From teen hacker to Iron Dome researcher, Ocean raises $28M to fight AI phishing with agentic email security
Shay Shwartz knows the dark side of email phishing all too well. As a teenager, he earned money as a hacker, but after getting caught at age 16, he turned his talents toward defense. Now, his startup Ocean has emerged from stealth with $28 million in funding to combat AI phishing using an agentic email security platform.
The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Picture Capital and Cerca Partners. High-profile angel investors also joined, including Wiz co-founder and CEO Assaf Rappaport, as well as Yevgeny Dibrov and Nadir Izrael, the co-founders of Armis, which recently sold to ServiceNow for $7.75 billion.
How Ocean tackles AI phishing with agentic security
Ocean claims its AI can thoroughly analyze the context of every incoming email to detect fraud and impersonation attempts. Unlike traditional vendors like Proofpoint and Mimecast, which focus on standard phishing detection, Ocean uses a small language model tailored to quickly analyze emails, understand the sender’s intent, and evaluate it against the user’s specific organizational context.
“This is like having a guard in every door,” Shwartz said. “This is how we make the inbox a safe place with high hygiene.” The platform is already reviewing billions of emails each month for customers, including Kayak, Kingston Technology, and Headspace.
Why AI phishing requires a new defensive approach
In the past, only highly sophisticated hackers could pull off spear-phishing due to the sheer amount of time, research, and manual labor needed to launch targeted attacks. However, AI has changed the game entirely. “AI just made the entire process automatic, so the scale is much, much bigger now,” Shwartz told TechCrunch. “I can instruct LLM to go and understand exactly who you are, harvest large amount of public information, and create those phishing attacks very targeted against you.”
This means that AI-powered attacks are now accessible to a wider range of malicious actors, increasing the urgency for advanced defense mechanisms. Ocean’s approach is designed to counter this new threat landscape by providing real-time, context-aware protection.
From hacker to Iron Dome researcher: Shwartz’s journey
Shwartz’s path to founding Ocean is unconventional. After his teenage hacking stint, he spent about a decade in top-tier cybersecurity roles, leading major projects for Israel’s elite defense and intelligence units, including work connected to the Iron Dome project. He later joined Axis, the startup later acquired by HPE. All along, he had been itching to launch his own startup, and two years ago, he finally took the plunge.
This background gives Ocean a unique edge in understanding both offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies. The company’s agentic email security platform is built to fight AI phishing attacks that traditional systems might miss.
How Ocean’s technology works
Ocean built a small language model specifically designed for email analysis. It examines the full context of each message, including the sender’s history, the content, and the recipient’s role within the organization. This allows it to detect subtle impersonation attempts and fraudulent requests that might otherwise slip through.
As a result, Ocean provides a layer of protection that adapts to each user’s unique communication patterns. Learn more about email security best practices to complement your defense strategy.
The future of email security in an AI-driven world
With the rise of generative AI, the threat landscape is evolving rapidly. Ocean’s funding round signals strong investor confidence in agentic security solutions. The startup plans to use the capital to expand its team and enhance its AI capabilities.
For businesses, the message is clear: traditional phishing defenses are no longer enough. Explore our guide to AI threat detection to understand how to stay ahead of emerging risks. Ocean’s approach represents a significant step forward in the fight against AI phishing.
In conclusion, Ocean’s emergence from stealth with $28 million marks a pivotal moment in cybersecurity. By combining the founder’s unique background with cutting-edge AI, the platform offers a promising solution to one of the most pressing digital threats today. Contact us to learn how Ocean can protect your organization.
