Synack
American technology company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Synack is an American technology company based in Redwood City, California, United States.[1][2][3] The company uses a software-as-a-service platform to connect customers with freelance security researchers who conduct penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities.[4]
| |
Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Security |
| Founded | 2013 in California |
| Founders | Jay Kaplan, Mark Kuhr |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Jay Kaplan (CEO) |
| Products | Security assessment |
Number of employees | 250 (2020) |
| Website | synack.com |
Overview
Established in 2013 by former NSA agents Jay Kaplan and Mark Kuhr, Synack retains a network of security analysts, or white-hat hackers, in over 80 countries to identify software security issues, including flaws in generative artificial intelligence systems.[5][6][7][8] The company calls its approach “Penetration Testing as a Service,” a model similar to running bug bounty programs with added platform-based features like control of testing traffic.[9][10][11] In August 2025, Synack released an agentic AI penetration testing solution called Sara (Synack Autonomous Red Agent) that works alongside human security analysts on the Synack Red Team.[12] The company was also recognized by GigaOm's 2025 PTaaS Radar as both a leader and fast mover and in March 2026, Synack received Global InfoSec Awards for its AI-powered cybersecurity platform and its penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) offering.[13][14] In 2026, Synack published research with Omdia and Informa TechTarget, which found that while 95% of organizations prioritize penetration testing, they only test about 32% of their attack surface, on average.[15]
Synack customers include the Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of Defense, other government agencies and businesses in retail, finance, healthcare and manufacturing.[4][16][17] The company has also conducted security testing on military hardware, isolated networks in the Pentagon and U.S. election systems ahead of the presidential votes in 2020 and 2024.[18][19][20][21]
Funding
Synack is funded by 21 investors. In April 2014, the company announced it had secured Series A funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Google Ventures, Allegis Capital, and Derek Smith of Shape Security.[1][3][22] In February 2015, the company raised US$25 million in Series B funding.[1][23]
In April 2017, it raised $21M from Microsoft Ventures, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Singtel and prior investors.[6][8][24]
In May 2020, Synack announced it had raised $52M from investors led by C5 Capital and B Capital Group.[25]