Databricks acquires Panther Labs to deepen cybersecurity push

Databricks on Tuesday announced it has agreed to acquire cybersecurity startup Panther Labs, deepening its push into security operations as it seeks to challenge incumbents like CrowdStrike and Cisco's Splunk platform.

A Growing Security Ambition

The deal, first reported by Reuters, marks Databricks' third cybersecurity acquisition, following its purchases of Antimatter and SiftD earlier this year. Databricks declined to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.channelnewsasia+2

Panther Labs, a San Francisco-based startup founded by Jack Naglieri, was last valued at $1.4 billion after raising $120 million in a Series B round led by Coatue Management in 2021. The company's security information and event management platform counts Dropbox, Zapier, and Asana among its clients.EIN Presswire+2

Building on an Existing Partnership

The acquisition formalizes a relationship that has been deepening for months. In September 2025, Panther launched as a partner in Databricks' "Data Intelligence for Cybersecurity" initiative, integrating its AI-powered SIEM directly into the Databricks Security Lakehouse. That partnership allowed security teams to run real-time detections and threat hunting directly on data already stored in Databricks environments.panther.com+2

In March 2026, Databricks launched Lakewatch, its own SIEM product built atop its cloud data platform, powered by AI agents from Anthropic's Claude. The Lakewatch debut was accompanied by the acquisitions of Antimatter and SiftD, which provided foundational technology for the product.SiliconANGLE+1

Competing With Security Giants

By bringing Panther's capabilities in-house, Databricks adds a mature security operations platform to complement Lakewatch's emerging capabilities. Panther had itself been on an acquisition spree, purchasing security telemetry pipeline company Datable in October 2025 to bolster its AI SOC platform.EIN Presswire

The move positions Databricks — which raised $5 billion in its most recent funding round — to compete more directly with established security management vendors as enterprises increasingly consolidate their data and security infrastructure onto unified platforms.TechCrunch