Defined Networking
Defined Networking provides encrypted overlay networking software built on its open-source Nebula project. Founded in 2020 by Nebula's original creators, the company serves IT and DevOps teams with secure multi-cloud, remote access, and IoT connectivity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSanta Monica, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Defined Networking does
Defined Networking, Inc. is a privately held software company headquartered at 2219 Main Street #408, Santa Monica, California, founded in 2020 by Ryan Huber and Nate Brown, the original creators of the Nebula overlay networking project at Slack. The company develops and commercializes Nebula, a self-hosted, peer-to-peer overlay networking tool written in Go that creates mutually authenticated, encrypted mesh tunnels across cloud providers, data centers, and endpoints using the Noise Protocol Framework with elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange and AES-256-GCM. Nebula employs a PKI-based identity model in which host certificates assert IP address, name, and group membership; Lighthouse discovery nodes coordinate route discovery and UDP-based NAT traversal, and the system supports IPv4 and IPv6, split tunneling, a built-in firewall with certificate-group rules, automatic relay failover, Prometheus and Graphite metrics, and cross-platform binaries for Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, iOS, and Android on x86, ARM, MIPS, PPC, and RISC architectures.
The product portfolio consists of Nebula as the open-source foundation (Apache 2.0, hosted at github.com/slackhq/nebula) and Managed Nebula as the hosted commercial SKU, which adds automated certificate management, SSO integration, a web-based admin UI, and enterprise-level support. The company also distributes a DNA Client binary for desktop and a Mobile Nebula app on iOS and Android.
The business model blends product-led growth with enterprise field sales. The self-serve admin portal offers a freemium tier covering up to 100 devices with no credit card required, then converts paid customers to subscription billing for additional devices and advanced features. The paid tier is backed by a 99.5% monthly availability SLA, customer support during 9am-5pm Eastern Time, and enterprise-ready legal agreements including a Data Processing Addendum, Terms of Service, and SOC 2 / HIPAA / GDPR-aligned encryption posture. Target segments are primarily multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure teams and remote or distributed workforces that need zero-trust connectivity without managing IPSec or traditional VPN tunnels; secondary segments include IoT and fleet telematics operators and compliance-focused organizations in regulated industries. Defined Networking remains small (1-10 employees) and the source material discloses no external funding rounds, with Slack continuing as the primary sponsor of the open-source Nebula project and operator of a 50,000+ production host overlay.
Defined Networking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Defined Networking
- Legal name
- Defined Networking, Inc.
- Website
- https://defined.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Defined Networking provides encrypted overlay networking software built on its open-source Nebula project. Founded in 2020 by Nebula's original creators, the company serves IT and DevOps teams with secure multi-cloud, remote access, and IoT connectivity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Defined Networking industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Overlay Networking Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VPN & Remote Access Gateways (HDADABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL) (HDAFAFAC), Cloud Networking & Virtual Networking (VPC/VNet) (HDABAFAG), Private Cloud Networking & SDN/NFV Management (HDABABAK)
Keywords
Where Defined Networking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Monica
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Defined Networking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Managed Nebula Subscription: Defined Networking offers Managed Nebula — a hosted version of Nebula with automated certificate management, SSO integration, and a web UI. Customers can connect up to 100 devices free with no credit card required, then upgrade to paid plans for additional devices and enterprise features. The subscription model includes SLA-backed availability (99.5%), customer support during business hours, and compliance tooling.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier — up to 100 devices |
| Subscription | Annual | Paid plans — enterprise / team scale |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Defined Networking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Defined Networking provides Managed Nebula, a hosted, subscription-based overlay networking service that builds on the open-source Nebula project to create encrypted, mutually authenticated peer-to-peer tunnels across cloud providers, data centers, offices, and remote endpoints. The offering automates certificate authority operations, provides SSO integration and a web-based admin console, and targets 99.5% monthly availability under a formal SLA. It is engineered as a drop-in replacement for traditional IPSec, site-to-site VPNs, and remote-access VPNs, with native support for IPv4 and IPv6 overlay addressing.
Product overview
Defined Networking offers a unified product portfolio centered on Nebula, an open-source overlay networking tool originally developed by Slack in 2019. The core product creates encrypted, zero-trust virtual networks across distributed environments using the Noise Protocol Framework with AES-256-GCM encryption. The portfolio includes Managed Nebula, a hosted version that adds automated certificate management, SSO integration, and a web-based administrative interface on top of the open-source foundation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Nebula: Open source overlay networking tool designed to be fast, secure, and scalable. A self-hosted overlay networking tool for connecting hosts with on-demand, encrypted tunnels across IP networks without opening firewall ports.
- Managed Nebula
Products and services
- Nebula Open-source overlay networking tool that creates encrypted, mutually authenticated peer-to-peer virtual networks across cloud providers, datacenters, and endpoints using the Noise Protocol Framework, PKI-signed host certificates, and lighthouse-assisted NAT traversal.
- Managed Nebula Hosted version of Nebula with automated certificate management, SSO integration, and a web-based admin UI, including a free tier for up to 100 devices and paid subscription tiers with a 99.5% monthly SLA, SOC 2 / HIPAA / GDPR alignment, and business-hours support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Slack runs 50,000+ production hosts on Nebula as of December 2021
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Defined Networking
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Defined Networking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
Defined Networking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Defined Networking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tailscale: Tailscale is the closest direct peer: a WireGuard-based mesh VPN and zero-trust overlay networking product with a developer-led PLG motion, freemium pricing, and a managed SaaS offering. It competes head-to-head with Managed Nebula for the same multi-cloud, remote access, and zero-trust networking use cases.
- ZeroTier: ZeroTier provides a software-defined peer-to-peer overlay network with an open source core and commercial managed offering. It directly competes with Nebula on mesh VPN, multi-cloud, and IoT connectivity use cases, and shares the open-core monetization model.
- Twingate: Twingate is a zero-trust network access (ZTNA) vendor offering a software-defined alternative to traditional VPN. It targets the same enterprise and remote workforce buyer, competing for zero-trust networking and replacement-VPN budgets.
Broad incumbents
- Cloudflare: Cloudflare offers Cloudflare Tunnel and Cloudflare Access as part of its broader SASE / zero-trust platform, providing overlay-style connectivity for enterprises. While not specializing in mesh overlay networking, Cloudflare bundles comparable capability into a much larger platform and competes for the same buyer budget.
- Zscaler: Zscaler is a large public SASE / zero-trust platform that bundles ZTNA, secure web gateway, and cloud firewall. It represents the incumbent alternative for enterprises standardizing on a single-vendor SASE stack instead of a point overlay networking product like Nebula.
Emerging players
- WireGuard: WireGuard is an open source VPN tunneling protocol merged into the Linux kernel that competes at the underlying technology layer. Many overlay vendors (including Tailscale) build on WireGuard, making it a foundational alternative whose adoption can shift the competitive landscape for products like Nebula.
- Pritunl: Pritunl offers open source and enterprise VPN / overlay networking solutions with a focus on site-to-site and remote access. It targets similar SMB and enterprise customers seeking simpler alternatives to legacy IPSec, with overlapping but more infrastructure-heavy positioning than Nebula.
- NetFoundry: NetFoundry provides zero-trust networking-as-a-service built on open source components (including OpenZiti), targeting multi-cloud and edge connectivity. It competes for similar zero-trust overlay budgets in enterprise and IoT segments.
- OpenZiti: OpenZiti is an open source zero-trust networking platform offering app-embedded overlay networking. It targets a similar zero-trust overlay use case as Nebula but emphasizes application-level embedding over host-level mesh.
- Meshnet (NordVPN / Nord Security): Nord Security's Meshnet feature extends its consumer VPN into a mesh overlay offering, and Nord Security is investing in broader zero-trust and business VPN products. It is an adjacent, partially-overlapping competitor with strong consumer brand awareness.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Defined Networking social profiles
Digital presenceDefined Networking compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Defined Networking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Defined Networking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Defined Networking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Defined Networking M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Defined Networking
What does Defined Networking do?
Defined Networking provides Managed Nebula, a hosted, subscription-based overlay networking service that builds on the open-source Nebula project to create encrypted, mutually authenticated peer-to-peer tunnels across cloud providers, data centers, offices, and remote endpoints. The offering automates certificate authority operations, provides SSO integration and a web-based admin console, and targets 99.5% monthly availability under a formal SLA. It is engineered as a drop-in replacement for traditional IPSec, site-to-site VPNs, and remote-access VPNs, with native support for IPv4 and IPv6 overlay addressing.
Is Defined Networking a public or private company?
Defined Networking is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Defined Networking founded?
Defined Networking was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Defined Networking based?
Defined Networking is headquartered in Santa Monica, United States, in the North America region.
How does Defined Networking make money?
One revenue line is on record: managed Nebula Subscription.
Who are Defined Networking's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tailscale, ZeroTier and Twingate. Broad incumbents are Cloudflare and Zscaler. Emerging players are WireGuard, Pritunl, NetFoundry, OpenZiti and Meshnet (NordVPN / Nord Security).
Does Defined Networking have an API?
No public API is recorded for Defined Networking.
What industry is Defined Networking in?
Defined Networking's product category is Overlay Networking Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADABAD, VPN & Remote Access Gateways, with a secondary code of HDAFAFAC, VPN Gateways & Concentrators (IPsec/SSL). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7373.