Knostic recognized for overcoming today’s biggest AI security challenge with innovative approach to eliminate enterprise AI data leaks
HERNDON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Knostic, the world’s first provider of need-to-know access controls for Generative AI, has been named one of the Top 10 Finalists for the RSAC™ 2025 Conference Innovation Sandbox contest for its work in securing enterprise large language models (LLMs) at scale. Knostic will present its technology to a panel of renowned industry judges and a live in-person audience on Monday, April 28 at RSAC™ 2025 Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
The RSAC™ Innovation Sandbox contest, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, has become the world’s premier showcase for the cybersecurity startup community as promising young cybersecurity companies showcase their groundbreaking technologies and compete for the title of “Most Innovative Startup.” The competition is widely recognized as a catapult for success as the Top 10 Finalists have collectively celebrated more than 90 acquisitions and received $16.4 billion in investments over the last 19 years. Knostic will have three minutes to pitch the panel of judges before a question-and-answer round. For the first time, each of the Top 10 Finalists in 2025 will receive a $5 million investment to drive cybersecurity innovation.
“As we enter a new age of threats, innovation and new technologies are critical to achieving a safer society,” said Cecilia Marinier, Vice President, Innovation & Scholars, RSAC. “The RSAC™ Innovation Sandbox contest is an unparalleled opportunity for both the industry and the entrepreneur to highlight industry-changing solutions, companies, and entrepreneurs.”
While the intersection of AI and security is broad, the risk of data leakage from enterprise AI search tools – such as Copilot for Microsoft 365, Glean, and Gemini – is one of the most significant challenges that CISOs face in the deployment and widespread adoption of AI in the enterprise. These tools lack the in-depth access controls required to ensure that query responses align with the user’s need-to-know boundaries. Without proper controls, these tools open the door to “oversharing” through the discovery of improperly secured sensitive files within the organization’s environment.
Knostic enables enterprises to safely adopt AI through setting need-to-know based access controls. The knowledge-centric capabilities enable organizations to accelerate the adoption of LLMs and agents, and drive AI-powered innovation without compromising value, security, or safety. Customers start with a readiness assessment for Copilot and other LLM-based Enterprise AI tools, allowing them to identify potential data leakage and oversharing before deploying AI at scale.
“The problem is that Generative AI tools just can’t keep a secret. They lack the ability to discern what’s appropriate, leading to oversharing of sensitive data that can range from bonuses and sales revenue, to mergers and acquisition information, intellectual property and more,” said Gadi Evron, co-founder and CEO of Knostic. “Businesses can’t adopt these tools without a need-to-know access controls approach to security. This recognition from the RSAC 2025 Innovation Sandbox is a critical step in helping enterprises realize the promise of digital transformation using Generative AI.”
Founded by cyber luminaries Gadi Evron and Sounil Yu, Knostic’s recognition by the RSAC 2025 Innovation Sandbox follows on significant company momentum, including an $11 million investment in March 2025, an unmatched sweep of awards including Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition 2024 winner and RSAC Launch Pad 2024 winner, and a high-profile advisory board attracting members such as: Wendy Nather, Senior Research Initiatives Director, 1Password; Adm. Mike Rogers (Ret.), Former NSA Director; Caleb Sima, AI Security Chair, Cloud Security Alliance; Doron Shikmoni, Forescout Founder; Allison Miller, Former CISO, Reddit; Charles Blauner, Former CISO, Citibank; Gal Tal-Hochberg, Former Group CTO, Team8; and Chris Inglis, Former National Cyber Director.
The RSAC™ Innovation Sandbox contest kicks off at 9:30 AM PT on Monday, April 28 and winners will be announced at approximately noon the same day. The panel of renowned expert judges includes David Chen, Head of Global Technology Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley; Dorit Dor, Chief Technology Officer at Check Point Software Technologies; Niloofar Razi Howe, Operating Partner at Capitol Meridian Partners; Paul Kocher, Independent Researcher; Nasrin Rezai, SVP & CISO at Verizon; and Christopher Young, former McAfee CEO, Microsoft Executive, and Investor. Hugh Thompson, RSAC Executive Chairman and Program Committee Chair of RSAC™ Conference, will return to host the contest.
For more information regarding RSAC™ 2025 Conference, taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from April 28 – May 1, please visit https://www.rsaconference.com/usa.
About Knostic
Knostic was founded in 2023 by veteran cybersecurity experts and innovators Gadi Evron (serial entrepreneur, previously from Citibank and PwC) and Sounil Yu (former Chief Security Scientist at Bank of America), with the goal of ensuring the safe adoption of AI at enterprises at scale. Knostic is the world’s first provider of need-to-know based access controls for Large Language Models (LLMs). With knowledge-centric capabilities, Knostic enables organizations to accelerate the adoption of LLMs and drive AI-powered innovation without compromising value, security, or safety. For more details, visit https://www.knostic.ai/.
About RSAC
As the cybersecurity industry’s convening authority, RSAC brings together diverse minds to exchange perspectives, knowledge, and ideas. RSAC provides the world’s leading platform for uniting and advancing the cybersecurity community to create a safer society. RSAC is at the cutting edge of cybersecurity innovation and education. The company’s flagship event, RSAC™ Conference, is the largest and most influential global gathering in cybersecurity. RSAC gives cybersecurity professionals a platform to connect and grow. To learn more, visit OneRSAC.com.
Contacts
Media Contact:
Leslie Kesselring
KessComm Cyber PR for Knostic
[email protected]
503-358-1012
