Company:DriveNets

From HandWiki
DriveNets
TypePrivate company
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded2015; 9 years ago (2015)[1]
Founders
  • Ido Susan
  • Hillel Kobrinsky
[2]
Headquarters
Ra'anana
,
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Ido Susan (CEO)
Hillel Kobrinsky (CSO)[4]
ProductsNetwork operating system, Software-defined networking
Number of employees
450[5]
Websitewww.drivenets.com

DriveNets is a software company, vendor of a network infrastructure platform[6] that runs over a physical infrastructure consisting of white boxes.[7]

History

DriveNets was founded in 2015 by Ido Susan and Hillel Kobrinsky. Susan is the co-founder of Intucell, which he sold to Cisco for $475 million in 2013.[8] Kobrinsky co-founded Interwise, which was acquired by AT&T for $121 million.[9] DriveNets was in a stealth mode[10] and was self-funded until 2019.[11] In 2019, DriveNets raised $110 million in series A round from Bessemer Venture Partners and Pitango Growth,[2] along with John W. Thompson and Stephen J. Luczo.[12] In 2021, DriveNets raised $208 million in series B funding led by D1 Capital Partners with follow-on investments from Bessemer and Pitango and investment by Harel Insurance.[13] In August 2022, DriveNets announced it completed Series C funding of $262 million led by D2 Investments, along with former investors Bessemer, D1 Capital, Pitango and Atreides Management and Harel Insurance.[14] The company's estimated value was $2.5 billion,[15] after raising total sum of $587 million.[16]

The company has 450 employees at offices in Israel, Romania, Japan and USA.[17] The company has about 100 customers, including AT&T [18] and KDDI.[19] Among its partners are Fujitsu, Broadcom Inc.,[20] Itochu Techno-Solutions, Wipro, KGPCo and EPCglobal.[21]

In November 2023, DriveNets joined the Ultra Ethernet Consortium, an industry effort to build optimal Ethernet for high-performance networking.[22][23]

Technologies

DriveNets markets a scalable network operating system (NOS) based on a cloud.[24] The network cloud architecture creates a software routing framework that can grow linearly to a large scale from a centralized cloud.[25] The company leverages Telco-hierarchy cloud design principles such as containerized microservices, shared facilities, and inexpensive white boxes.[26] Another product that the company sells is a network operating system that relies on Ethernet to connect AI-optimized systems in a distributed cluster. The approach applies the Open Compute Project Distributed Disaggregated Chassis architecture, which enables AI clusters to scale at an adequate performance while keeping JCT low. [27]

Awards

  • 2019 - Globes start-up of the year.[28]
  • Calcalist 50 Most Promising Israeli Startups 2020 - COVID-19 Edition[26]
  • Vendor Innovation Award at World Communication Awards (WCA) 2019[29]
  • 2020 Fierce Innovation Award in the Next Gen Deployment Wireline Category[30]
  • 2020 TechTarget Network Innovation Award.[31]
  • Leading Lights 2020 Company of the Year (Private): The Winners by Light Reading[32]
  • 2020 Emerging Vendors Details by CRN magazine.[33]
  • Gartner Cool Vendor in Communications Service Provider Network Operations Category in 2020.[34]
  • Business Insider 47 enterprise startups to bet your career on in 2020[35]
  • 2021 Leading Lights Award for Best New Optical Networking/IP Product.[36]
  • 2022 Leading Lights Award for Company of the Year.[37]

See also

  • List of unicorn startup companies
  • Science and technology in Israel
  • Silicon Wadi

References

  1. Matt Hamblen (February 15, 2019). DriveNets Pockets $110M to Pave Software Disaggregation Path. SDxCentral.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Alex Konrad (February 14, 2019). This Founder Sold A Startup To Cisco For $475 Million. Now He's Raised $110 Million To Take It On. Forbes .
  3. Rickey Ben-David (August 17, 2022). Israeli startup DriveNets secures $262m for cloud networking software. The Times of Israel.
  4. Yasmin Yablonko (February 15, 2019). Israeli telco network co DriveNets raises $110m. Globes.
  5. Meir Orbach (August 17, 2022). DriveNets secures $262 million Series C at over $2.5 billion valuation. Calcalist.
  6. Linda Hardesty (August 17, 2022). DriveNets secures $262M in Series C funding. Fierce Telecom.
  7. Maria Deutscher (August 17, 2022). Networking startup DriveNets raises $262M in new funding. Silicon Angle.
  8. Alyson Shontell (January 23, 2013). Cisco Buys 4-Year-Old Israeli Startup Intucell For Half A Billion Dollars. Business Insider.
  9. Shmulik Shelah (October 1, 2007). AT&T buys Israeli web-conferencing co Interwise. Globes.
  10. Ingrid Lunden (February 14, 2019). DriveNets emerges from stealth with $110M for its cloud-based alternative to network routers. TechCrunch.
  11. (February 15, 2019). Israeli Software Firm DriveNets Raises $110 Million in First Round of Financing. Reuters / Haaretz.
  12. (July 8, 2019). DriveNets expands financing round to $117m. Globes.
  13. Meir Orbach (January 27, 2021). DriveNets raises $208 million in series B round, attains unicorn status. Calcalist.
  14. Ingrid Lunden (August 17, 2022). DriveNets connects with $262M as demand booms for its cloud-based alternative to network routers. TechCrunch.
  15. (August 18, 2022). DriveNets Hits $2.5 Billion Valuation with $262 Million Raise. Jewish Business News.
  16. Keith Dyer (August 17, 2022). DriveNets nets $262 million VC funding. The Mobile Network.
  17. Idan Ben Tovim (August 17, 2022). No crisis here: This Israeli startup has raised more than a quarter billion dollars. Geektime.
  18. Omri Zerachovitz (September 29, 2020). AT&T deploys DriveNets core routing solution. Globes.
  19. Ruti Levy (August 17, 2022). Valued more than 2 billion dollars, Susan and Kobrinsky DriveNets', raised 262 million dollars in series c funding round. TheMarker.
  20. (August 17, 2022). Israel's DriveNets raises $262 million in new funding round. Reuters.
  21. (August 17, 2022). Israeli networking software co DriveNets raises $262m. Globes.
  22. Buckley, Sean (2023-11-27). "DriveNets becomes a member of the Ultra Ethernet Consortium". https://www.lightwaveonline.com/home/article/14301881/drivenets-becomes-a-member-of-the-ultra-ethernet-consortium. 
  23. Shilov, Anton. "Ultra Ethernet Consortium Formed, Plans to Adapt Ethernet for AI and HPC Needs". https://www.anandtech.com/show/18965/ultra-ethernet-consortium-to-adapt-ethernet-for-ai-and-hpc-needs. 
  24. Joe Stanganelli (February 15, 2019). Israeli telecom-software firm DriveNets emerges from stealth with $110M, Fierce Telecom.
  25. (February 1, 2021). Israeli unicorn start-up DriveNets raises $208 million in funding. The Jerusalem Post.
  26. 26.0 26.1 Meir Orbach and Hagar Ravet (April 28, 2020) . 50 Most Promising Israeli Startups 2020 - Covid-19 Edition. Calcalist.
  27. Peter Cohan (June 12, 2023). With 52% Of AT&T’s Traffic, DriveNets Aims At AI Networking. Forbes .
  28. Uri Berkovitz (December 3, 2019). "Globes" startup of the year: DriveNets - challenging Cisco and Juniper. Globes.
  29. Vendor Innovation Award at World Communication Awards (WCA) 2019.
  30. 2020 Fierce Innovation Award
  31. DriveNets' disaggregated router tech wins innovation award
  32. Phil Harvey (August 21, 2020). Leading Lights 2020: The Winners. Light Reading.
  33. 2020 Emerging Vendors Details. CRN (magazine)
  34. DriveNets Named a Gartner Cool Vendor in Communications Service Provider Network Operations Category.
  35. 47 enterprise startups to bet your career on in 2020. Business Insider.
  36. DriveNets Wins 2021 Leading Lights Award for Best New Optical Networking/IP Product. Light Reading.
  37. Leading Lights 2022: The Winners'.