From teen hacker to Iron Dome researcher, this founder raised $28M to fight AI phishing | The BriefWire
From teen hacker to Iron Dome researcher, this founder raised $28M to fight AI phishing
Published on 5/19/2026, 9:08:51 PM
Key points
Shay Shwartz knows a lot about email phishing attacks.
As a teenager, he made money as a hacker, but after getting caught at age 16, he realized he could use his cyber talents to prevent attacks rather than launch them.
He went on to spend about a decade in top-tier cybersecurity roles, leading major projects for Israel’s elite defense and intelligence units, including work connected to the Iron Dome project, before joining Axis, the startup later acquired by HPE.
All along, he had been itching to launch his own startup, and two years ago, he finally took the plunge.
His startup Ocean, an agentic email security platform built to fight AI-powered attacks, just emerged from stealth mode with $28 million in total funding.
Quick context: Shay Shwartz knows a lot about email phishing attacks.
The BriefWire