Zenity raises $5M in seed funding to bring security and governance to low-code apps

Startup Zenity Ltd., which has built a governance and cybersecurity platform for low-code and no-code software applications, exited stealth mode today backed by $5 million in seed funding.

Vertex Ventures and UpWest led the round, with participation from industry executives including Gerhard Eschelbeck, a former chief information security officer at Google LLC, and Tom Fisher, the former chief information officer of SAP SE’s SuccessFactors.

Zenity is targeting the rising popularity of no-code and low-code development tools that enable business users with zero, or very basic coding skills to create applications quickly that can help them do their jobs. Such tools have become very common in the workplace, with the likes of Salesforce.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. through its Power Platform providing drag-and-drop interfaces that make it easy to put an application together in a matter of minutes.

While those apps are very functional and make life easier for the people who create them, the worry is they lack proper governance and security, which mean they could be vulnerable to exfiltration of sensitive data and other security risks.

Enter Zenity, which has created tools that can rapidly assess the business logic, security configuration, permissions model and data flows associated with any low-code or no-code app. Zenity works by continuously scanning each application component to identify any security policy violations and notify users if any problems show up. It also provides a way to mitigate potential issues and help set up a governance policy for entire organizations that can then be automatically enforced.

Zenity co-founder and Chief Executive Ben Kliger (pictured, left, next to co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Michael Bargury) said the company’s platform is needed because a lot of people are using low-code and no-code tools without realizing the risks involved.

“We empower CIOs and CISOs to seamlessly govern their low-code/no-code applications and prevent unintentional data leaks, disturbance to business continuity, compliance risks or malicious breaches,” he said.

Fisher said Zenity’s platform is unique in that it’s able to mitigate the risks of using low-code and no-code software without disrupting business users. “It provides the perfect combination of governance and security tools with a pro-business approach,” he explained.

Zenity said the funds will be used to expand its research and development efforts and drive growth through customer acquisition.

Photo: Zenity