Founder Raised $28M to Combat AI Phishing

The Rise of Ocean: Combating AI Phishing

Shay Shwartz, a former teen hacker, has raised $28 million for his startup Ocean, which aims to combat AI-powered phishing attacks. Shwartz's journey from a teenage hacker to a cybersecurity expert, including work on Israel's Iron Dome project, led him to create an agentic email security platform.

Shwartz's Background and Motivation

• Shay Shwartz was a teenage hacker who got caught at age 16.
• He shifted his focus to preventing cyber attacks, working with Israel's elite defense and intelligence units.
• He joined Axis, a startup later acquired by HPE, before launching Ocean.

The Funding and Support

• Ocean raised $28 million in funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
• Other participants include Picture Capital and Cerca Partners.
• High-profile angel investors, such as Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport, also joined the round.

The Problem: AI-Powered Phishing Attacks

Shwartz argues that AI requires a different defensive approach than traditional phishing attacks. AI can automate the process of launching targeted attacks, making it easier for hackers to impersonate individuals.

Ocean's Solution: AI-Driven Email Security

Ocean claims its AI can thoroughly analyze the context of every incoming email to detect fraud and impersonation attempts. The startup is already reviewing billions of emails each month for customers like Kayak, Kingston Technology, and Headspace.

The Future Outlook

With the funding, Ocean aims to make the inbox a safe place with high hygiene, using a small language model tailored to quickly analyze emails and understand the sender's intent. This approach could revolutionize email security and protect against AI-powered phishing attacks.