DryRun Security

Application SecurityDeveloper Tools

Market readinessHow well the company can compete in its security market, scored across eight dimensions against public evidence. Emerging: Market readiness of 24 or below. Below the typical band, where few analyzed companies sit.
DefensibilityHow well the company holds its position if competitors catch up on features, scored across seven dimensions against public evidence. Exposed: Defensibility of 12 or below. The position is exposed as AI lowers the cost of building commodity software.
Founded 2023
Last updated 2026-07-15

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.

Executive Summary

DryRun Security reviews each pull request with AI, modeling how an application works to prioritize the changes it judges exploitable rather than relying only on pattern matching. That code-context review is something Snyk, Semgrep, and GitHub could add to tools developers already use, so DryRun's edge is its founding team and an early lead. James Wickett was an early Signal Sciences engineer and Ken Johnson a former GitHub product-security director. DryRun reports more than 350,000 code reviews a month and publishes attributed customer testimonials, including Tines, though revenue and customer count remain undisclosed. It suits application-security teams weary of scanner noise.

Sourced Details

Description Application security company whose Contextual Security Analysis engine uses AI to review code changes in pull requests, validate exploitability, and surface risks that pattern-based scanners miss. [f1]
Founded 2023 [f2]
HQ Austin, Texas, United States [f3]
Latest funding Seed ($8.7M, Jan 2025, led by LiveOak Ventures and Work-Bench, with Cannage Capital) [f2]

Products

Product What it does
Contextual Security Analysis AI engine that builds a knowledge graph of a codebase (architecture, routes, auth, data flow) and reasons about the exploitability of each change.
Pull Request Code Reviews Reviews each pull request in the developer workflow, flags exploitable risk, and guides developers and their AI coding agents to a fix.
Natural Language Code Policies Lets AppSec teams define and enforce security policies in plain language instead of writing and maintaining scripted rules.
SAST DeepScan Full-repository static analysis that scans an entire codebase beyond the per-change pull request review.

Matrix Coverage

Cyber Defense Matrix

IdentifyProtectDetectRespondRecover
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.

DryRun Security maps a codebase's architecture, routes, auth, and data flow, enforces code-change policies in the pull request, and detects exploitable risk that pattern-based scanners miss, using AI as the method. These capabilities are mapped to the Cyber Defense Matrix. [f1]

Market Readiness

How well the company can compete in its security market, scored across eight dimensions against public evidence.

Emerging 24 /40 Emerging: Market readiness of 24 or below. Below the typical band, where few analyzed companies sit.
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. 3/5
Market Timing Whether the market is ready for this product, with evidence that buyers are actively seeking solutions. 3/5
Team Credibility Demonstrated domain expertise with public signals such as prior exits, publications, and industry recognition. 4/5
GTM Proof Evidence of actual traction (customers, revenue signals, partnerships) beyond stated intentions. 3/5
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. 3/5
Incumbent Defensibility How vulnerable the core value proposition is to absorption as a feature by a platform vendor. 2/5

Unlock the Full Analysis

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.

One-time purchase: $20 per profile.

Unlock

Reading several? Unlock the entire catalog.

Business Risks
Problem & Market
Product Capabilities
Competitive Positioning
Go-to-Market & Traction
Team & Credibility
Trust Readiness
Competitors

Strategy Deep Dive

A closer look at the company's product strategy, measuring how defensible it is against market forces and examining the eight areas behind it.

Defensibility

Exposed 12 /21 Exposed: Defensibility of 12 or below. The position is exposed as AI lowers the cost of building commodity software. pivot urgently

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. 1/3
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. 2/3
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

Unlock the Full Analysis

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.

One-time purchase: $20 per profile.

Unlock

Reading several? Unlock the entire catalog.

Strategic Market Segmentation
Product Capabilities & AI Advantages
Sales Engagement & Go-to-Market
Pricing Model
Product Delivery & Operations
Earning Customers' Trust
Platform Strategy & Ecosystem Positioning
Team & Execution Capability

Sources

Company Detail Sources (3)
Id Source Tier Accessed
f1 DryRun Security homepage: how it works official 2026-07-03
f2 SecurityWeek: DryRun launched and emerged from stealth in 2023 press 2026-07-03
f3 FinSMEs: Austin, TX-based DryRun Security press 2026-07-03
Profile Analysis Sources (8)
Id Source Tier Accessed
s1 DryRun homepage: how it works, 350,000+ monthly reviews, SOC 2 footer badge, patents, Tines and Commerce testimonials, Snyk and Semgrep comparisons
“DryRun learns how your application works, finds the code paths that matter, validates exploitability, and guides developers and their AI coding agents to the right fix.”
official 2026-07-03
s2 SecurityWeek: DryRun raises $8.7 million seed, launched from stealth in 2023, Contextual Security Analysis and Natural Language Code Policies
“The company raised seed funding from LiveOak Ventures, Work-Bench and Cannage Capital. The investment will be used to grow its engineering team and for go-to-market initiatives.”
press 2026-07-03
s3 SecurityBrief UK: DryRun reports 250,000+ monthly code reviews after first year out of stealth
“The Austin-based company said it has completed its first year out of stealth. It reported more than 250,000 code reviews run each month by customers.”
press 2026-07-03
s4 DryRun Security newsroom: Black Hat Startup Spotlight 2024 finalist
“We were thrilled to be counted among the four finalists in the BlackHat Startup Spotlight 2024 competition, one of the most prestigious security competitions in the world.”
official 2026-07-03
s5 Work-Bench: why it invested in DryRun Security (co-founders James Wickett and Ken Johnson backgrounds)
“an early engineer at Signal Sciences, where he built out the initial product infrastructure before moving into developer advocacy as Head of Research. Ken's experience as Director of Product Security Engineering at GitHub gives him unique insight into securing code at massive scale.”
press 2026-07-03
s6 FinSMEs: Austin-based DryRun Security raises $8.7M seed
“DryRun Security, an Austin, TX-based AI-native company delivering application security (AppSec) for development and security teams, raised $8.7M in Seed funding.”
press 2026-07-03
s7 DryRun Security blog: welcoming Andrew Peterson to the board (by CEO James Wickett)
“DryRun Security welcomes Andrew Peterson to its board, bringing proven category-defining leadership and a culture of meaningful progress to help guide the company through the AI-driven transformation of application security.”
official 2026-07-03
s8 DryRun trust-surface probe (footer badge file 21972-312_SOC_NonCPA png; trust./security. subdomains no DNS; /security and /trust 404), 2026-07-03
“DryRun Security | Meet Your AI-Native SAST AppSec Agents”
official 2026-07-03
Deep-Dive Sources (8)
Id Source Tier Accessed
s1 DryRun homepage: how it works, 350,000+ monthly reviews, patents, Tines and Commerce testimonials
“DryRun learns how your application works, finds the code paths that matter, validates exploitability, and guides developers and their AI coding agents to the right fix.”
official 2026-07-15
s2 SecurityWeek: DryRun raises $8.7 million seed, launched from stealth in 2023, Contextual Security Analysis and Natural Language Code Policies
“The company raised seed funding from LiveOak Ventures, Work-Bench and Cannage Capital. The investment will be used to grow its engineering team and for go-to-market initiatives.”
press 2026-07-03
s3 SecurityBrief UK: DryRun reports 250,000+ monthly code reviews after first year out of stealth
“The Austin-based company said it has completed its first year out of stealth. It reported more than 250,000 code reviews run each month by customers.”
press 2026-07-03
s4 DryRun Security newsroom: Black Hat Startup Spotlight 2024 finalist
“We were thrilled to be counted among the four finalists in the BlackHat Startup Spotlight 2024 competition, one of the most prestigious security competitions in the world.”
official 2026-07-03
s5 Work-Bench: why it invested in DryRun Security (co-founders James Wickett and Ken Johnson backgrounds)
“an early engineer at Signal Sciences, where he built out the initial product infrastructure before moving into developer advocacy as Head of Research. Ken's experience as Director of Product Security Engineering at GitHub gives him unique insight into securing code at massive scale.”
press 2026-07-03
s6 FinSMEs: Austin-based DryRun Security raises $8.7M seed
“DryRun Security, an Austin, TX-based AI-native company delivering application security (AppSec) for development and security teams, raised $8.7M in Seed funding.”
press 2026-07-03
s7 DryRun Security blog: welcoming Andrew Peterson to the board (by CEO James Wickett)
“DryRun Security welcomes Andrew Peterson to its board, bringing proven category-defining leadership and a culture of meaningful progress to help guide the company through the AI-driven transformation of application security.”
official 2026-07-03
s8 DryRun FAQ probe: redesigned site shows no vendor SOC 2 badge or trust page, compliance framed as SDLC-control artifacts for customer programs
“DryRun is delivered as SaaS with strict data handling. It supports SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI, and HIPAA by generating artifacts of SDLC controls.”
official 2026-07-15

Disclaimer

This content is provided "as is" with no warranties.

This site is an experimental research aid created by Zeltser Security Corp. All its data gathering and analysis was performed autonomously without human review, and it can contain errors of fact, interpretation, and judgment that a human reviewer might catch.

The analyses are statements of opinion, not statements of fact. Machine analysis produced the scores, summaries, and matrix placements by weighing the public sources each page cites, and reasonable people can weigh the same sources differently. Where a page states a fact, it cites the public source and the date it was checked, and the statement is only as accurate as that source. Unless a profile expressly says otherwise, the analysis involves no hands-on testing and no independent validation of any company's products or services.

Nothing here is professional, security, legal, financial, investment, or purchasing advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to invest in, do business with, or avoid any company. Inclusion of a company is not an endorsement, and absence of a company is not a judgment about it. Reading this site creates no advisory or client relationship. Verify any detail you plan to act on against the vendor's current materials.

The content is provided "as is" and "as available," with all warranties disclaimed, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, and non-infringement. No entry is warranted to be complete, current, or correct. Companies change, vendors update their claims, sources can be wrong, and automated analysis can misread them.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the operator, Zeltser Security Corp, is not liable for any damages that arise from using this site or relying on its content, including direct, indirect, incidental, special, and consequential damages and lost profits, even if advised that such damages were possible. If you are dissatisfied with the site or disagree with these terms, your remedy is to stop using it.

Entries link to vendor pages, press coverage, and other external sites that Zeltser Security Corp does not control and is not responsible for. A link is not an affiliation with the destination or an endorsement of it. Product and company names and trademarks are the property of their owners, used here nominatively to identify the companies described. Short quotations from cited sources appear for identification and commentary.

Do not republish its content or share access without the operator's permission.