All analysis was generated autonomously, without human review. Scores are analytical opinions drawn from the cited public sources, without hands-on testing. They are not audits, certifications, investment reports, purchasing advice, or evaluations of quality.
Aqua Security, a decade-old cloud-native security company used by more than 40 percent of the Fortune 100, holds a FedRAMP High authorization that is the hardest part of its position for a rival to take away. Sponsored by the Department of Education, it lets Aqua sell to federal agencies a competitor without the same clearance cannot reach quickly. The cloud-native scanning is reproducible by a funded rival, the capability Google signaled it wanted by buying Wiz. In November 2025 the founders moved to advisory roles, a CrowdStrike sales leader became chief executive, and a third round of layoffs followed. Most defensible for regulated and federal buyers, weakest where a cloud platform could bundle equivalent coverage into a bill the buyer already pays.
| Description | Cloud native application protection platform (CNAPP) that secures containers, serverless functions, and cloud workloads from code to runtime, with an Aqua Secure AI line that discovers and protects AI applications. | [f1] |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 | [f2] |
| HQ | Boston, Massachusetts, United States and Ramat Gan, Israel | [f3] |
| Latest funding | Series E extension ($60M, Evolution Equity Partners-led, 2024) | [f2] |
| Product | What it does |
|---|---|
| Aqua Platform | Cloud native application protection platform combining agent and agentless coverage across code, supply chain, posture, and runtime for containers, serverless functions, and VMs. |
| Aqua Secure AI | Lifecycle protection for AI applications that discovers AI usage, governs models across SaaS and self-hosted deployments, and enforces runtime policy against prompt-based threats without code changes. |
| Software Supply Chain Security | Shifts security left across application code, infrastructure as code, and LLM components before risks reach production. |
| Runtime Protection | Real-time detection and prevention for running cloud native workloads, stopping attacks in production across the container lifecycle. |
AI Defense Matrix
| Govern | Identify | Protect | Detect | Respond | Recover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-Workload Platforms Inference servers, training platforms, vector DB platforms, and the model-loading supply chain. | ||||||
| AI Orchestration Tools Agentic orchestration tools, plus their plugins, skills, hooks, system prompts, scaffolding, harnesses, configuration settings, and MCP clients on user devices. | ||||||
| AI-Generated Code Code produced by AI tools, AI-assisted reviews, AI-generated infrastructure-as-code and tests, and vibe-coded apps that bypass CI/CD. | ||||||
| AI Gateways & Routers MCP proxies and gateways, LLM routers, outbound AI-service traffic, shadow AI egress, and model-registry traffic. | ||||||
| AI Model Model weights, fine-tuning checkpoints, model cards, registries, AIBOM, and the third-party LLMs your enterprise consumes. | ||||||
| Training Data Datasets used for training, fine-tuning, and continued learning. | ||||||
| Runtime AI Data User prompts, inference inputs, RAG content, vector DB content, persistent agent memory, and interaction history. | ||||||
| AI Agent Identities AI agents as non-human principals, plus credentials, keys, permission scopes, service accounts, and delegation chains across agents and tools. |
Aqua Secure AI discovers AI usage across SaaS, managed, and self-hosted models, applies posture checks to AI services, and enforces runtime policy against prompt injection and post-compromise activity where AI applications run. These capabilities are mapped to the AI Defense Matrix. [f4]
Cyber Defense Matrix
| Identify | Protect | Detect | Respond | Recover | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devices Workstations, servers, phones, tablets, storage, network devices, IoT infrastructure, and similar hardware. | |||||
| Applications Software, interactions, and application flows on the devices. | |||||
| Networks Connections and traffic flowing among devices and apps, plus communication paths. | |||||
| Data Content at rest, in transit, or in use across devices, apps, and networks. | |||||
| Users The people using the devices, apps, networks, and data. |
The Aqua Platform CNAPP secures conventional cloud native workloads across containers, serverless functions, and VMs, scanning supply chain and code, enforcing pre-deployment posture, and detecting and stopping attacks at runtime in production. It is mapped to the Cyber Defense Matrix. [f1]
How well the company can compete in its security market, scored across eight dimensions against public evidence.
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Problem Clarity How precisely the company defines its problem, with evidence the problem exists at the scale claimed. | 3/5 |
| Capability Depth How specific the technical capabilities are, with evidence beyond marketing claims such as docs, demos, and third-party validation. | 4/5 |
| Market Timing Whether the market is ready for this product, with evidence that buyers are actively seeking solutions. | 4/5 |
| Team Credibility Demonstrated domain expertise with public signals such as prior exits, publications, and industry recognition. | 3/5 |
| GTM Proof Evidence of actual traction (customers, revenue signals, partnerships) beyond stated intentions. | 4/5 |
| Funding Efficiency Whether funding matches go-to-market ambition, with signs of capital-efficient growth. | 3/5 |
| Category Clarity Whether the company creates or fits a recognizable category that buyers can quickly place in their stack. | 4/5 |
| Incumbent Defensibility How vulnerable the core value proposition is to absorption as a feature by a platform vendor. | 3/5 |
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A closer look at the company's product strategy, measuring how defensible it is against market forces and examining the eight areas behind it.
press the advantage
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Value Delivery Does the product sell software as the product, or judgment, trust, or accountability with software as the delivery mechanism. | 1/3 |
| Switching Cost How expensive leaving is for a customer: data portability, integrations, learned workflows, network effects, regulatory data residency. | 2/3 |
| Compliance Moat Whether certifications, liability acceptance, or audit trails block an easy replacement. | 3/3 |
| Problem Complexity Whether the product requires ML, optimization, real-time systems, or years of specialized expertise. | 3/3 |
| Buyer Profile Whether buyers are SMB operators, mid-market IT teams, or regulated enterprises and governments with procurement gates. | 3/3 |
| Layer Whether the product is an end-user application, a platform with application features, or infrastructure other applications depend on. | 2/3 |
| Proprietary Data, Content, or IP Whether the product accumulates datasets, content licenses, or IP that a rival cannot recreate from scratch. | 1/3 |
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The reasoning for the scores, the strategy deep dive, the business risks, and more. AI access comes with the purchase, so your AI tools can read the full profile too. You keep 12 months of access.
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| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| f1 | Aqua CNAPP products overview | official | 2026-06-25 |
| f2 | Aqua Security raises $60M and remains a unicorn (TechCrunch) | press | 2026-06-25 |
| f3 | Aqua Security raises $135M at a $1B valuation (TechCrunch) | press | 2026-06-25 |
| f4 | AI Defense Matrix Catalog mapping (Aqua Secure AI) | official | 2026-06-25 |
| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | Aqua Security homepage (protect what runs in the cloud, 40% of the Fortune 100) “Trusted by more than 40% of the Fortune 100” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s2 | Aqua CNAPP products (code to cloud to prompt) “Secure every phase, protect every workload and reduce cloud and AI risk everywhere applications run. Aqua delivers full lifecycle security from code to cloud to prompt.” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s3 | Aqua Secure AI (protect AI apps from code to cloud to prompt) “Gain visibility into prompt and model behavior inside containers where AI applications are hosted and run. Aqua enforces policy in real time without requiring SDKs, proxies, or rewrites.” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s4 | Aqua Security raises $135M at a $1B valuation (TechCrunch) “raised a $135 million Series E funding round at a $1 billion valuation. The round was led by ION Crossover Partners.” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s5 | Aqua Security raises $60M and remains a unicorn (TechCrunch) “raised $60 million in funding, extending its previously announced $135 million Series E round of funding to $195 million. Founded in 2015, Tel Aviv- and Boston-based Aqua Security claims customers such as PayPal, Netflix and Samsung” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s6 | Aqua Security Achieves FedRAMP High Authorization (GlobeNewswire wire) “it has achieved the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program's (FedRAMP) high impact authorization status and is listed in the FedRAMP marketplace. Sponsored by the Department of Education” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s7 | Aqua Security Announces Leadership Transition (GlobeNewswire wire, Nov 2025) “Co-founders Dror Davidoff and Amir Jerbi will step back from their day-to-day roles as chief executive officer and chief technology officer ... Mike Dube ... has been appointed CEO ... Prior to joining Aqua, Dube served as vice president, North America Strategic Sales at CrowdStrike” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s8 | Aqua Security lays off staff weeks after management shake-up (CTech) “Cyber unicorn Aqua Security is laying off dozens of employees, including about 20 in Israel. This is the company's third round of layoffs in recent years. Aqua employs roughly 360 people in total.” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s9 | Aqua Security homepage customer wall (Audi container platform at scale) “Audi uses Aqua to Protect Container Platform at Scale” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s10 | Google completes acquisition of Wiz (Cybersecurity Dive) “Google completes acquisition of Wiz” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s11 | Aqua Security Trust Center (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 2022, CSA STAR, NIST 800-53) “Compliance: CSA Star, GDPR, NIST 800-53 Low Baseline, ISO 27017:2015, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, ISO27018:2019, ISO 27701:2019” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s12 | Israeli Registrar of Companies: AQUA SECURITY SOFTWARE LTD (company 515317972, incorporated 24/09/2015, status active, annual report 2025) “"שם באנגלית":"AQUA SECURITY SOFTWARE LTD","סוג תאגיד":"ישראלית חברה פרטית","סטטוס חברה":"פעילה","תאור חברה":"","מטרת החברה":"לעסוק בכל עיסוק חוקי","תאריך התאגדות":"24/09/2015"” | regulatory | 2026-06-29 |
| s13 | NVD CVE-2024-35192: credential leak in Aqua's Trivy scanner before 0.51.2 “it could result in the leakage of credentials for legitimate registries such as AWS Elastic Container Registry (ECR), Google Cloud Artifact/Container Registry, or Azure Container Registry (ACR)” | regulatory | 2026-06-29 |
| s14 | arXiv gh0stEdit (2506.08218): independent security evaluation naming Aqua's Trivy scanner “a vulnerability scanner provided by Aqua Security, functions similarly to Docker Scout and Grype” | research | 2026-06-29 |
| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | Aqua Security homepage (protect what runs in the cloud, 40% of the Fortune 100) “Trusted by more than 40% of the Fortune 100” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s2 | Aqua CNAPP products (code to cloud to prompt) “Secure every phase, protect every workload and reduce cloud and AI risk everywhere applications run. Aqua delivers full lifecycle security from code to cloud to prompt.” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s3 | Aqua Secure AI (protect AI apps from code to cloud to prompt) “Gain visibility into prompt and model behavior inside containers where AI applications are hosted and run. Aqua enforces policy in real time without requiring SDKs, proxies, or rewrites.” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s4 | Aqua Security raises $60M and remains a unicorn (TechCrunch) “raised $60 million in funding, extending its previously announced $135 million Series E round of funding to $195 million. Founded in 2015, Tel Aviv- and Boston-based Aqua Security claims customers such as PayPal, Netflix and Samsung” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s5 | Aqua Security Achieves FedRAMP High Authorization (GlobeNewswire wire) “it has achieved the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program's (FedRAMP) high impact authorization status and is listed in the FedRAMP marketplace. Sponsored by the Department of Education” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s6 | Aqua Security Announces Leadership Transition (GlobeNewswire wire, Nov 2025) “Co-founders Dror Davidoff and Amir Jerbi will step back from their day-to-day roles ... Mike Dube ... has been appointed CEO ... Prior to joining Aqua, Dube served as vice president, North America Strategic Sales at CrowdStrike” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s7 | Aqua Security lays off staff weeks after management shake-up (CTech) “This is the company's third round of layoffs in recent years. Aqua employs roughly 360 people in total. The company was founded in 2015 by CEO Dror Davidoff and CTO Amir Jerbi.” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s8 | Aqua Security Trust Center (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 2022, CSA STAR, NIST 800-53) “Compliance: CSA Star, GDPR, NIST 800-53 Low Baseline, ISO 27017:2015, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, ISO27018:2019, ISO 27701:2019” | official | 2026-06-25 |
| s9 | Google completes acquisition of Wiz (Cybersecurity Dive) “Google completes acquisition of Wiz” | press | 2026-06-25 |
| s10 | Aqua Software Supply Chain Security (code, IaC, LLM components) “Shift security left to protect every link in the software supply chain, including application code, IaC, and LLM components, before risks reach production.” | official | 2026-06-25 |
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