Welcome to The Trident Radar. Back for another weekly update!

Trident have had a busy start to September and so has the cyber market!

With a bunch of unexpected rounds popping up, we are in for a good month.

Let's dive in.

Arlington-based Shift5 just closed a big Series C for their op technology cybersecurity platform. Shift5 protects the backbone systems, protecting planes and combat ground vehicles to overseeing large-scale industrial equipment - basically everything that keeps critical infrastructure running.

Why this matters: OT security is still having its moment. With cyber attacks on critical infrastructure making headlines weekly, companies like Shift5 that protect the physical systems running our world, are seeing massive investor interest.

Tel Aviv's Sola Security landed a massive Series A for their self-serve cybersecurity platform. Founded by the ex-Cider Security team (Guy Flechter previously sold to CyberArk), they're building AI-powered tools that let organizations customize and manage security solutions using natural language.

Why this matters: This is the natural evolution of cybersecurity - making enterprise-grade security accessible to teams without deep technical expertise. With $93M total raised in just over a year, Sola is moving at Israeli startup speed, aka VERY fast.

The digital identity verification giant raised another growth round, bringing their total funding to over $814M. ID.me handles identity verification for government agencies and enterprises, processing millions of verifications monthly.

Why this matters: Digital identity verification laws are being implemented globally (rightly or wrongly), creating massive compliance-driven demand. From EU digital identity initiatives to state-level verification requirements in the US, companies like ID.me are riding a regulatory wave that's creating mandatory enterprise spending. Plus, they're increasingly targeted by attackers in retaliation to privacy restrictions - making their own security paramount.

Something's happening in the threat simulation space. Tidal Cyber ($10M Series A) and FireCompass ($20M venture round) both raised significant funding for threat-led defense platforms last week. These aren't traditional penetration testing companies - they're building continuous, automated red teaming that maps real adversary tactics to security stacks.

What's driving this: CISOs are tired of buying security tools without knowing if they actually work against real threats (just ask our CISO Advisory Board!). The new approach uses MITRE ATT&CK frameworks to continuously test defenses against known adversary behaviors. It's security validation on steroids.

Our data shows early stage deals are dominating the cybersecurity funding pipeline, with around 40%. But here's the kicker: Series B deals are averaging nearly $40m per round, up dramatically from historical norms. The market is bifurcating into early-stage innovation and mega-growth rounds for proven companies.

Translation: VCs are still betting on new cybersecurity approaches, but when companies prove traction, the money gets serious fast. The "Series B crunch" narrative doesn't apply in cybersecurity, if anything, growth rounds are getting bigger.

Our friends at HackNotice are taking the Intel world by storm. Instead of dumping dark web alerts on security teams, they notify actual employees when their credentials are compromised and help them take action.

Why this works: Most threat intel is noise. HackNotice filters for what matters to your organization - your domains, your people, your suppliers. When your marketing manager's password shows up on a hacker forum, they get a personalized alert, not just another SOC ticket.

The timing: They're hitting their stride as organizations realize waiting for breach notifications is too late. They're in that proven traction meets scale opportunity sweet spot.

Bottom line: While everyone builds detection tools, HackNotice builds prevention intelligence. That's upstream thinking that wins markets.

Founding Sales Lead - Credential Protection Platform | NYC/Remote
Bootstrapped to $400K+ ARR in 8 months. Building the first technical response to credential theft with "phish back" technology. $150K base.
Contact: [email protected]

Account Executive - Threat Intelligence Platform | NYC/Remote
Series A threat-led defense company. Maps adversary behavior to security stacks. $350K OTE.
Contact: [email protected]

Founding Account Executive - Cloud Security | Seattle/Remote
Ex-Amazon founders building a cloud security platform. Configure any security control across AWS/Azure/GCP. Ground floor opportunity. $300K OTE.
Contact: [email protected]

VP of Sales - Identity Security | NYC
Identity security platform scaling rapidly. Seeking sales leadership with proven track record scaling enterprise teams. $450K OTE.
Contact: [email protected]

Head of Marketing - WAF Security | London/Remote
Seed-stage web application firewall company building marketing function from ground up. $200K + 25% bonus.
Contact: [email protected]

Ready to make your next move? These roles won't stay open long.

For Security Vendors: The OT security wave is real - critical infrastructure protection is becoming mandatory, not optional. If you're not thinking about operational technology, you're missing a massive market shift.

For Enterprise Buyers: Red teaming and continuous threat validation are moving from nice-to-have to must-have. The days of buying security tools without proving they work against real attacks are ending.

For Investors: The cybersecurity funding pipeline remains incredibly healthy, but it's becoming more bifurcated. Seed deals are plentiful, but successful companies are raising monster growth rounds. Pick your spots carefully.

Keep your eyes on:

Have market intelligence to share? Our network sees deals before they're announced, hiring freezes before they're public, and technology shifts before they hit the headlines.

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Editor: Ryan Keeley | London