Israeli cybersecurity startup Cynet announced Thursday that it has made Boston its North American headquarters. The company already has 40 local employees and plans to more than double its headcount here by the end of 2022, according to Lena Vatmacher, Cynet’s global HR director.
Vatmacher cited the city’s prominent universities and “thriving culture” as just a few of the reasons Cynet settled on Boston.
“Boston’s large talent pool combined with its strong reputation as one of the fastest growing tech hubs in the country makes it the perfect place to put down roots in the U.S.,” Vatmacher told Built In via email. “The city is attractive to young professionals and seasoned executives alike, so potential candidates may consider relocating to Boston from other parts of the country.”
In addition to the expansion, Cynet announced that it has added two industry veterans to its leadership team — Mark Eaton and Daniel Klein. Eaton, who has spent time at companies Mimecast and OwnBackup, is coming on as Cynet’s VP of sales; and Klein, a former executive at Cambridge-based cybersecurity company Obscure, is the startup’s new chief business officer.
“We are excited to welcome leaders with extraordinary skills in the cybersecurity space to spearhead our expansion,” Cynet co-founder and CEO Eyal Gruner said in a statement, adding that Klein’s “impressive history” as a tech executive and Eaton’s “proven track record for sustainable hypergrowth” will allow Cynet to continue to help the “many, many, many lean security teams who need it most.”
Indeed, cybersecurity has been top-of-mind for companies large and small lately. Ransomware attacks have affected virtually every industry, from oil to meat production to healthcare — and that’s just been over the summer. However, many small companies don’t have the millions of dollars needed to pay a ransom, and are often left with a fraction of the cybersecurity resources a Fortune 500 company might have.
Cynet’s platform was created for these exact businesses, and is designed to automatically detect, investigate and respond to any incoming cyberthreats. Founded in 2015, the company raised a $40 million Series C in March and has been experiencing “exponential growth,” according to Gruner. Sales are expected to double from last year, then double again in 2022.
Cynet has offices in Israel, Ukraine, Italy and the United Kingdom. Going forward, Vatmacher says its Boston jobs will be focused on its go-to-market strategy, which includes sales, pre-sales, marketing, business development, customer success and customer support.
