Unveiling a photonic-based encryption layer for optical fiber networks, CyberRidge is making intercepted data unrecordable and unrecoverable, even by quantum computers

TEL AVIV, IL / ACCESS Newswire / October 28, 2025 / CyberRidge, an Israeli security startup pioneering a new class of photonic encryption, has emerged from stealth with $26 million in total funding. The round includes a $10 million seed investment led by Canadian-Israeli global investment group Awz, followed by an additional $16 million extension from Arkin Capital, Redseed VC, Elron Ventures, and the EU Horizon-EIC program. The company introduces a transformative approach to securing data in transit by making it disappear.

CyberRidge's technology is engineered to confront a growing but often invisible threat: the interception and long-term storage of global data traveling through optical fiber. Today, over 95% of international digital communication, including banking and government records, AI workloads and medical data, flows through fiber-optic cables, including vulnerable subsea lines. As cyber adversaries increasingly engage in "cable tapping" to harvest this data for future decryption, a tactic often summed up as "harvest now, decrypt later", the industry is bracing for the seismic impact of quantum computing, which will make cracking even today's strongest encryption near-instantaneous.

"We've spent decades building taller walls and stronger vaults to protect data, but what if we could make the vault itself disappear?", said Professor Dan Sadot, founder and CEO of CyberRidge. "Encryption assumes your data will be stolen and tries to slow attackers down. We're taking a fundamentally different approach: eliminate the ability to record the data in the first place. If no raw data exists, there's nothing to hack, today or years from now, no matter how powerful the computer."

CyberRidge's flagship product is a plug-and-play photonic layer transmission system that integrates with existing fiber infrastructure and transforms data into encrypted optical noise, making it immune to traditional tapping tools, quantum analysis, or any attempt to capture and postprocess. The only way to recompose the data is with a proprietary photonic key that changes every fraction of a second and must be present at the exact moment the light signal arrives. Without it, the data is lost forever.

As the cybersecurity industry, along with governments, military organizations, and critical infrastructure operators prepares for the "post-quantum" era with software-based solutions like PQC (post-quantum cryptography) and physics-intensive approaches like QKD (quantum key distribution), CyberRidge offers a third path: real-time, photonics-based protection that prevents harvesting entirely. Complementary to PQC, CyberRidge is not dependent on mathematical assumptions. Complementary to QKD, which protects the key solely, CyberRidge protects the entire payload data together with the key. In fact, it adds a protective photonic "shield" to the most vulnerable layer, which goes through public infrastructure in the transmission ecosystem: fiber optics.

The technology is already being deployed by leading global players across telecommunications providers, defense and intelligence agencies. Early-stage deployments are underway in Europe, Singapore, and Australia, including a rollout with Israel's military intelligence unit.

"As quantum decryption advances, truly secure solutions are increasingly rare," said Awz Founder & CEO Yaron Ashkenazi. "In a world racing toward quantum threats, CyberRidge's photonic-layer encryption stands apart: turning data into unrecordable optical noise and eliminating the possibility of interception. We're proud to back this groundbreaking shift in secure communication."

"We're proud to back CyberRidge, developing breakthrough deep tech solutions with a unique technological edge and strong growth potential. The founding team brings outstanding vision and execution, and we look forward to contributing our deep technological expertise and network of professionals to help accelerate the company's development," said Yaniv Shnieder, CEO of Elron ventures.

Founded by Professor Sadot, a serial entrepreneur and world leader in optical communications with over 35 patents, CyberRidge combines decades of academic research with frontline intelligence experience. The team includes 30 employees and partners across Israel, Switzerland, and the U.S. CyberRidge was recently awarded a flagship grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC), selected out of more than 1,400 companies for its potential to redefine secure communications infrastructure in the EU and beyond.

About CyberRidge
CyberRidge is a deep-tech cybersecurity company protecting the world's most sensitive data from interception, surveillance, and quantum-era decryption. Its patented photonic encryption layer prevents data from being recorded over optical fiber, turning every transmission into untraceable optical noise. No way to harvest & hack data offline = no exposure.

Media Contact:
Josef Laor
josef@tellny.com

SOURCE: CyberRidge