Introduction
Deepwatch traces its origin to 2015, when Justin Morehouse founded a virtual security operations center (vSOC) business unit inside GuidePoint Security, a security reseller and services firm, with the goal of applying data analytics and machine learning to managed security services rather than relying purely on manual analyst review. That unit spun out as an independent company, Deepwatch, in 2019, closing a $23 million Series A round led by ABS Capital Partners the same year — giving the company an unusually long incubation period inside a parent business before it began operating and raising capital on its own.
What the company does
Deepwatch provides managed detection and response (MDR), describing its approach as ‘AI-driven, human-led’: the company’s NEXA Agentic AI platform and broader detection tooling handle much of the initial monitoring and triage work across a customer’s existing security stack, while human analysts retain oversight of decisions and communicate directly with customers rather than operating as an invisible layer behind a dashboard. Deepwatch markets this combination as delivering the speed and scale of automation without the opacity that can come with a fully autonomous, black-box detection system.
Who it serves
Deepwatch’s customers span Fortune 500, Global 2000, and mid-sized enterprises seeking managed detection and response tuned specifically to each customer’s own environment and existing security tools rather than a generic, one-size-fits-all deployment. The company emphasizes that its service integrates with a customer’s already-purchased security stack, positioning Deepwatch as complementary to, rather than a replacement for, tools an organization has already invested in.
Company background
Deepwatch has raised $256 million in total funding across three priced rounds — a $23 million Series A in 2019 led by ABS Capital Partners, a $53 million Series B in October 2020 led by Goldman Sachs, and a $180 million Series C in February 2023 — with additional backing from Springcoast Partners and Splunk Ventures. The company relocated its headquarters from Tampa, Florida to Palo Alto, California in 2025, around the same period it acquired Dassana in February 2025 to add AI-driven security data and detection capabilities. Deepwatch’s chief executive role has changed hands multiple times in recent years: Charlie Thomas led the company around its 2019 Series A, John DiLullo served as CEO in the years that followed, and on May 4, 2026, Deepwatch announced that Brian Dhatt would become chief executive, succeeding DiLullo, who remains with the company as an advisor.
Product and AI capabilities
Deepwatch describes itself as ‘the leader in AI-driven, human-led security operations,’ amplifying human analyst expertise with AI insights rather than positioning AI as a replacement for its security team. The company’s NEXA Agentic AI platform is designed to reduce the risks that matter most to a given customer by tuning detection to that customer’s specific environment and technology stack, and Deepwatch has pursued ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certifications specifically framed around governance of its AI-powered capabilities, intended to reassure customers and partners that the company’s AI systems operate under mature, internationally recognized governance frameworks rather than without oversight.
Key developments
Deepwatch’s February 2025 acquisition of Dassana added AI-driven security data and detection capabilities to its platform shortly before the company’s 2025 headquarters move to Palo Alto, a relocation that put Deepwatch closer to the Bay Area cybersecurity and AI investment ecosystem. The May 2026 appointment of Brian Dhatt as chief executive was explicitly framed by the company’s own announcement as leading Deepwatch’s ‘next phase as a scaled autonomous SOC platform,’ language suggesting the company intends to push further toward automation even as it continues to describe its core model as human-led. Deepwatch’s announcement of Dhatt’s appointment also named Springcoast Partners, Goldman Sachs, ABS Capital, and Splunk Ventures as the investors backing that next phase, indicating continuity among its existing financial backers through the leadership change rather than a new round tied to the transition.
Why it matters
Deepwatch’s explicit ‘AI-driven, human-led’ positioning, and its origin as an internal unit that eventually outgrew its parent company, make it a useful data point for readers evaluating how much automation MDR buyers are actually comfortable adopting versus how much they still expect a human analyst to remain accountable for decisions. Its frequent recent CEO turnover is also worth watching as a signal of how much internal strategic recalibration is happening at the company as it tries to move toward what its own leadership now calls a ‘scaled autonomous SOC platform,’ a phrase that sits close to the line between the human-led model Deepwatch has marketed historically and the more fully autonomous SOC ambitions increasingly common across the MDR category.
Sector context
Within Brel’s cybersecurity coverage, Deepwatch competes in the managed detection and response category alongside Arctic Wolf and Expel, distinguishing itself through its explicit AI-driven, human-led framing and its origin as a spin-out from a security reseller rather than a venture-backed startup from day one.
Sources and references
This profile draws on Deepwatch’s official company site, its 2019 Series A funding announcement describing the company’s origin inside GuidePoint Security, Business Wire’s official May 2026 announcement of Brian Dhatt’s appointment as CEO, and CB Insights’ company profile for funding and headquarters details.