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Drata
Drata was incorporated in 2020 in San Diego by Adam Markowitz, Daniel Marashlian, and Troy Markowitz — serial entrepreneurs whose prior venture,...
Drata
Drata was incorporated in 2020 in San Diego by Adam Markowitz, Daniel Marashlian, and Troy Markowitz — serial entrepreneurs whose prior venture, Portfolium, was acquired by Instructure. The firm is not a family office or investment vehicle, but a venture-backed enterprise software company that operates as a high-growth private asset. While it does not manage external capital as an institutional allocator, its own capitalization table represents a significant concentration of technology wealth, with Iconiq Growth, GGV Capital, and Cowboy Ventures among its equity holders. Drata's platform automates evidence collection across cloud infrastructure, HR systems, and developer tools to maintain frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA. The product integrates natively with AWS, Okta, and GitHub, replacing the static, consultant-driven audit model with API-based continuous compliance. Its primary deployment is in B2B SaaS, where startups use Drata to close enterprise deals faster — unblocking procurement cycles that historically stalled on security reviews. Strategic acquisitions include the 2024 purchase of SafeBase, which added vendor risk management to the suite. As of mid-2024, Drata employed roughly 600 people, down from a peak of about 700 after a restructuring aimed at extending cash runway, per the firm's internal communications in May 2024. The company's disclosed revenue trajectory surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue faster than nearly any other security SaaS firm, per its CEO's statements to press in 2023. Adjacent entities have not been disclosed, though the Markowitz family's Portfolium exit suggests a pattern of concentrated technology wealth reinvestment. Structurally, Drata diverged from compliance incumbents by pricing on company size rather than audit hours — aligning its revenue model to the Opex budgets of tech companies rather than the consulting engagements of Big Four firms. This made it a default purchase alongside Gusto and Rippling for venture-backed startups. A 2025 secondary sale allowed early employees and investors to tender shares at a valuation multiple attributed to the durability of its revenue base, per the firm's authorized disclosure in September 2025.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2020
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Diego
Corporate office
San Diego, CA, United States
Principals
Adam Markowitz
Co-Founder & CEO
Daniel Marashlian
Co-Founder & CTO
Troy Markowitz
Co-Founder & COO
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs product and engineering at Drata?
Daniel Marashlian, Drata's Co-Founder and CTO, has led product and engineering since inception in 2020. Marashlian was previously VP of Engineering at Instructure after the acquisition of the co-founders' first company, Portfolium. His technical leadership defines Drata's architecture as an API-native platform rather than a rebundled consulting tool.
How does Drata differ from Vanta or other automated compliance tools?
Drata differentiated early by pricing on company size — not audit volume — and by committing to continuous control monitoring rather than point-in-time snapshot collections. This made its revenue model directly aligned with fast-scaling SaaS companies, which buy compliance tools as an operating expense, not a professional service. The 2024 acquisition of SafeBase added a network-based trust-center layer that competitors have not replicated at scale.
What investment stages does Drata target, given it is a company itself, not a fund?
Drata does not operate as an investment fund and does not make direct company investments. However, its venture backers — including Iconiq Growth and GGV Capital — have invested across Series A through late-stage rounds, reflecting a conviction that compliance infrastructure is a horizontal category consolidator. The firm's primary capital allocation is M&A to expand its own product platform.
Why did Drata conduct layoffs in 2024 despite reporting rapid ARR growth?
Drata restructured its workforce in May 2024, reducing headcount from approximately 700 to 600 employees, per the firm's internal communications. The move was presented as a shift from growth-at-all-costs hiring to sustainable free-cash-flow generation — consistent with a broader private-market pivot after the 2022 valuation reset. The firm continued to report over $100 million in ARR through the period.
Does Drata maintain any separate investment or philanthropic entities?
No separate family office, foundation, or investment vehicle affiliated with Drata or the Markowitz family has been publicly disclosed. The co-founders' previous exit through Portfolium suggests private wealth creation, but the structure and allocation of that capital remains undisclosed.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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