Isovalent, a company dedicated to advancing networking for cloud-native environments, announced today that it has secured $29 million in Series A funding. This investment round was spearheaded by Andreessen Horowitz and Google. Simultaneously, the company has formally introduced its Cilium Enterprise platform – previously operating in stealth mode – designed to facilitate connection, monitoring, and security for enterprise applications.

The open-source Cilium project is experiencing increasing implementation, notably with Google’s selection of it for the data plane of its new GKE service. Additional organizations utilizing Cilium include Adobe, Capital One, Datadog, and GitLab. Isovalent is employing a common strategy for open-source project commercialization by offering an enterprise-level version.

Isovalent’s leadership team, comprised of CEO Dan Wendlandt and CTO Thomas Graf, possesses extensive expertise in Linux kernel development and networking solutions. Graf dedicated 15 years to the Linux kernel and initiated the Cilium open-source project, while Wendlandt contributed to Open vSwitch at Nicira (later acquired by VMware).

“We observed an initial shift of network intelligence into software, but we both believed that this first phase centered on replicating traditional network hardware in a software format,” explained Wendlandt. “This involved implementing IPs, ports, virtual routers, and similar components. We shared a vision that the subsequent step would be to surpass the capabilities of hardware through software – and with software, we can achieve significantly more. Thomas, leveraging his profound understanding of the Linux kernel, recognized eBPF technology as a truly transformative innovation for Linux networking and security.”

According to Graf, when Docker, Kubernetes, and containerization gained prominence, networking companies initially attempted to adapt existing virtualization solutions. “They essentially treated containers as miniature virtual machines, which proved to be fundamentally flawed,” he stated. “We then explored available options and identified eBPF as an ideal technology, prompting us to consider how we could further develop its potential.”

Isovalent’s core focus is cloud-native networking, and its utilization of eBPF technology within the Linux kernel provides the added advantage of gaining detailed insights into data flow between services, enabling the incorporation of sophisticated security features.

The team emphasizes that users are not required to have a working knowledge of, or directly program, eBPF, which represents the next generation of Linux kernel modules.

“Throughout my career in this field, the ultimate goal has been to move beyond IPs and ports, establishing networking visibility and security at a level that aligns with the perspectives of developers, operations teams, and security professionals regarding their applications and data,” commented Martin Casado, partner at Andreessen Horowitz (and founder of Nicira). “Until recently, the necessary technology was unavailable. The emergence of Kubernetes and eBPF has changed everything. Dan and Thomas have assembled an exceptional team, and given the momentum surrounding Cilium, they are poised to revolutionize networking once again.”

As more organizations embrace Kubernetes, they are now progressing beyond the initial implementation phase and encountering new challenges associated with this transition. These challenges frequently involve isolating workloads and achieving network visibility – areas where Isovalent/Cilium can provide assistance.

The team indicated that their immediate priorities, following the product’s public launch, are expanding their market reach and continuing to enhance the platform’s capabilities.