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.
Runlayer sells enterprises a platform that lets employees build AI agents while the security team keeps control of identity, policy, threat screening, and audit. Press names Instacart, Opendoor, and dbt Labs among dozens of customers. That roster, assembled barely a year in, is what stands out. Gusto's security chief and Jane's AI transformation lead praise the product publicly. The co-creator of the protocol that lets AI agents reach tools advises the company alongside Cursor's head of security. Revenue stays undisclosed behind a fast 30 million dollar Series A. Larger players are buying into the space, with Snowflake agreeing to buy the rival gateway Natoma and Check Point the AI-security vendor Lakera. Those logos and that insider standing are a head start, not yet a durable lead.
| Description | Runlayer: an AI enablement and control platform that lets enterprise employees build and use AI agents while security teams govern them, routing agent access to MCP tools through one control plane with identity, policy, threat screening, shadow-AI discovery, and audit logs. | [f1] |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2025 | [f2] |
| Funding | $42M total | [f1] |
| Latest funding | Series A of 30 million dollars (June 2026), led by Felicis with Khosla Ventures | [f3] |
| Deployment | SaaS, Self-hosted | [f4] |
| Product | What it does |
|---|---|
| Runlayer | Runlayer: an AI enablement and control platform that lets employees build and use AI agents while security teams govern access to MCP tools through identity, policy, threat screening, and audit logs. |
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. |
Runlayer is an AI enablement and control platform whose governed MCP gateway routes agent access to tools through enterprise identity, policy, threat screening, shadow-AI discovery, and audit logs. It is mapped to the AI Defense Matrix. [f5]
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. | 3/5 |
| 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. | 2/5 |
| 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. | 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.
reinforce or reposition
| 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. | 3/3 |
| Layer Whether the product is an end-user application, a platform with application features, or infrastructure other applications depend on. | 3/3 |
| 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.
UnlockReading several? Unlock the entire catalog.
| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| f1 | SecurityWeek: Runlayer, an AI enablement and control platform | press | 2026-07-06 |
| f2 | TechCrunch on Runlayer launching from stealth | press | 2026-06-13 |
| f3 | SecurityWeek: Runlayer Series A announcement, June 25, 2026 | press | 2026-07-04 |
| f4 | AI Defense Matrix Catalog entry | other | 2026-06-10 |
| f5 | AI Defense Matrix Catalog mapping | other | 2026-06-23 |
| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | Runlayer homepage: AI enablement, security, and control in one platform “Give every employee the golden path to use agents. AI enablement, security, and control in one platform.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s2 | Runlayer for IT & Security page “Enable and secure AI. Give teams a golden path to AI usage, with security and governance built in.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s3 | Runlayer about page: founding team and advisors “Our founding team has built AI at scale and raised over $200M cumulatively. We created Zapier MCP and Agents. Vitor Balocco is a recognized MCP security expert. Advisors: David Soria Parra (Co-Creator of MCP, Anthropic), Travis McPeak (Head of Security, Cursor), Ely Kahn (CPO, Sentinel One).” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s4 | Runlayer for AI platform page: named customer endorsements “Runlayer helped us unlock a new, fundamentally different way to do our jobs. Mike Wittig, CISO & CIO, Gusto. Runlayer has become the backbone of our AI strategy at Jane. Mark Hazlett, Chief AI Transformation Officer, Jane.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s5 | Runlayer documentation: hosted or self-hosted AWS deployment “Runlayer runs as a hosted deployment or self-hosted in your own AWS account, integrating with existing Terraform and Kubernetes workflows.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s6 | Runlayer Trust Center (SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, GDPR; WorkOS identity), rendered this session “Compliance: SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, GDPR. Resources: SOC 2 Type II, Penetration Test, Access Control Policy. WorkOS - Auth & Identity: Authentication & identity (SSO/SAML, OIDC, SCIM 2.0 directory sync, MFA).” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s7 | Runlayer Series A blog (Andy Berman, June 24 2026): $30M round and customers “We've raised a $30M Series A from Felicis and Khosla Ventures, bringing total funding to $42M. Since coming out of stealth 6 months ago, we've already signed some of the fastest-growing companies like Instacart, Gusto, Decagon, Opendoor, dbtLabs, AngelList, Lemonade, and a number of Fortune 500s.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s8 | SecurityWeek: Runlayer Raises $30 Million in Series A Funding “AI enablement and control platform Runlayer... According to Runlayer, its platform can also identify and block prompt injections, tool poisoning, data exfiltration, output manipulation, intent drift, shadow MCPs, and unmanaged agents.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s9 | TechCrunch on Runlayer's launch and the crowded MCP gateway category “Such security issues have given rise to numerous MCP security products, including products from big-name companies like Cloudflare, Docker, and Wiz. The most common type of MCP security product these days is a gateway.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s10 | The AI Insider on Runlayer leaving stealth with named enterprise customers and the MCP creator as advisor “The company was founded by serial entrepreneur Andrew Berman, known for building Nanit and the AI platform Vowel, which was acquired by Zapier in 2024. In just four months... Runlayer has signed dozens of customers, including major enterprises such as Gusto, dbt Labs, Instacart, and Opendoor.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s11 | New-TechEurope on the Rising in Cyber 2026 CISO survey and cyber M&A “More than 70% of surveyed CISOs reported that AI agents are already operating in production environments within their organizations, yet only 11% described their existing AI security tools as comprehensive, effective, or best in class.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s12 | Gartner: MCP-based agentic AI raises new attack vectors and risk exposure “As organizations continue to build and integrate agentic AI applications using technologies such as Model Context Protocol (MCP), new attack vectors and immature security practices will significantly elevate risk exposure.” | research | 2026-07-06 |
| s13 | arXiv: MCPTox, a benchmark for tool poisoning attacks on real-world MCP servers “we investigate a more fundamental vulnerability: Tool Poisoning, where malicious instructions are embedded within a tool's metadata without execution.” | research | 2026-07-06 |
| s14 | Snowflake press release: definitive agreement to acquire Natoma, an enterprise MCP platform “today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Natoma, an enterprise Model Context Protocol (MCP) platform for AI agents. Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s15 | Check Point press release: acquires Lakera, an AI-native security platform for agentic AI “today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Lakera, one of the world's leading AI-native security platforms for Agentic AI applications.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s16 | Runlayer blog: official Cursor Hooks launch partner “Runlayer is an official Cursor Hooks launch partner. With Cursor Hooks, securely allow or deny MCP tool calls with Runlayer's enterprise MCP platform.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s17 | Runlayer docs index (llms.txt): session monitoring, MDM provisioning, self-host deployment “AgentGuard: Session-level behavior monitoring that detects manipulation across an agent's full trajectory. Deploy automatic configuration provisioning to macOS devices managed by Mosyle Business. EKS + Terraform: Deploy production-ready Kubernetes infrastructure on AWS EKS using Terraform.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| Id | Source | Tier | Accessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| s1 | Runlayer homepage: AI enablement, security, and control; 18,000+ MCPs, governed gateway “Give every employee the golden path to use agents. AI enablement, security, and control in one platform. Start with 18,000+ MCPs for the tools your company runs. Add internal MCPs, approve the right set, and serve them through a governed MCP gateway across every major AI client.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s2 | Runlayer for IT & Security page “Enable and secure AI. Give teams a golden path to AI usage, with security and governance built in.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s3 | Runlayer about page: founding team and advisors “Our founding team has built AI at scale and raised over $200M cumulatively. We created Zapier MCP and Agents. Vitor Balocco is a recognized MCP security expert. Advisors: David Soria Parra (Co-Creator of MCP, Anthropic), Travis McPeak (Head of Security, Cursor), Ely Kahn (CPO, Sentinel One).” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s4 | Runlayer for AI platform page: reusable capabilities and named customer endorsements “Publish approved tools and agents as reusable infrastructure across teams. Runlayer has become the backbone of our AI strategy at Jane. Mark Hazlett, Chief AI Transformation Officer, Jane. Runlayer helped us unlock a new, fundamentally different way to do our jobs. Mike Wittig, CISO & CIO, Gusto.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s5 | Runlayer documentation: hosted or self-hosted AWS deployment “Runlayer runs as a hosted deployment or self-hosted in your own AWS account, integrating with existing Terraform and Kubernetes workflows.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s6 | Runlayer Trust Center (SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, GDPR; WorkOS identity, AWS), rendered this session “Compliance: SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, GDPR. Resources: SOC 2 Type II, Penetration Test, Access Control Policy, Cryptography Policy. Subprocessors: Amazon Web Services (ECS/EKS, RDS, S3, KMS, Secrets Manager); WorkOS - Auth & Identity (SSO/SAML, OIDC, SCIM 2.0 directory sync, MFA).” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s7 | Runlayer Series A blog (June 24 2026): $30M round, model-neutral platform, customers “We've raised a $30M Series A from Felicis and Khosla Ventures, bringing total funding to $42M. Since coming out of stealth 6 months ago, we've already signed some of the fastest-growing companies like Instacart, Gusto, Decagon, Opendoor, dbtLabs, AngelList, Lemonade, and a number of Fortune 500s.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s8 | SecurityWeek: Runlayer Raises $30 Million in Series A Funding “AI enablement and control platform Runlayer... According to Runlayer, its platform can also identify and block prompt injections, tool poisoning, data exfiltration, output manipulation, intent drift, shadow MCPs, and unmanaged agents.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s9 | TechCrunch on Runlayer's launch and the crowded MCP gateway category “Such security issues have given rise to numerous MCP security products, including products from big-name companies like Cloudflare, Docker, and Wiz. The most common type of MCP security product these days is a gateway.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s10 | The AI Insider on Runlayer leaving stealth with named enterprise customers and the MCP creator as advisor “The company was founded by serial entrepreneur Andrew Berman, known for building Nanit and the AI platform Vowel, which was acquired by Zapier in 2024. In just four months... Runlayer has signed dozens of customers, including major enterprises such as Gusto, dbt Labs, Instacart, and Opendoor.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s11 | New-TechEurope on the Rising in Cyber 2026 CISO survey “More than 70% of surveyed CISOs reported that AI agents are already operating in production environments within their organizations, yet only 11% described their existing AI security tools as comprehensive, effective, or best in class.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s12 | Gartner: MCP-based agentic AI raises new attack vectors and risk exposure “As organizations continue to build and integrate agentic AI applications using technologies such as Model Context Protocol (MCP), new attack vectors and immature security practices will significantly elevate risk exposure.” | research | 2026-07-06 |
| s13 | arXiv: MCPTox, a benchmark for tool poisoning attacks on real-world MCP servers “we investigate a more fundamental vulnerability: Tool Poisoning, where malicious instructions are embedded within a tool's metadata without execution.” | research | 2026-07-06 |
| s14 | Snowflake press release: definitive agreement to acquire Natoma, an enterprise MCP platform “today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Natoma, an enterprise Model Context Protocol (MCP) platform for AI agents. Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s15 | Check Point press release: acquires Lakera, an AI-native security platform for agentic AI “today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Lakera, one of the world's leading AI-native security platforms for Agentic AI applications.” | press | 2026-07-06 |
| s16 | Runlayer blog: official Cursor Hooks launch partner “Runlayer is an official Cursor Hooks launch partner. With Cursor Hooks, securely allow or deny MCP tool calls with Runlayer's enterprise MCP platform. Runlayer identifies shadow MCP usage and surfaces it before it becomes a problem.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
| s17 | Runlayer docs index (llms.txt): session monitoring, MDM provisioning, self-host deployment “AgentGuard: Session-level behavior monitoring that detects manipulation across an agent's full trajectory. Deploy automatic configuration provisioning to macOS devices managed by Mosyle Business. EKS + Terraform: Deploy production-ready Kubernetes infrastructure on AWS EKS using Terraform.” | official | 2026-07-06 |
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