# Shay Sandler

> Shay Sandler is co-founder and CEO of Vega, an Israeli cybersecurity company building a federated Security Analytics Mesh that queries security data where it lives instead of dragging it into a centralized SIEM. A former Israeli Unit 8200 officer and early team member at Granulate (acquired by Intel in 2022), Sandler started Vega in early 2024 with Eli Rozen after Intel wound down Granulate. In under two years Vega has raised $185M across three rounds, most recently a $120M Series B led by Accel in December 2025 at a valuation reported between $700M and $800M.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Vega
- **Organizations:** Vega, Granulate (former), Intel (former, via Granulate acquisition), Israel Defense Forces - Unit 8200 (former)
- **Nationality:** Israeli
- **Education:** The Open University of Israel
- **Known for:** Co-founded Vega and grew it from stealth to a reported $700M+ valuation in under two years., Raised $185M across three rounds (Seed $20M, Series A $40M, Series B $120M)., Recruited more than 100 employees across Tel Aviv and New York within the first two years.

## Career timeline

- **pre-2018** — Served as an officer in Israel Defense Forces Unit 8200, the elite signals intelligence corps, where he met future Vega co-founder Eli Rozen.
- **2018-2022** — Founding team member at Granulate, a real-time continuous optimization startup.
- **2022** — Granulate acquired by Intel for approximately $650M; Sandler continued in a research leadership role.
- **2024** — Co-founded Vega with Eli Rozen after Intel wound down Granulate; secured initial seed funding.
- **2025-09** — Vega exits stealth with $65M combined Seed and Series A at a $400M valuation, led by Accel.
- **2025-12** — Vega announces $120M Series B led by Accel at a reported $700M-$800M valuation.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Vega and grew it from stealth to a reported $700M+ valuation in under two years.
- Raised $185M across three rounds (Seed $20M, Series A $40M, Series B $120M).
- Recruited more than 100 employees across Tel Aviv and New York within the first two years.
- Landed Fortune 500 customers including a major global bank and a major global healthcare provider.
- Was part of the founding team of Granulate, acquired by Intel for approximately $650M.

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Vega announces $120M Series B led by Accel with participation from Redpoint, Cyberstarts and CRV.
- **2025-09** — Vega exits stealth with $65M combined Seed and Series A at a $400M valuation.
- **2026** — Sandler appears at RSAC 2026 representing Vega as CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://vega.io
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shay-sandler-305508107/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shay-sandler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-08