Five cybersecurity startups. A panel of CISOs, investors, marketing and revenue leaders. And a chance to prove that what they've built can solve a problem security practitioners actually care about.
That's the idea behind LaunchPad, the startup competition at CYBR.SEC.CON 2026 in Houston Sept. 15-16:
Bill Brenner
As we outlined when we introduced the five finalists last week, LaunchPad is designed to give promising early-stage cybersecurity companies something they don't always get: direct exposure to the people who buy, use, evaluate, fund and help bring security products to market.
The five finalists will pitch their companies during CYBR.SEC.CON, where they'll be evaluated on the problem they're solving, the strength of the technology, market opportunity, differentiation and their ability to turn an idea into a sustainable cybersecurity business.
But a pitch can only tell you so much.
So ahead of CYBR.SEC.CON, CYBR.SEC.Media is profiling each of the five LaunchPad finalists individually. We're asking the founders what problem pushed them to build their companies, who they're building for, what separates their approach from what's already on the market and what success looks like from the perspective of the security practitioner.
We start with Above Security, which is taking aim at one of cybersecurity's most persistent problems: insider risk.
Above Security's premise is that insider-risk management has historically been something only the largest enterprises, financial institutions and government organizations could do effectively because it required teams of analysts investigating employee activity. AI, the company argues, changes those economics by making it possible to continuously analyze employee behavior, understand context and intervene before risky actions become security incidents.
Just as important, Above Security isn't approaching every employee as a potential malicious insider. The company's model is built around the idea that many insider-risk events start with well-intentioned people making mistakes — and that security teams have an opportunity to correct those behaviors in real time rather than simply investigate them afterward.
Here's our Q&A with Above Security Orel Agmon Halido:
What problem did you see in the market that convinced you this company needed to exist?
Orel: Insider risk remains one of the biggest unsolved problems in cybersecurity. Historically, effective insider-risk programs were only available to large banks, governments and intelligence organizations because they required teams of analysts constantly investigating incidents after the fact.
AI changed that equation. It gives us the ability to process information quickly and understand context and intent at scale. With the right architecture and approach, organizations of any size can now address insider risk proactively rather than relying on expensive investigations after an incident has already occurred.
We created Above Security to make enterprise-grade insider-risk protection accessible across industries including banking, manufacturing, retail and healthcare.
Who is the ideal customer for your solution?
Orel: Our ideal customers are organizations with more than 1,000 employees. At that scale, it becomes difficult to understand employee behavior across multiple offices, regions and teams.
We are industry agnostic because insider risk exists everywhere. However, organizations with sensitive information — whether intellectual property, customer data, sales information or other business-critical assets — tend to see the greatest value.
Most of our customers operate heavily in cloud environments and need better visibility into employee behavior and risk.
What makes your approach fundamentally different from other security vendors?
Orel: Traditional approaches such as DLP and UEBA focus on file movement or mathematical models that attempt to identify anomalies. Our approach is different in two ways.
First, we continuously analyze employee activity using what is effectively a fleet of AI analysts. The platform learns normal behavior, understands context and identifies actions that may create risk.
Second, we provide real-time coaching. Most insider-risk events are not malicious. They are mistakes. If someone is about to use an unapproved AI application, engage in risky behavior or interact with a phishing attempt, we intervene immediately and explain why the action is risky.
The combination of continuous AI-driven analysis and real-time employee coaching is our core differentiator.
Can you share a customer story or proof point?
Orel: One of our early proof-of-value engagements demonstrated the effectiveness of the platform very quickly. Within the first week, we uncovered employee behaviors and risks that the customer had previously been unable to identify.
The customer gained visibility into shadow AI usage, risky employee actions and other insider-risk indicators that were invisible to existing tools. The ability to identify those risks and immediately coach users created significant value and validated our approach.
What is the biggest misconception buyers have about the problem you're solving?
Orel: Many organizations assume insider risk is primarily a malicious-insider problem. In reality, most incidents occur because well-intentioned employees make mistakes.
Organizations often focus on detection after the fact. We believe the greater opportunity is preventing risky behavior before it turns into an incident through context-aware visibility and real-time guidance.
What has been the hardest challenge in building the company?
Orel: One of the biggest challenges has been helping organizations understand that insider-risk management is no longer reserved for governments and large financial institutions.
AI now makes it possible to deliver capabilities that once required large teams of analysts. Educating the market about that shift and helping organizations embrace a more proactive approach has been an important part of building the company.
What milestone would tell you the company is succeeding a year from now?
Orel: Success would mean widespread adoption among enterprise customers and clear evidence that organizations are preventing insider-risk incidents before they occur.
We want customers to view Above Security as an essential part of their security strategy rather than simply another monitoring tool. If organizations are using our platform to reduce risk, educate employees and improve security culture, we will know we're succeeding.
Why is now the right time for this company and solution?
Orel: AI has dramatically changed both the threat landscape and the ability to defend against it. Organizations are dealing with shadow AI, insider risk, phishing and other employee-driven security challenges at unprecedented scale.
At the same time, AI finally gives us the ability to understand context and intent in ways that were previously impossible. That combination makes this the right moment for a new approach to insider-risk management.
What does success look like for the security practitioner using your solution every day?
Orel: Success means having confidence that employee-related risk is being identified and addressed before it becomes an incident.
Security teams gain visibility into behavior, employees receive guidance when they need it, and organizations reduce risk without creating unnecessary friction. The result is a stronger security culture and fewer incidents caused by human error.
