Harness, an end-to-end software delivery platform, and Traceable, an API security leader, recently announced they would merge to create an advanced AI-native DevSecOps platform.
Companies join under the Harness brand, aim to address DevSecOps needs
The combined company will move forward under the Harness name, uniting software delivery and security into a single, AI-native platform. Further, the two companies will enable software teams to seamlessly develop, deploy, and secure applications, ensuring security is embedded at every stage of the software lifecycle.
Additionally, Sanjay Nagaraj, co-founder and CTO at Traceable will be named GM of Harness’s application security business.
“This merger aims to address the challenges in balancing speed and security in software development by providing a truly unique offering in the marketplace,” said Nagaraj. “Harness brings its unmatched visibility into the software development, testing, and delivery process, aggregating a wealth of development data. Traceable brings its deep insights into API usage and security platforms through its contextual analysis. By merging this wealth of data together into a unified platform, we will bring a next-generation DevSecOps platform to the market, setting a new standard for teams to seamlessly develop, deliver, and protect applications, and ensure security is built into every step of the software development lifecycle– from design to runtime.”
Shared origins bring two teams back under one roof
Both organizations were developed at BIG Labs, a San Francisco-based technology startup studio founded by Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder of Harness and Traceable. Harness was launched in 2017, while Traceable was launched in 2020. Upon launch, Harness’ mission was to simplify software delivery for software developers globally. Traceable was established to secure the trillions of lines of code and millions of APIs that modern software runs on. Traceable is rapidly growing into a complete application security platform.
“Harness and Traceable are coming together at a pivotal moment in the industry,” said Jyoti Bansal, CEO and co-founder of both Harness and Traceable. “Software teams should not have to choose between speed and security when delivering innovation to their customers. The mutual interest from Harness and Traceable customers in an integrated DevSecOps platform has substantially accelerated over the last year, and the timing is right to deliver on this industry demand. By merging these industry-leading solutions, we will bring a next-generation DevSecOps platform to the market, setting a new standard for software delivery.”
With both companies having similar origins, they are uniquely positioned to be familiar with each other’s leadership structure and philosophy. The shared origin gives both a strong foundation. It bodes well for the integration process, as the familiarity with one another should help them leverage the strengths of both companies more effectively.
The joint company seeks to set a new standard for teams to seamlessly develop, deliver, and protect applications and ensure security is built into every step of the software development lifecycle, from design to runtime. The company cites a demand for a seamless, cyber-resilient software delivery pipeline, which is clearing the path for the next generation of DevSecOps platforms.
Agentic AI workflows: the first joint focus
According to Traceable, the first joint venture between the two companies will heavily focus on powering the next wave of AI-native process automation. These agentic workflows will optimize and secure every stage of the software delivery process. The companies want to help give organizations a competitive edge in an increasingly complex IT landscape.
“As a customer of both Harness and Traceable, this merger is a game-changer for us,” said Jignesh Patel, the director of cloud & DevOps at Morningstar. “Having an integrated platform that seamlessly connects software development, delivery, and API security dramatically enhances our developer experience, enabling us to innovate faster while maintaining the highest security standards. By delivering a consistent user experience and deep product integrations, we can simplify workflows, remove the toil that slows our developers down, and empower them to focus on what matters most. The combination of Harness and Traceable will provide the solution that enterprises and developers have been waiting for.”
For customers, the merger means they can expect Harness and Traceable to deliver a software delivery platform that removes barriers to innovation and improves security across the SDLC.
Current customers can expect that the modules and features they use today will carry over into the future.
“Our dedication to innovation and execution remains stronger than ever,” said Nagaraj. “We will also be investing significantly in tight integration between our DevOps and Application Security offerings, ensuring developers, DevOps engineers, and security engineers have a single platform for delivering secure software to customers. Overall, this merger will strengthen our ability to serve new and existing customers with an end-to-end, security-infused DevSecOps platform.”
AI-Native DevSecOps Agents
Harness and Traceable are working to build a library of AI-native agents to enhance software delivery’s speed, efficiency, security, and developer experience. Agentic AI in the unified DevSecOps platform will leverage two unique datasets: software development, testing, and delivery process data from Harness and API-driven application usage and security patterns from Traceable. This combined dataset will allow AI agents to optimize and secure every stage of the software delivery lifecycle while giving organizations a competitive advantage.
“Together, a unified Harness and Traceable change the game by offering something unique,” wrote Bansal in a blog post. “Harness has peerless insight into how apps are built, tested, and delivered, while Traceable brings deep knowledge of API usage and security. Pooling and sharing that data on a unified platform creates a multiplier effect– taking AI-native, agentic workflows to the next level.”
As AI redefines software delivery, the two companies say they’re committed to building a powerful library of AI agents that make software delivery faster, more efficient, secure, and more enjoyable for developers.
Moving forward
According to Bansal, this “first-of-its-kind platform that brings AI-native DevOps and security together to offer a streamlined, end-to-end software delivery experience” means DevOps and application security are now seamlessly integrated into one platform for their customers.
“They’ll be able to get the best of both offerings, improving the speed and efficiency of software delivery while ensuring that application security is built into every step of the development lifecycle, from design to runtime,” writes Bansal. “With our library of AI agents, this all adds up to a comprehensive software delivery platform that removes barriers to innovation and improves security across the SDLC.”
Bansal says the key is that both companies share DNA and are rooted in the startup-within-a-startup model.
“At both companies, we’ve created innovative products by empowering small teams that are independent and accountable to benchmarks like performance, revenue, and customer retention,” said Bansal. “And both companies have enjoyed exceptional growth along the way. The merged business brings substantial momentum. With ARR north of $250 million projected this year– increasing more than 50 percent year-over-year– it’s one of the fastest-growing private companies of its size.”
Early 2025 has been ripe with mergers and acquisitions to grow business and develop solutions to help customers drive revenue. Read more about some M&A news defining the channel in January.