Apono has secured a $34 million Series B round to strengthen its position in the fast-growing field of agentic identity security. The funding, led by U.S. Venture Partners with participation from Swisscom Ventures, Vertex Ventures, 33N Ventures, and existing investors, brings the company’s total capital raised to more than $54 million. Over the past year, the company has recorded a fourfold increase in its customer base, reflecting growing enterprise demand for dynamic cloud access solutions.
Eliminating Standing Privileges
Apono’s platform focuses on removing standing privileges, which have long been a structural weakness in identity and access management. Through Just-in-Time and Just-Enough-Access models, the system grants permissions dynamically based on real-time context and organizational rules. This setup allows teams to maintain productivity while significantly reducing risks associated with persistent access rights.
Building for Human and AI Identities
The company is developing its platform for a future where human identities and AI agents work side by side across complex cloud environments. As automated systems scale, the number of access requests rises sharply, making traditional static IAM approaches insufficient. Apono’s engine validates every request in real time, aiming to deliver both stronger security and smoother operational performance.
CEO Perspective on ZSP
Co-founder and CEO Rom Carmel notes that the rapid adoption of AI agents intensifies the challenge of managing access safely and at scale. He argues that Zero Standing Privilege enforced through dynamic access policies is the only sustainable approach for securing agentic operations. His view reflects the company’s belief that static, always-on permissions will fail to meet the needs of AI-driven enterprises.
Customer Adoption
Apono serves major clients such as Intel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Monday.com, which use the platform to secure access across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. These customers depend on Apono for compliance support, faster incident response, and tighter integration between security and engineering workflows. The company positions its platform as a bridge that aligns security enforcement with the speed expectations of modern development teams.
Board Expansion and Investor Outlook
As part of the Series B round, USVP General Partner Jacques Benkoski will join Apono’s board to contribute his long experience in scaling cybersecurity companies. Benkoski, who previously supported the growth of Trusteer, Medigate, and Kenna Security, sees Apono as a leader in the next wave of identity security innovation. He highlights the company’s dynamic and context-aware model as essential for securing human and machine identities in an AI-first era.
Product Roadmap and Global Expansion
The newly raised capital will accelerate development of AI-powered access intelligence, policy automation, and expanded product functionality. Apono also plans to grow its presence in the United States while entering new international markets to meet rising global demand. Additional funding will support the expansion of engineering and sales teams as the company scales its go-to-market efforts.
Presence at AWS re:Invent
Apono will showcase its platform at AWS re:Invent from December 1 to 5, 2025 in Las Vegas, where attendees will see live demonstrations of its dynamic access capabilities. The company aims to demonstrate how Zero Standing Privilege can be operationalized for both human users and AI agents. The event marks a strategic opportunity for Apono to deepen engagement with cloud-focused enterprises.
Apono’s $34 million Series B signals strong momentum for its vision of dynamic, real-time access management in the agentic era. As organizations integrate more AI-driven systems, the need to eliminate standing privileges and automate permissioning becomes increasingly urgent. With fresh capital, new leadership support, and growing enterprise traction, Apono is positioned to play a central role in shaping the future of cloud identity security.