# Abhi Sharma

> Abhi Sharma is the San Francisco-based co-founder and CEO of Relyance AI, an enterprise software company that maps how data moves through code, cloud systems, third parties, and AI models. A software engineer and machine-learning practitioner, Sharma previously worked as a platform engineer at AppDynamics, was a founding member of edge-AI company FogHorn Systems, and started the indoor-navigation venture Kontext while earning a master's degree in computer science at Carnegie Mellon University. He co-founded Relyance AI with privacy attorney Leila Golchehreh in 2020; the company emerged from stealth with $30 million in seed and Series A funding in 2021, added a $32.1 million Series B in 2024, and commercially launched its Lyo autonomous data defense product in March 2026.

- **Role:** Founder, CEO, and Chief Leaf Blower at Relyance AI
- **Organizations:** Relyance AI, FogHorn Systems, AppDynamics, Kontext, Carnegie Mellon University, Unusual Ventures
- **Education:** Master's degree in Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Relyance AI and led the company through $30 million in combined seed and Series A financing and a $32.1 million Series B., Helped build FogHorn Systems as a founding team member before Johnson Controls acquired the edge-AI company in 2022., Was named with co-inventors on U.S. Patent US10564941B2 for composition of pattern-driven reactions in real-time dataflow programming.

## Career timeline

- **2013-2015** — Founded Kontext while at Carnegie Mellon, developing an indoor-navigation utility using Bluetooth beacons.
- **2015** — Worked as a platform engineer at AppDynamics and met founder Jyoti Bansal.
- **2015-2020** — Served as a founding member and led machine-learning and analytics work at edge-AI company FogHorn Systems.
- **2019** — Developed the concept for Relyance AI with longtime friend and privacy attorney Leila Golchehreh during an extended pizza-and-coffee conversation in San Francisco.
- **2020** — Co-founded Relyance AI.
- **2021** — Relyance AI emerged from stealth with $5 million in seed funding and a $25 million Series A.
- **2023** — Pitched Relyance AI as a finalist in the RSAC Innovation Sandbox contest.
- **2024** — Relyance AI raised a $32.1 million Series B led by Thomvest Ventures, with participation from M12 and existing investors.
- **2025** — Relyance AI launched Data Journeys, extending its platform around real-time, context-aware data lineage.
- **2026** — Relyance AI made Lyo, its autonomous data defense engineer, commercially available at RSAC 2026.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Relyance AI and led the company through $30 million in combined seed and Series A financing and a $32.1 million Series B.
- Helped build FogHorn Systems as a founding team member before Johnson Controls acquired the edge-AI company in 2022.
- Was named with co-inventors on U.S. Patent US10564941B2 for composition of pattern-driven reactions in real-time dataflow programming.
- Pitched Relyance AI as one of the 2023 RSAC Innovation Sandbox finalists.
- Built his first startup, Kontext, while studying at Carnegie Mellon and saw the indoor-navigation product used at Lowe's.
- Has advised first-time founders on product and go-to-market through Unusual Ventures.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Relyance AI made Lyo commercially available at RSAC 2026; Sharma described context as the distinction between scanning and active defense.
- **2026-03** — Sharma published an argument that data-security tools should focus on interactions and data journeys rather than isolated data objects.
- **2026-03** — In an RSAC interview, Sharma discussed the shift from deterministic software to AI-driven systems and the need for continuous, lifecycle-based data security.
- **2025-10** — On the Focal podcast, Sharma discussed how Relyance AI translated culture from abstract values into operating principles, rituals, and founder-led onboarding.
- **2025-06** — Sharma announced that cybersecurity executive Caleb Sima had joined Relyance AI as a strategic CISO advisor.

## Links

- Website: https://www.relyance.ai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhisharmab
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/abhisharma_b
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Relyance

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/abhi-sharma
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-10