Rising Star NetFoundry

NetFoundry is a privately held, investor-backed cybersecurity company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, focused on Zero Trust application connectivity and multicloud networking. In a market moving away from perimeter-based security toward identity-centric “never trust, always verify” models, the company positions itself as advancing Zero Trust by building “zero trust native network overlays” rather than merely adding Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) controls onto inherently insecure networks. Its platform is built on the open-source OpenZiti project and delivered through a commercial SaaS offering, with additional models including OEM/white-label and enterprise subscriptions.

The central innovation is application-centric enforcement: instead of securing the network, the approach secures the application by authenticating and authorizing each session before any packets flow. Connectivity can be embedded via agents, virtual appliances, or SDKs, enabling policy-driven, identity-first access across software, clouds, devices, and websites. Mutual TLS (mTLS) is used so endpoints remain effectively invisible and unreachable unless explicitly permitted. The platform is programmable through APIs and designed for DevOps/DevSecOps alignment, supporting policy-as-code, CI/CD integration, and orchestration for fast deployment without dependence on VPNs, firewalls, or SD-WAN.

Architecturally, it emphasizes decentralized mesh connectivity, self-healing routing paths, and infrastructure agnosticism, including support for hybrid and air-gapped environments. Strengths include developer enablement, scalability, and white-label embedding suited to OEMs and large enterprises across finance, industrial automation, and cloud services. Challenges include limited visibility due to white-labeled deployments, the need for developer training for embedded implementations, and less emphasis on traditional network functions like traffic analytics and deep packet inspection. The analyst view frames NetFoundry as representative of a broader shift toward contextual, developer-centric Zero Trust enforcement.

• NetFoundry was founded in 2019.
• NetFoundry is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
• The company is privately held and investor-backed.
• NetFoundry operates globally with a primary focus on North America and Europe.
• OpenZiti is maintained as an open-source zero trust networking project.
• The platform secures sessions by authenticating and authorizing before any packets are allowed on the network.
• Mutual TLS (mTLS) is used so connections are authenticated and authorized before initiation.
• Deployment options include SaaS and fully on-prem installations.
• The approach can be implemented via agents, virtual appliances, or SDKs.
• The solution can operate in cloud, hybrid, and air-gapped environments.

• “never trust, always verify”
• “instead of securing the network, NetFoundry secures the application.”
• “The overlay itself provides and enforces identity-based, continuous authentication and authorization specific to each session, before any packets are allowed on the network.”
• “Every connection is authenticated and authorized before initiation using mutual TLS (mTLS)”
• “The solution is entirely programmable via APIs and supports DevOps-native integration for rapid, policy-as-code deployments.”
• “What sets NetFoundry apart is its fundamentally application-centric architecture and independence from underlying network or architecture.”
• “This approach decouples security from the network and infrastructure layers, vastly simplifying deployment while eliminating implicit trust from within the system.”
• “By transforming networking into software, developers and service providers can embed zero trust overlays directly into applications”
• “As the term ‘Zero Trust’ becomes diluted by overuse and inconsistent interpretation, security leaders are increasingly skeptical of generic promises”
• “Vendors that empower customers to define access policies in code, integrate with dynamic workloads, and automate security decisions will stand apart from commoditized alternatives.”