Former Wix engineers raise $7m for startup helping companies control AI agents
Herzliya-based Willow, backed by Wix chief executive Avishai Abrahami and president Nir Zohar, is already being used by more than 5,000 Wix employees to monitor and govern workplace AI tools
An Israeli startup helping companies monitor and control artificial intelligence agents has emerged from stealth with $7 million in seed funding, backed by Wix co-founder and chief executive Avishai Abrahami.
Herzliya-based Willow, founded by former Wix engineers Eyal Ben Ezra, Shalev Shalit and Idan Chetrit, has developed a platform designed to give businesses visibility over the growing number of AI agents operating inside organisations and accessing company systems and data.
The funding round was led by Hetz Ventures, with early backing from Abrahami and Wix president Nir Zohar, who invested in the company during its earliest stages.
Willow’s technology is already being used internally by more than 5,000 Wix employees as the website-building giant expands its use of AI tools.The platform connects any AI agent (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, Codex, Gemini, n8n, custom and more), to any internal system, and includes a marketplace with over 1000 ready to use connectors, over 100 skills and over 100 plugins, all with the authorisations, access controls, audit trails, and governance enterprises require.
The investment comes amid growing concerns about the rapid adoption of AI agents across the corporate world. According to figures cited by Willow, 79 percent of companies have introduced AI agents into their organisations, while 65 percent have reported AI agent-related incidents over the past year.
Willow’s platform enables companies to oversee which AI agents employees are using, monitor potentially risky integrations and control how those agents interact with internal systems and sensitive data.
Wix co-founder Avishai Abrahami said: “Thousands of Wix employees are using AI agents every day, and at our scale, visibility and control over those agents are absolutely critical. To accelerate AI adoption safely, we need guidelines, governance and full visibility across the company. Willow provides exactly that.”
Ben Ezra, the chief executive of Willow, said many businesses currently faced a stark choice between restricting AI adoption or allowing AI systems broad access to company data and infrastructure.
“Willow gives enterprises the control needed to adopt AI earnestly without letting it run unchecked,” he said.
The company plans to use the funding to accelerate product development and expand its go-to-market efforts.
Founded under the name Webrix before rebranding as Willow, the startup is targeting enterprise customers across sectors including cybersecurity, fintech and real estate.
The announcement is the latest example of former Wix executives and employees launching new ventures within Israel’s technology ecosystem, with the company’s alumni network continuing to produce a growing number of startups in areas ranging from cybersecurity to artificial intelligence.
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