NEW YORK – In a definitive signal that the “Agentic AI” era has arrived in cybersecurity, Torq announced on Sunday, January 11, 2026, that it has closed a $140 million Series D funding round. The investment catapults the New York-based firm’s valuation to $1.2 billion, officially making it the latest unicorn in a rapidly consolidating security automation market.
The round was led by Merlin Ventures, a fund known for its deep expertise in the U.S. federal and public sector markets. All existing major investors—including Insight Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Evolution Equity Partners, and Notable Capital—participated, bringing Torq’s total capital raised to $332 million since its inception in 2020.
The Rise of the “Agentic SOC”
Torq’s surge in valuation follows a year of explosive growth, highlighted by a 300% increase in revenue. The company has moved beyond legacy Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) tools by pioneering an AI-driven Security Operations Center (SOC) platform.
At the heart of the platform are autonomous AI Agents. Unlike traditional playbooks that follow static, “if-this-then-that” rules, these agents use natural language processing and reasoning to:
- Triage Alerts: Analyze millions of events daily to separate noise from genuine threats.
- Autonomous Remediation: Execute complex investigations and containment actions—such as phishing triage—without human intervention.
- Fatigue Reduction: Free analysts from repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on high-level strategic defense.
Strategic Pivot to Federal Markets
The choice of Merlin Ventures as the lead investor is no coincidence. As the U.S. government faces an increasingly sophisticated landscape of asymmetric cyber threats, Torq is positioning its “Hyperautomation” platform as a critical defense layer for national infrastructure.
| Metric | Achievement / Goal |
| Current Valuation | $1.2 Billion (Unicorn Status) |
| Annual Growth | 300% Revenue Increase |
| 2026 ARR Target | $100 Million |
| Key Customers | PepsiCo, Uber, Siemens, Virgin Atlantic |
“We are moving far beyond the constraints of legacy tools,” said Ofer Smadari, CEO and co-founder of Torq. “Global enterprise adoption of our AI SOC Platform has validated our vision. We are now ready to scale into the high-stakes Federal and Public Sector markets.”
Market Momentum: A “C-Suite” Staple
The funding comes at a time when Fortune 500 CISOs are under immense pressure to do more with fewer resources. By integrating with existing security stacks—including tools from CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and Wiz—Torq has become the “umbrella platform” for major multinationals.
For companies like Virgin Atlantic and Marriott, the shift to agentic AI has translated into an estimated 10x boost in operational productivity, transforming security teams from reactive responders into proactive strategists.
The Bottom Line: Ending the SOAR Era
The $1.2 billion valuation reflects a broader market belief that traditional automation is no longer sufficient. As Torq utilizes its new capital to expand its global “Go-to-Market” operations and enhance its AI capabilities, the message to the industry is clear: the future of cybersecurity will be autonomous, or it will be obsolete.
