Cybersecurity remains a hot topic for businesses seeking better protection from cyber threats, and venture capitalists are eager to get involved. Upwind, a company specializing in assessing and securing cloud infrastructure, is close to finalizing a $100 million funding round with a valuation between $850 million and $900 million after the investment. This round includes a mix of new and existing investors like Craft Ventures, Greylock, Cyberstarts, Leaders Fund, Sheva Fund, and Penny Jar, an investment fund led by basketball star Stephen Curry.

The Series B funding round follows Upwind’s success in attracting “dozens” of Fortune 500 companies and growing its team to around 160 employees. Founded by Amiram Shachar, who previously sold his cloud spend management startup Spot.io for $450 million, Upwind is part of the wave of cybersecurity startups emerging from Israel with expertise in military intelligence. The company plans to use the funding for research and development, as well as hiring around 100 new employees in Israel, San Francisco, and Iceland.

Upwind focuses on addressing vulnerabilities in cloud infrastructure through a platform approach, aiming to reduce the overwhelming number of alerts generated by threat detection tools by 90%. This allows security teams to concentrate on real threats and respond more effectively. The company’s technology covers a range of areas including cloud services, workloads, and applications, all interconnected to provide a comprehensive cybersecurity solution.