CyberRidge, a photonic encryption technology and security startup, has emerged from stealth with $26 million in total funding. CyberRidge's flagship product is a plug-and-play photonic layer transmission system that integrates with existing fiber infrastructure and transforms data into encrypted optical noise — making it immune to traditional tapping tools, quantum analysis, or any attempt to capture and postprocess.
According to the company, the only way to recompose the data is with a proprietary photonic key that changes every fraction of a second and must be present at the exact moment the light signal arrives. Without it, the data is lost forever.
The technology is already being deployed across telecommunications providers, defense, and intelligence agencies. Early-stage deployments are underway in Europe, Singapore, and Australia, including a rollout with Israel's military intelligence unit.
CyberRidge's tech offers an alternative to what it calls "software-based solutions" like post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and "physics-intensive approaches" like quantum key distribution (QKD) at a time when the cybersecurity industry, along with governments, military organizations, and critical infrastructure operators are preparing for the "post-quantum" era. CyberRidge's real-time, photonics-based protection is designed to be complementary to PQC and QKD, avoiding dependence on mathematical assumptions and protecting the entire payload data together with the key, according to the company.
Founded by entrepreneur, optical communications expert, and Ben-Gurion University professor Dan Sadot, CyberRidge's team includes 30 employees and partners across Israel, Switzerland, and the U.S. The company was recently awarded a flagship grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC), selected out of more than 1400 companies for its potential to redefine secure communications infrastructure in the EU and beyond.
The current funding includes a $10 million seed investment led by Canadian-Israeli global investment group Awz, followed by an additional $16 million extension from Arkin Capital, Redseed VC, Elron Ventures, and the EU Horizon-EIC program.