the goalposts for enterprise cybersecurity. Cylake identified that gap early and is building the answer," said Ravi Mhatre, Partner and Co-founder at Lightspeed Venture Partners, who joins Cylake's Board of Directors. "Highly regulated organizations have requirements around data sovereignty and control that existing approaches were not designed to address, and Cylake has assembled an exceptional team to take on that opportunity." End-to-end protection without sacrificing control Cylake is developing its platform for organizations that require complete cybersecurity capabilities with full data sovereignty. The product will operate entirely on premises or in private cloud environments, enabling organizations to maintain full control over their data, infrastructure, and operations. This holistic approach also enables Cylake to operate on a single, complete data foundation, avoiding coverage gaps that create vulnerabilities while empowering AI workflows with an end-to-end view. "Having worked with Nir for more than 30 years, I've seen firsthand his ability to anticipate where the market is going and build the anchor products that will define the next generation of cybersecurity," said Rakesh Loonkar, Partner at Picture Capital, who joins as a Board Observer. "Cylake is already partnering with some of the top organizations across industries on product development, and I'm confident demand will only accelerate as the team moves toward general availability." Strong momentum and continued growth Since emerging from stealth in March, Cylake has expanded its engineering and product teams and deepened its work with design partners ahead of beta. The company has grown to more than 40 employees and plans to continue hiring across engineering, product, and other key functions. "We are building Cylake for organizations that cannot compromise between adopting advanced cybersecurity technology and maintaining control of their data and infrastructure," said Nir Zuk, CEO and Founder of Cylake. "In those cases, the public cloud is not the right operating model. The architecture needs to be rebuilt around complete data, sovereignty, and control for an AI-native world. This investment lets us accelerate that work." Cylake's cybersecurity platform is centered on a unified data foundation for highly regulated organizations that require greater sovereignty, control, and visibility. Rather than relying on fragmented security tools that operate on partial information, the platform gives organizations a holistic view of data and context across their infrastructure while maintaining full operational control. About Cylake Cylake is a cybersecurity company built for the world's largest and most regulated institutions. Co-founded by Nir Zuk, Wilson Xu, and Ehud (Udi) Shamir, Cylake is led by a team of experienced security engineers and operators. The company is developing a complete cybersecurity platform designed for full data sovereignty and intended for on-premises and private environments that require operational control and accountability. Cylake is focused on helping organizations that operate under strict constraints maintain security at scale. For more information, visit cylake.com or LinkedIn, X, Substack, and YouTube. Media contact: [email protected] Release Summary Cylake, the complete cybersecurity platform for operational sovereignty, announced it has raised $245 million ahead of beta release