Oak secures $60 million for an AI-driven identity platform.

      Many companies still struggle to identify who or what has access to their systems at any particular time. Oak, an Israeli startup, has secured $60 million to address this issue, asserting that the urgency is heightened by AI agents.

      The company emerged from stealth mode with this seed funding. Its goal is to create an "identity operating system": a centralized control mechanism that manages every identity within an organization, whether it belongs to a person, a machine, or an AI agent.

      Identity as a Focus Area

      Identity serves as the entry point for any organization, making it a prime target for cyber attackers. However, most companies operate using a mosaic of outdated tools designed for human employees and sluggish systems, lagging behind the surge of machine and agent accounts.

      Oak aims to replace this disarray. Its software connects to any platform, develops a real-time map of every identity based on actual behavior, and removes unused access. This process occurs continuously rather than during an annual review.

      A Serial Entrepreneur's New Venture

      The real gamble is on the team behind Oak. CEO Shai Morag has founded and sold three security companies, including Ermetic, which was acquired by Tenable for $265 million in 2023, according to TechCrunch. His total exits amount to approximately $500 million.

      "Our vision is to emerge as a major player," Morag remarked. He informed his wife that Oak would be his final venture, stating, "I will either go big or go home."

      This funding round was co-led by Accel, Greylock, and CRV, and was initially reported by Calcalist. It stands as one of the largest seed rounds ever raised by an Israeli cybersecurity firm. Oak currently employs around 50 people and has paying enterprise clients.

      An Identity Gold Rush

      Oak is not the only player in this space. Identity has emerged as one of the most dynamic areas of security, attracting the attention of major companies. Recently, Palo Alto Networks announced its acquisition of CyberArk, illustrating the value of this sector.

      The catalyst for this shift is AI. As agents begin to operate independently, the industry is racing to determine how to grant them identities. Researchers have already managed to manipulate agents into exposing sensitive code and even executing a ransomware attack. Companies are eager to gain control over these bots before the situation escalates.

      Oak believes that everything, from employee logins to voice-activated assistants akin to Alexa, will eventually be managed under one umbrella. Morag predicts that the leading entities in this domain could be worth "tens and even hundreds of billions."

      Published on July 16, 2026, at 2:33 PM UTC.