When Dimitri Sirota approached investors two years ago to raise a seed round for his new company, BigID, many were dismissive of the idea behind the startup, which creates technology that helps companies find what personal data they have collected from customers and get recommendations on how to secure it. In the meetings, some of the venture capitalists fiddled with their phones, while others dozed off, Mr. Sirota said.

Now, Mr. Sirota said he fields up to six calls a day from investors looking to invest in his company, even after raising two rounds of funding this year. “Everyone thought we were stupid, and now everyone is paying attention,” said Mr. Sirota, BigID’s CEO. “I would even say it is feverish.”