Executive Intelligence

Yaki Faitelson

CEO, President, Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board

CEO, president, co-founder, and chairman of Varonis, the data-centric security automation company founded in 2005 after a 2003 oil and gas data loss incident.

In this profile

Quick Facts

  • Role CEO, President, Co-Founder & Chairman of the Board
  • Company Varonis
  • Country United States
  • Industry AI in Cybersecurity
  • Founded 2005
  • Known For Varonis built its entire platform around a data-first thesis rather than a network- or endpoint-first one,…
  • Last Reviewed Jul 2026

Executive Summary

Yaki Faitelson is CEO, President, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Varonis per company page. He co-founded Varonis in 2005 with Ohad Korkus following a 2003 oil and gas data loss story.Varonis is headquartered in Miami with 2,400 plus employees, fourteen offices, and NASDAQ ticker VRNS. The MetaData Framework and numerous patents in permissions visualization, simulation, and data analysis underpin the platform.Enterprise cybersecurity buyers in 2026 increasingly evaluate whether vendors can integrate AI detection with existing SOC workflows, reduce mean time to respond, and demonstrate measurable outcomes across email, cloud, endpoint, and identity attack surfaces without multiplying analyst alert fatigue.

Career Timeline

Verified company milestones linked to this executive’s organization.

  1. 2005 Company founded

    Varonis was founded in 2005 per the company profile source on file.

    Source
  2. 2005 Development

    2005: Yaki Faitelson and Ohad Korkus found Varonis to give organizations greater visibility and control over unstructured data.

    Source
  3. 2023 Development

    2023: Varonis adds generative AI to its SaaS platform to help administrators analyze data and reduce investigation times.

    Source
  4. 2025 Development

    Q1 2025: Varonis relocates its corporate headquarters to Miami, Florida.

    Source
  5. 2025 Development

    February 2025 (announced): Varonis targets completing its transition to a 100% SaaS subscription model by 2026, with self-hosted subscriptions set to reach end-of-life on December 31, 2026.

    Source
  6. 2025 Acquisition

    September 2025: Varonis acquires SlashNext to combat AI-driven email threats.

    Source
  7. 2026 Acquisition

    February 2026: Varonis acquires AllTrue.ai, an AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management company, for $150 million.

    Source
  8. 2026 Acquisition

    March 23, 2026: Varonis launches Varonis Atlas, an end-to-end AI security platform built substantially on the AllTrue.ai acquisition.

    Source

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Overview

Yaki Faitelson is CEO, President, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at Varonis per company page. He co-founded Varonis in 2005 with Ohad Korkus following a 2003 oil and gas data loss story.

Varonis is headquartered in Miami with 2,400 plus employees, fourteen offices, and NASDAQ ticker VRNS. The MetaData Framework and numerous patents in permissions visualization, simulation, and data analysis underpin the platform.

Enterprise cybersecurity buyers in 2026 increasingly evaluate whether vendors can integrate AI detection with existing SOC workflows, reduce mean time to respond, and demonstrate measurable outcomes across email, cloud, endpoint, and identity attack surfaces without multiplying analyst alert fatigue.

Role

Faitelson holds combined CEO, President, Co-Founder, and Chairman titles — full consolidated founder governance per company page.

Co-founder Ohad Korkus partnership dates to 2005 founding.

Prior leadership at NetVision and Network Appliance professional services/systems integration per verified facts.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Background

Before Varonis, Faitelson held leadership at NetVision and Network Appliance professional services/systems integration.

2003 oil and gas data loss story motivated 2005 founding — origin narrative documented on company page.

Data-centric security automation thesis predates modern DSPM category labeling.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Career

Career: NetVision leadership; Network Appliance professional services/systems integration; co-founded Varonis 2005 with Ohad Korkus; CEO/President/Co-Founder/Chairman; MetaData Framework and permissions patents.

Miami HQ with 2.4K+ employees and fourteen offices documents operating scale.

NASDAQ VRNS listing provides public-market accountability.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Company Journey

Varonis founded 2005 after 2003 data loss incident. MetaData Framework development and patent portfolio built differentiated permissions analytics.

Growth to 2,400 plus employees and fourteen offices marks global expansion from Miami headquarters.

Data-centric security automation evolution aligns with enterprise DSPM and insider risk priorities.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Leadership

Faitelson’s leadership combines four C-suite and board titles — among the most consolidated founder authorities in this batch.

NetVision and NetApp services background informed enterprise data permissions expertise.

Patent portfolio in visualization and simulation supports technical credibility with data governance buyers.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Public Milestones

Documented: founded 2005 with Ohad Korkus; 2003 oil/gas data loss origin; MetaData Framework; permissions visualization/simulation/data analysis patents; HQ Miami; 2.4K+ employees; 14 offices; NASDAQ VRNS; prior NetVision and Network Appliance leadership.

Company and blog pages are sources.

Recent revenue excluded.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Why This Founder Matters

Yaki Faitelson matters because Varonis pioneered metadata-driven data security before DSPM became mainstream category language.

Origin story tied to real data loss incident gives authentic mission narrative for data-centric security.

For Brel readers, Faitelson represents long-tenured founder CEO/chairman in data security automation.

The cybersecurity sector continues consolidating around platform vendors that unify detection, response, and exposure management while embedding machine learning into products born in the appliance era. Founder and executive profiles in this category help researchers compare governance models, technical pedigree, and go-to-market evolution across vendors serving Fortune 500 and global enterprise accounts.

Sources

Primary sourcing for this profile of Yaki Faitelson at Varonis is limited to the official company pages cited below, reviewed July 11, 2026.

  • Varonis — official page: https://www.varonis.com/company
  • Varonis — supporting page: https://www.varonis.com/blog

No education, employer, funding, or personal claims beyond those stated in the verified facts and cited pages are included. Sector analysis in narrative sections is interpretive context about the cybersecurity market, not additional biography.

Last Reviewed

This profile was last reviewed on July 11, 2026.

Correction Request

If you believe any fact in this founder profile is inaccurate or outdated, please submit a correction through Brel Digital’s Corrections Policy. We review documented corrections against official company sources and update profiles accordingly.

Sources and references

This article draws on publicly available company information, official websites, filings, interviews, announcements, and other cited sources. Information may change over time.

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