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Knostic won Black Hat USA 2024’s Startup Spotlight Competition. The cybersecurity startup was named the winner on August 6, 2024, at the Innovators & Investors Summit in Las Vegas. Its product focuses on limiting what employees can access through AI-powered enterprise search and agents.
Who won the 2024 Black Hat Startup Spotlight?
Knostic took the top spot in Black Hat USA 2024’s Startup Spotlight Competition. Black Hat’s event materials place the final and winner announcement on August 6, during the Innovators & Investors Summit. Knostic published its own announcement the following day, August 7.
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The Startup Spotlight was a pitch competition for cybersecurity startups. Entrants submitted a five-minute video describing their competitive advantage and how their product could help cybersecurity professionals. The finalists then pitched to a live audience and judges.
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Black Hat named four finalists in its July 17, 2024 announcement:
#1 Best Overall
- Knostic: Need-to-know access controls for large language model (LLM) enterprise search and agents.
- DryRun Security: Near-instant security code review.
- LeakSignal: Real-time classification of sensitive data in transit.
- RAD Security: Behavioral cloud detection and response.
The companies addressed different security problems, from controlling employees’ access to AI-search results to reviewing code and detecting threats in cloud environments.
What does Knostic’s product do?
Knostic describes its offering as need-to-know access control for LLMs. In an enterprise, search tools and AI agents can draw answers from internal files and other company information. Knostic’s stated aim is to enforce each user’s existing need to know, so an AI-generated answer does not reveal material that the person should not be able to access.
The risk is not limited to a user opening a restricted document directly. An AI tool might synthesize information from sources across an organization and return a response that exposes sensitive details. Knostic’s announcement pointed to tools such as Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 and examples including employee salary information or M&A due diligence. Its product proposition is to apply access controls to what the AI can surface, rather than allowing an unrestricted answer.
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What did the finalists receive?
Black Hat’s competition materials said each finalist received the following:
- A turnkey startup booth.
- A 20-minute speaking session in the Startup City Theater.
- A 30-minute call with an Omdia cybersecurity analyst.
The competition was part of Black Hat USA 2024, held August 3–8 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Eligibility was limited to startups five years old or less with fewer than 50 employees; Black Hat said there was no entry fee.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who represented Knostic?
Sounil Yu, Knostic’s CTO and co-founder, presented for the company at the summit. Gadi Evron was identified as Knostic’s CEO in the company’s announcement. In a 2025 Black Hat article, Yu said: “Being a finalist and winning the Black Hat Startup Spotlight Competition was a game-changer for us.”
