Formal · Dec 2025
Formal announced finer-grained log encryption, stripping, payload-size, and retention controls for connector logs, with the feature available to all customers.
Take control of your data in real-time.
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
Formal is a San Francisco-based, venture-backed protocol-aware data security company that secures access to databases, APIs, and infrastructure with a wire-protocol reverse proxy and policy engine.
Primary product
Formal Connector — a protocol-aware, stateless reverse proxy for data security and access control
Founded
2022
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, United States
Team size
10-20
Work style
Onsite
Industry
Data Security Software Products
Sub-industry
Protocol-aware data access security / privileged access management
Offices
11 jobs at Formal
Business model
Leadership
Founder & CEO
CISO
Head of Sales
Founding GTM Growth
Investors
Engineer-first, security-heavy culture focused on least privilege, infrastructure/security-as-code, fast deployment, and customer-driven product feedback. Public hiring language emphasizes building a modern security layer with no app changes and strong technical ownership.
Work style
Onsite
Compensation
Public job postings say roles offer cash compensation plus stock options, with offer placement depending on candidate experience, skills, business needs, and location. No public salary bands were found in the sources reviewed.
Benefits
Pricing
Quote-based enterprise sales; request-a-demo / contact-sales motion
Differentiators
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Estimated revenue
≈$2.3M ARR / annual revenue (2024 estimate)
Estimated monthly visits
838
Formal · Dec 2025
Formal announced finer-grained log encryption, stripping, payload-size, and retention controls for connector logs, with the feature available to all customers.
Formal · Oct 2025
Formal describes how customer demand for PHI redaction/classification led to a security-first protection system that can deploy on-premise and support healthcare workflows.
Formal · Oct 2025
Formal says the 2025 Latio Cloud Security Report recognized it as a segment leader and argues for a unified access-control layer across cloud and on-prem environments.
TechCrunch · Nov 2024
TechCrunch covered Formal’s stealth exit and its proxy-based approach to securing access to databases and APIs, along with early customers such as Gusto, Notion, and Ramp.
Formal · Nov 2024
Formal announced its seed round led by Thrive Capital and described its protocol-aware reverse proxy, customers, and policy engine.