Keycard Named a Top Cloud Computing Startup to Watch for Solving the AI Agent Identity and Access Problem
Software Is No Longer Static. AI Agents Break Traditional Access. Keycard Brings Trust and Control to This New World With Real-Time Permissions, Accountability and Transparency.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Keycard, the provider of the identity and access platform for AI agents, today announced that it has been named one of the 10 cloud computing startups to watch in 2026 by CRN: https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/2026/10-cloud-computing-startup-companies-to-watch-in-2026. Last year, the media outlet named Keycard one of the 10 coolest cloud computing startups of 2025: https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/2025/the-10-coolest-cloud-computing-startup-companies-of-2025?page=1.
CRN Senior Associate Editor Wade Tyler Millward said: “Positioning itself as the missing ingredient for secure, trusted agent access, Keycard offers users a way to securely connect agents and applications with a managed enterprise cloud that extends into user environments through private networking if they desire. The startup’s agent identity and platform allow for agent-to-service connections across clouds and teams. Keycard aims to leverage ephemeral, identity-bound tokens with support for mixed delegation chains and task scoped policy enforcement to provide security that makes sense in a world of AI agents.”
In October 2025, Keycard emerged from stealth with its identity and access platform for AI agents with $38 million in seed and Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz, boldstart ventures, Acrew Capital and others. Keycard’s platform identifies AI agents, lets users assign task-based permissions and dynamically enforces policy while tracking all activity. With Keycard, organizations can deploy AI agents into production with governed access, knowing they are only capable of performing the intended actions of their users and builders.
In November 2025, Keycard announced that it acquired Runebook to expand its ecosystem of SDKs that let companies build and adopt trusted MCP-powered AI agents and tools without needing to be experts in identity or expose themselves to unconstrained risk.
“Security teams keep asking, ‘How do I give agents autonomy without creating risk?’ Standing permissions don’t work, and constant approvals don’t scale. What works is access that knows who’s asking and why, scoped to the task and gone when it’s done. That’s how we help teams bring agents safely into production,” said Ian Livingstone, co-founder and CEO of Keycard.
About Keycard
Keycard’s mission is to unlock the power of AI agents by giving developers and enterprises the foundations they need to build and adopt trusted agentic applications at scale. Its identity and access platform provides real-time, contextual guardrails, enabling the transition from static, human-driven workflows to machine-driven, autonomous, agentic applications. Keycard is a remote-first company and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, boldstart ventures and Acrew Capital. For more information, visit: https://www.keycard.ai/.
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