Operant AI, an early stage startup specializing in runtime protection for cloud applications, APIs, and AI systems, has banked $10 million in venture capital funding.

The San Francisco company said the Series A investment was provided by SineWave Ventures, Felicis, Alumni Ventures, Massive, Calm Ventures and Gaingels. Operant AI has raised a total of $13.5 million since its public launch in April 2023.

Founded by veteran software engineers Vrajesh Bhavsar and Priyanka Tembey, Operant AI has ambitious plans to offer a runtime application platform that actively shields every layer of live applications from malicious attackers. 

The company and its investors are betting there’s a significant market for runtime application protection tools to replace traditional static security measures that analyze code before deployment. The technology promises real-time visibility and protection across multiple layers of cloud applications, including APIs, services, and AI components. 

Operant AI claims its solution can block more than 80% of common runtime attacks, including those listed in the OWASP Top 10, without requiring significant code changes or instrumentation.

Patricia Muoio, partner at SineWave Ventures and former NSA/DoD leader, and Nancy Wang, Venture Partner at Felicis and former AWS Data Protection Director, will join Operant AI’s Board of Directors.

“Real runtime protection is the future,” said Patricia Muoio, partner at SineWave Ventures and Operant AI’s lead investor. [These] innovations completely change what security teams can expect from a runtime protection platform [and] brings a level of security to modern app development that is urgent and extremely valuable.”

Operant AI said the new capital will be used on staff and product expansion.

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