There’s a growing realization in enterprise tech that giving AI agents the keys to your company’s systems without a governance layer is like handing an intern the admin password on day one. Runlayer is betting $42 million that it can be the one standing between corporate AI agents and chaos.
The New York-based startup closed a $30 million Series A led by Felicis, with Khosla Ventures participating. The round brings Runlayer’s total capital raised to approximately $42 million, following an $11 million seed round in November 2025 that was also backed by both firms.
What Runlayer actually does
Runlayer builds security and compliance infrastructure around the Model Context Protocol, or MCP. MCP is an open specification that defines how AI agents plug into enterprise systems and data. Runlayer’s platform provides mapping capabilities, approval workflows, and audit trails, letting companies see exactly what their AI agents are doing, require human sign-off for sensitive actions, and maintain a paper trail for compliance purposes.
Eight unicorns and several public companies, including Gusto, dbt Labs, Instacart, and Opendoor, are early adopters. That’s not a bad roster for a company that only emerged from stealth in late 2025.
