Transcend, a San Francisco-based data privacy startup, has successfully raised $40 million in a Series B funding round led by StepStone Group, bringing its total funding to nearly $90 million. This funding aims to advance Transcend’s mission of embedding privacy controls directly into business systems, addressing the full lifecycle of personal data privacy from discovery and classification to responding to data deletion and access requests. According to co-founder and CEO Ben Brook, legacy data privacy solutions are cumbersome and fail to integrate privacy into technical systems, which has created a high demand for Transcend’s innovative approach.
Founded in 2017 by a Harvard graduate, Transcend has rapidly expanded its team and product offerings. Originally known for enabling consumers to delete data, the company now offers a robust suite of 12 tools for privacy and AI governance that automates privacy tasks and assesses risks. This approach has attracted major enterprises, including Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies, who seek to move away from inefficient legacy platforms.
The new funding will allow Transcend to enhance its platform to comply with emerging privacy regulations such as the European Union‘s AI Act and various U.S. state laws. The company plans to invest in integrations with additional databases and SaaS tools to ensure comprehensive privacy management across diverse data environments. With the rise of AI, Transcend is also focusing on AI governance, developing tools to manage compliance with internal policies and safeguard personal data. Transcend’s innovative solutions have positioned it as a leader in the evolving landscape of data privacy, addressing complex challenges faced by modern enterprises.