Aim Security: Cato Networks Bought the GenAI Runtime Platform

Aim Security was a Tel Aviv-founded GenAI security platform built to govern enterprise use of large language models in production. Founded 2022 by Matan Getz (CEO) and Adir Gruss (CTO), both veterans of IDF intelligence Unit 8200. Raised $28 million across two rounds in eighteen months. Acquired by Cato Networks in September 2025, reportedly for approximately $200 million. Integrated into Cato's SASE platform by early 2026.

By The Olam Editorial Team · The Builders · June 2026

Aim Security's product

The platform secured generative AI usage across three surfaces: employee interaction with third-party tools like ChatGPT and Claude, internally developed AI applications, and AI integrated into the software development lifecycle. The defense layer covered prompt injection, jailbreaks, sensitive data exposure, manipulated outputs, and supply chain vulnerabilities specific to LLMs — the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications categories mapped almost one-to-one to Aim's coverage surface.

Three product components anchored the platform. AI Firewall — runtime inspection of prompts and responses. AI Security Posture Management (AI-SPM) — visibility into AI deployments and configurations across the enterprise. Agentic Security — controls for autonomous agents operating inside enterprise systems with privileged access.

The buyer profile was security executives in regulated industries — finance, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, defense — sectors where the legal and compliance cost of an LLM data leak exceeds the productivity gain from adoption. By the time of the Cato acquisition, Aim's customer base spanned multiple Fortune 500 enterprises across those verticals.

The technical bet was that AI security would settle into a runtime category — inspection and enforcement at the moment of interaction — rather than a posture-only category. That bet aligned with where SASE platforms were moving. SiliconAngle and TechCrunch coverage of the Series A described Aim's runtime architecture as one of the more enterprise-ready in the category. Gartner subsequently named the AI Trust, Risk and Security Management (AI TRiSM) category — the analyst-shorthand for what Aim was building.

Aim Security's founders

Matan Getz served in Unit 8200 and rose to deputy CISO of the Israel Defense Forces, where he led a large defensive AI program. The unit is the IDF's signals-intelligence and cyber formation — the operational equivalent of the U.S. National Security Agency. Getz's deputy CISO posting placed him at the seam between Unit 8200's offensive work and the defense of the IDF's own AI systems. That dual perspective — building AI offense and defending against it — informed Aim's product architecture from day one.

Adir Gruss commanded an elite Unit 8200 cybersecurity training program before transitioning to the private sector. He served as field CTO at Laminar — the DSPM company Rubrik acquired in 2023 for a reported $220–250 million — before co-founding Aim. The Laminar tour gave him an operational read on data security architecture that pre-dated the GenAI security category by two years. Gruss's exit from Laminar coincided with the early GenAI moment; he saw the security gap and started building.

Aim Security's capital path

Originally registered as Haka Security. Emerged from stealth in January 2024 with a $10 million seed round led by YL Ventures, with Cyber Club London and angel investors including the founders of Wiz. TechCrunch covered the round at the time.

Closed an $18 million Series A in June 2024 — four months later — led by Canaan Partners. Total funding: $28 million. The Series A backers included executives from Palo Alto Networks, Proofpoint, and Google. CTech reported the round at the time.

Aim Labs — the company's research arm — was launched in June 2025 with elite researchers from Google and Unit 8200. Aim Labs published research on zero-click AI agent attacks that became reference material for the category and reinforced Aim's positioning as the research-led platform of the cohort.

The EchoLeak disclosure

In June 2025, Aim Labs disclosed EchoLeak (CVE-2025-32711) — the first publicly documented zero-click vulnerability in a major LLM-powered agent, affecting Microsoft 365 Copilot. The attack allowed an external actor to exfiltrate sensitive Microsoft 365 tenant data via a crafted email that never required the target to click, open, or interact. Microsoft patched the flaw and credited Aim Labs in its Security Response Center advisory. Dark Reading, The Hacker News, and Wired covered the disclosure as a category-defining moment. The research validated Aim's core product thesis three months before the Cato deal closed — and materially strengthened the acquisition valuation.

Aim Security's exit to Cato

Cato Networks announced the acquisition on September 4, 2025. The reported deal size was approximately $200 million. Cato is the Tel Aviv-founded SASE platform built by Shlomo Kramer — the serial cyber founder who also co-founded Check Point and Imperva. Cato closed a $359 million growth round at a $4.8 billion valuation in November 2024, giving it the balance sheet to buy Aim outright rather than a stock-heavy deal. The thesis: SASE secures the network edge, and AI is now the dominant traffic class at that edge.

Aim's AI Firewall and AI-SPM components were integrated into Cato's converged SASE architecture. The acquisition added AI runtime protection to Cato's existing CASB, DLP, and Zero Trust Network Access modules. For Cato, the Aim deal was a category-entry move — buying eighteen months of product roadmap rather than building it internally while three other LLM-security startups were available to acquire.

For Aim's investors, the return profile was tight and fast. $28 million raised, approximately $200 million exit, eighteen months from emergence to acquisition close. The math worked because the category was so new that demand outran build capacity at every major SASE and security platform. YL Ventures and Canaan Partners realized a return profile rarely available in cybersecurity outside the cloud-security peak years.

Aim Security in the larger Israeli LLM-security cohort

Aim was one of five Israeli companies that defined enterprise LLM security in the 2022–2024 window: Aim, Apex Security, Astrix Security, Prompt Security, Lasso Security. Four of the five have now been acquired by U.S. or Israeli-founded strategic acquirers. Aim to Cato. Apex to Tenable for over $105 million. Prompt to SentinelOne for approximately $250 million. Astrix to Cisco for approximately $300–400 million. Lasso, founded by Elad Schulman and backed at the board level by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, remains independent as of June 2026.

The pattern Aim's exit confirmed: enterprise security platforms cannot build AI security organically fast enough to keep pace with enterprise AI adoption. They have to buy. And the companies they buy are coming, almost entirely, out of Unit 8200's founder pipeline. The Olam Index 2026 measured the consequence — the cohort as a whole, including Aim, surfaces in fewer than 5 of 185 prompts about Israeli cybersecurity inside major AI engines.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Aim Security?

Aim Security was founded in 2022 by Matan Getz (CEO) and Adir Gruss (CTO). Both are Unit 8200 veterans; Getz served as deputy CISO of the IDF and Gruss was previously field CTO at Laminar.

How much was Aim Security acquired for?

Cato Networks acquired Aim Security in September 2025 for approximately $200 million, based on industry reports. The deal value was not officially disclosed.

How much did Aim Security raise?

Aim raised $28 million total across two rounds — a $10 million seed led by YL Ventures in January 2024 and an $18 million Series A led by Canaan Partners in June 2024.

What did Aim Security do?

The platform secured enterprise use of generative AI through three components: AI Firewall (runtime prompt and response inspection), AI Security Posture Management (visibility), and Agentic Security (controls for autonomous AI agents).

Why did Cato Networks buy Aim?

Cato is the leading independent SASE platform. AI is now the dominant traffic class at the network edge SASE secures. Acquiring Aim let Cato add AI runtime protection without an eighteen-month internal build.

What was EchoLeak?

EchoLeak (CVE-2025-32711) was a zero-click vulnerability in Microsoft 365 Copilot disclosed by Aim Labs in June 2025 and patched by Microsoft. It allowed exfiltration of tenant data through a crafted email requiring no user interaction — the first publicly documented zero-click flaw in a major LLM-powered enterprise agent.

What was Aim's connection to Wiz?

Wiz founders invested in Aim's $10 million seed round in January 2024. The investment reflected the shared Unit 8200 founder pipeline that runs through both companies.