The Rise of Edera: A New Era in Cloud Infrastructure Security
A Personal Discovery
While working on internet-of-things security in the mid-2010s, Alex Zenla realized something troubling. Unlike PCs and servers that touted the latest, greatest processors, the puny chips in IoT devices couldn’t support the cloud protections other computers were using to keep them siloed and protected. As a result, most embedded devices were attached directly to the local network, potentially leaving them more vulnerable to attack.
The Birth of Edera
After puzzling over the problem for a few years, Zenla started working on a technology to make it possible for nearly any device to run in its own isolated cloud space, known as a “container.” Now, a decade later, she’s one of three female cofounders of a security company that’s trying to change how cloud infrastructure shares resources.
Edera’s Mission
Edera makes cloud workload isolation tech that may sound like a niche tool, but it aims to address a universal security problem when many applications or even multiple customers are using shared cloud infrastructure. Ever-growing AI workloads, for example, rely on GPUs for raw processing power instead of standard CPUs, but these chips have been designed for maximum efficiency and capacity rather than with guardrails to separate and protect different processes.
Challenges and Solutions
"These problems are very hard, both on the GPU and the container isolation, but I think people were too willing to accept trade-offs that were not actually acceptable," Zenla says.
The company’s technology addresses these challenges by providing a way to separate and protect different workloads and applications within a shared cloud infrastructure. This is achieved through the use of containers, which are isolated and secure environments that can be deployed on a shared infrastructure.
Funding and Milestones
In October, Edera announced a $5 million seed round and has now raised a total of $20 million in funding. The company’s latest funding round was led by Microsoft’s venture fund, M12.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
Edera’s all-female founding team, including CEO and cofounder Emily Long, and cofounder Ariadne Conill, is a rare sight in the tech industry. Female founders who do get initial backing have a more difficult time raising subsequent rounds than men and face much steeper odds founding another company after one fails.
"We can’t ignore the fact that we are a small minority in our industry, and that a lot of the changes that are happening around us are not lifting us up," says Edera CEO and cofounder Emily Long. "We take great pride and responsibility in continuing to be in the front on this. Since our founding, I can’t tell you how many incredibly technical, talented women have proactively asked us to hire them from large institutions. So you start to see that just by existing and being different, you are showing what’s possible."
Conclusion
Edera’s technology has the potential to revolutionize the way cloud infrastructure shares resources and provides a secure and isolated environment for different workloads and applications. With its all-female founding team, Edera is breaking the mold and paving the way for more women to join the tech industry.
FAQs
Q: What is Edera’s technology?
A: Edera’s technology provides cloud workload isolation, allowing for the separation and protection of different workloads and applications within a shared cloud infrastructure.
Q: How does Edera’s technology work?
A: Edera’s technology uses containers, which are isolated and secure environments that can be deployed on a shared infrastructure.
Q: Who are the founders of Edera?
A: Edera was founded by three women: Alex Zenla, Emily Long, and Ariadne Conill.
Q: How much funding has Edera received?
A: Edera has received a total of $20 million in funding, with a $5 million seed round and a $15 million series A round led by Microsoft’s venture fund, M12.
