Synack is a cybersecurity technology company that provides a SaaS platform for Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), connecting organizations with a global network of vetted white-hat hackers and AI tools to identify vulnerabilities in software, networks, and AI systems.[1][2][4] It serves high-stakes clients including the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Fortune 500 companies in finance, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing, as well as election systems and military hardware, solving the problem of scalable, continuous security testing amid rising cyber threats.[2][4][5] Synack's growth includes over $112 million raised across funding rounds, with a $52 million Series D in 2021 led by C5 Capital and B Capital Group, and recognition as a 4-time CNBC Disruptor 50 company.[5][6][7]
Synack was founded in 2013 in Redwood City, California (Silicon Valley), by Jay Kaplan (CEO) and Dr. Mark Kuhr (CTO), both former NSA and U.S. Department of Defense security experts who protected national assets from cyber and kinetic attacks.[1][2][4][6] Their idea emerged from a shared vision to revolutionize pentesting by blending human expertise with a scalable platform, moving beyond traditional on-site methods to a crowdsourced, remote model.[1][5] Early traction came from securing government agencies and critical infrastructure, evolving into a platform with over 1,500 ethical hackers across 80+ countries and AI integration for efficiency.[2][5][6]
Synack stands out through its hybrid human-AI platform, delivering continuous, trusted pentesting at scale. Key features include:
Synack rides the shift to continuous, AI-augmented pentesting in a market projected to reach $9.6 billion by 2023, driven by digital transformation, remote work vulnerabilities post-COVID, and AI-generated risks like novel attack paths.[5][6][8] Its timing aligns with escalating cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, enabling organizations to scale testing without on-site constraints—vital for governments and enterprises facing relentless threats.[2][6] Synack influences the ecosystem by pioneering agentic pentesting (AI-human collaboration), setting standards for proactive defense and influencing compliance in sectors like defense and finance.[4][8]
Synack is poised to dominate AI-era cybersecurity with expansions like agentic pentest offerings, where AI like Sara conducts full-scope tests alongside human Red Team experts, targeting business logic flaws and shadow IT.[8] Trends such as AI-driven threats, zero-trust architectures, and regulatory demands for continuous validation will fuel growth, potentially expanding into more generative AI security and global compliance services.[2][8] Its influence may evolve from niche defender to ecosystem standard-setter, empowering even smaller firms against sophisticated attacks—unleashing elite talent to secure the digital world, as its founders envisioned.[1]
Synack has raised $108.0M in total across 5 funding rounds.
Synack's investors include 43, AllegisCyber Capital, AngelList, Ballistic Ventures, B Capital Group, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, Byers Capital, Alan Cohen, Glencrest Group, Karim Faris, GV.
Synack has raised $108.0M across 5 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $52.0M Series D in May 2020.
