Business model of Sublime security

Category	Details
How Sublime Security Started	Founded in 2019 by Josh Kamdjou (former DOD offensive cyber specialist) and Ian Thiel (ex-Optimizely product leader). Launched publicly in 2023 with $9.8M seed funding led by Decibel Partners. Built the first open-source email security platform using Detection-as-Code methodology, allowing security teams to write custom rules instead of relying on vendor black boxes.
Present Condition	Achieved 100% ARR growth in H1 2025 with perfect enterprise customer retention. Raised $150M Series C (October 2025) led by Georgian, bringing total funding to ~$240M. Serves elite customers including Spotify, Netflix, Snowflake, Zscaler, SentinelOne, and British Gas. Deployed autonomous AI agents (ASA and ADE) that investigate threats in seconds and deploy custom defenses within hours.
Future of Company & Industry	Email security market projected to grow from $5.2 billion (2025) to $10.7 billion (2032) at 10.9% CAGR. AI-powered phishing attacks driving 60% success rates and $2.9 billion in BEC losses. Sublime positioned to capture significant market share as organizations abandon legacy solutions for autonomous, transparent AI defenses. Industry shifting from reactive signature-based security to proactive behavioral AI.
Opportunities for Young Entrepreneurs	Massive cybersecurity talent gap with 4.8 million unfilled positions globally. Growing demand for specialized security solutions in vertical industries (healthcare, finance, retail). Opportunities in AI-powered threat detection, security automation, compliance tools, and managed security services for SMEs. Cloud-native security architecture becoming standard, lowering barriers to market entry.
Market Share of Sublime Security	Private company with estimated 2-3% share of $5.2 billion email security market. Competing against established players like Proofpoint, Mimecast, Cisco, and Barracuda. Rapid customer acquisition among mid-market and enterprise segments. Perfect retention rate suggests strong competitive moat despite smaller market presence compared to legacy vendors with decades of installed base.
MOAT (Competitive Advantage)	Technology: First autonomous AI agent system for email security; transparent Detection-as-Code platform vs. vendor black boxes. Founder Expertise: CEO’s DOD offensive cyber background provides unique attacker perspective. Community: Open-source detection feed with peer-to-peer sharing via Git. Speed: Deploys custom defenses in hours vs. weeks for legacy vendors. Flexibility: Full customization and control for security teams vs. rigid vendor-controlled solutions.
How Sublime Security Makes Money	SaaS subscription model with two tiers: Core (Free): Open-source platform with community detection feed for individual security professionals and small teams. Enterprise (Paid): Premium features including autonomous AI agents (ASA/ADE), advanced analytics, custom integrations, attack surface reduction, priority support, and compliance tools. Revenue from annual/multi-year contracts with mid-market and enterprise customers based on email volume and features deployed.