# Al Yang

> Al Yang is the San Francisco-based co-founder and CEO of SafeBase, an enterprise software company that made security reviews more transparent through customer-facing Trust Centers and AI-assisted questionnaires. A former technology M&A banker and repeat founder, Yang met co-founder Adar Arnon at Harvard, entered Y Combinator in 2020, raised more than $50 million, built a customer base of more than 1,000 organizations, and continued leading SafeBase after Drata acquired it for a reported $250 million in February 2025.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-founder of SafeBase by Drata
- **Organizations:** SafeBase, Drata, Y Combinator, Harvard Business School, Mooreland Partners
- **Education:** MBA, Harvard Business School, University of Arizona, Summer 2020 batch, Y Combinator
- **Known for:** Co-founded SafeBase and helped establish the Trust Center as a distinct enterprise software category., Led SafeBase through Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch., Raised more than $50 million in venture funding, including an $18 million Series A and $33 million Series B.

## Career timeline

- **2010s** — Spent five years in technology M&A investment banking, including work at Mooreland Partners.
- **2020** — Completed graduate study at Harvard, met co-founder Adar Arnon, entered Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch and co-founded SafeBase.
- **2022** — SafeBase raised an $18 million Series A led by NEA after passing 100 customers.
- **2023** — SafeBase recorded two million Trust Center views during the year and was named an Inc. Best Workplace.
- **2024** — SafeBase announced a $33 million Series B led by Touring Capital, with participation from Zoom Ventures, NEA, Y Combinator, Comcast Ventures and others.
- **2025** — Drata announced its acquisition of SafeBase; TechCrunch reported a $250 million price. Yang and co-founder Adar Arnon retained their roles.
- **2026** — Yang remained publicly active as CEO and co-founder of SafeBase by Drata, speaking on continuous assurance and AI-enabled trust.

## Achievements

- Co-founded SafeBase and helped establish the Trust Center as a distinct enterprise software category.
- Led SafeBase through Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch.
- Raised more than $50 million in venture funding, including an $18 million Series A and $33 million Series B.
- Built SafeBase to more than 1,000 customers before its acquisition by Drata.
- Reached two million SafeBase Trust Center views in 2023.
- Led SafeBase through a Drata acquisition reported by TechCrunch at $250 million.
- SafeBase was named an Inc. Best Workplace in 2023.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Appeared as a panelist for a discussion on continuous assurance at scale and AI-enabled trust operations.
- **2025-10** — Discussed turning customer trust into a growth engine on the Security You Should Know podcast.
- **2025-02** — Drata announced the acquisition of SafeBase; Yang said the SafeBase brand, leadership, people, product, vision and culture would remain in place.

## Links

- Website: https://safebase.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyang10
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/getsafebase

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/al-yang
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-25