Tel Aviv-based Torq, which operates an autonomous AI-powered security operations platform, raised $140M led by Merlin Ventures at a $1.2B valuation
The Israeli cybersecurity startup Torq is planning to announce Sunday that it has closed a $140 million funding round, raising its valuation to $1.2 billion.
Context & Ripple Effects
Torq's financing follows earlier coverage of its no-code security automation funding and a $70M Series C for security-workflow automation. The new round attaches a $1.2B valuation to the company’s autonomous AI-powered security-operations positioning.
The deal also arrives as Tel Aviv-based companies such as Daylight, an AI-native threat-detection platform, are raising capital around increasingly autonomous cyber-defense tools. That makes the round relevant as a funding benchmark within this specific segment, rather than simply another cybersecurity raise.
First-order effects
- Torq gains $140M of new capital and Merlin Ventures as lead investor, while its $1.2B valuation gives it a clearer financing benchmark for future fundraising and commercial positioning.
- The round strengthens Torq’s ability to invest in its autonomous security-operations platform relative to its prior workflow-automation footing.
Second-order effects
- AI-native security-operations vendors, including companies pursuing automated detection and containment, face a better-capitalized rival and increased pressure to show that autonomy produces operational value for customers.
- The valuation creates a sharper comparison point for investors assessing cyber companies that combine AI with security automation, including the mid-market-focused AI cybersecurity provider Coro.
Third-order effects
- If comparable rounds continue, security operations may shift from tools that assist analysts toward platforms expected to automate larger portions of detection, response, and workflow orchestration.
- Capital may increasingly concentrate in vendors that can demonstrate both AI capabilities and integration into customers’ existing security operations; whether that produces durable platform leaders remains dependent on adoption and execution.
The trend: Cybersecurity funding is increasingly favoring AI-native platforms that promise to automate security operations rather than merely add AI features to individual tools.