Sternum

Sternum develops an embedded security and observability platform for manufacturers of IoT and connected devices. Its core technology, patented EIV (Embedded Integrity Verification) software, is compiled into device firmware at the binary level and profiles processes at runtime to deterministically block code and memory manipulation attempts, functioning as an on-device intrusion detection and prevention system. Because coverage operates on all running code, the company positions it as also mitigating exploits in third-party and supply-chain components, and as protecting against both known (1-day) and unknown (0-day) vulnerabilities. The vendor states the approach is agentless, universally compatible across device types and operating systems (Linux, RTOS, mobile), and imposes roughly 1-3% overhead, including on legacy devices; it says it has been embedded into code written as far back as 2013.

Alongside prevention, the platform provides continuous monitoring and observability. A C-coded Observability SDK optimized for embedded systems collects software signals (status and error codes) and hardware/environmental telemetry (temperature, voltage, pressure, CPU/memory use, network statistics, battery level, RSSI) and streams them to a cloud platform purpose-built for IoT data; the SDK can also act as a proxy for isolated systems. The cloud layer supplies customizable dashboards, log/metric/trace management, fleet-wide inventory and firmware-version tracking, remote debugging views, contextual root-cause analysis, alert customization, and an anomaly-detection engine that learns per-device baselines through multivariate analysis. A third pillar, described as XDR-like AI-powered threat detection, triages threat intelligence, telemetry and user activity to surface malicious behavior and logical vulnerabilities such as brute force and DDoS.

Company-published customer stories cite outcomes including discovery of four security bugs during a Fortune 500 proof-of-concept, a 50% reduction in Bluetooth disconnection issues, a memory-corruption fix completed in 15 minutes versus a prior five-month investigation cycle, and battery-maintenance savings from predictive tracing. Website headline figures include 96.5% prevention in benchmark security tests, up to 60% patch-management savings, 100M+ events observed daily, and 50+ supported platforms.

Founding story

Sternum was founded in 2018 by a team including CEO Natali Tshuva, who previously worked as a software developer in Unit 8200 of the Israel Defense Forces and later at Cellebrite and, briefly, NSO. The company's About page describes founders as former officers of Unit 8200 who concluded that a deterministic security model was a natural fit for deterministic embedded devices, and Tshuva has said she was drawn to sectors such as medical devices and smart infrastructure, where devices are sophisticated yet run outdated operating systems and are exposed to cyberattacks.

Business model

Sternum sells its security and observability software to device manufacturers, who integrate the EIV runtime protection and the Observability SDK into device firmware and consume data through Sternum's cloud platform. The materials describe a demo-led enterprise engagement model, including proof-of-concept deployments with large manufacturers, and both point-of-manufacture integration and retrofitting onto devices already in the field.

Traction

Per the company timeline, technology was deployed on 100,000 IoT devices produced by large manufacturers by 2019, and three security patents were granted in 2020. The website claims 100M+ events observed per day and 50+ supported platforms, with testimonials from Medtronic (former product security director), NXP Semiconductors, Telit, Vibrant, HARDWARIO and the Linux Foundation. At the time of the September 2021 Series B the company had 20 employees with plans to triple to 60, and it told Calcalist it expected 300% growth by the end of 2022. Total funding was reported as $37M (Calcalist) or $33.5M across two rounds (FundedIQ).

Latest developments

The most recent dated milestone in the sources is 2022 team expansion in the EU and US. Current website messaging emphasizes protection against nation-state attacks, AI-powered threat detection and predictive analytics, 50+ supported platforms and headline metrics of 96.5% prevention in benchmark tests, up to 60% patch-management savings and 100M+ events observed daily.