Most large-scale cybersecurity breaches can be traced back to a simple issue: unauthorized access. Whether it’s stolen credentials, over-permissioned administrator accounts, or inactive machine identities left exposed after projects end, excessive access remains one of the biggest security risks for enterprises.
For decades, organizations have relied on traditional privileged access management (PAM) tools such as password vaults, credential rotation, and layered approval workflows. These systems were designed for on-premise infrastructure and smaller IT teams. However, today’s enterprise environments are far more complex.
Modern businesses manage tens of thousands of identities—human users, machine accounts, and AI-driven agents—across cloud platforms, SaaS applications, internal systems, and automated workflows. Access is no longer static; it changes constantly. As a result, legacy access control models are struggling to keep pace.
Venice Emerges From Stealth With $33 Million in Funding
Venice, formerly known as Valkyrie, is entering the cybersecurity market with a bold vision: eliminate standing privileges entirely. The company announced $33 million in total funding, including a $25 million Series A round led by IVP. Additional investors include Index Ventures, Vine Ventures, Holly Ventures, and prominent angel investors such as Assaf Rappaport (Wiz), Dor Knafo, and Gil Azrielant (Axis Security).
Venice’s core mission is simple yet transformative—grant access only when needed and revoke it immediately afterward.
Permanent access creates long-term risk. Industry data shows that 86% of data breaches involve compromised or stolen credentials. When access remains active indefinitely, every credential becomes a potential vulnerability.
Rotem Lurie, co-founder and CEO of Venice, explained the company’s approach:
Organizations are operating at unprecedented speed. Environments evolve rapidly, and AI is accelerating both business processes and cyber threats. Access control must move just as fast. Venice delivers real-time access that exists only when required and disappears the moment it is no longer necessary.
Built by Identity Security Experts
Venice’s leadership team brings deep expertise in identity and access management. Rotem Lurie previously led product at Axis Security and earned recognition in Forbes 30 Under 30. Co-founder and CTO Or Vaknin was part of the founding teams at Transmit Security and Flow Security. Together, they have extensive experience designing identity systems for high-growth cybersecurity companies.
This experience shapes Venice’s platform architecture. Unlike traditional PAM solutions that depend on agents, proxies, or heavy deployment layers, Venice operates through a centralized control plane. The platform discovers identities and permissions across cloud, SaaS, on-premise, and AI-powered environments, then applies contextual, real-time access controls.
The result is full visibility into who—or what—has access to critical systems at any moment.
Addressing the Rise of Machine and AI Identities
The timing of Venice’s launch aligns with a major shift in enterprise security. Machine identities now outnumber human users in many organizations. Every automated workflow, API integration, and AI agent operates with its own set of permissions.
Static access policies cannot adapt quickly enough to this level of complexity.
Cack Wilhelm, General Partner at IVP, emphasized this challenge, noting that enterprises can no longer depend on fixed access controls in environments where identities change by the second and AI accelerates attack vectors. Venice’s adaptive model aims to establish a new benchmark for enterprise identity security.
Early Enterprise Adoption and Measurable Impact
Venice reports that it is already working with Fortune 500 companies across industries such as finance, healthcare, manufacturing, media, hospitality, and technology. According to the company, customers have achieved a 99% reduction in standing privileges after implementing its model.
If scalable, this shift represents a major departure from traditional privileged access management systems that rely heavily on credential vaulting and periodic access reviews.
Headquartered in Tel Aviv and New York, Venice also stands out for its workforce diversity, with women representing 40% of its team—an impressive figure in the cybersecurity sector.
The Future of Privileged Access Management
Privileged Access Management has historically been dominated by large vendors and slow innovation cycles. Many enterprises accepted friction-heavy solutions simply to meet compliance requirements.
However, AI-driven environments are changing the equation. Dynamic systems require dynamic security controls.
Venice is advocating for a fundamental transformation: access should exist only at the precise moment it is required and disappear immediately afterward. No lingering permissions. No permanent exposure.
As identity-based attacks continue to drive enterprise breaches, real-time, adaptive access control may become essential—not optional. If that trend continues, Venice’s zero-standing-privilege model could reshape the future of enterprise cybersecurity.
Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape.