Dutch cybersecurity startup Hadrian has raised $40m in fresh funding, a sign that investors expect the rise of AI-powered cyberattacks to force companies to rethink their defenses. The company builds automated tools that scan an organization's external attack surface for vulnerabilities, a task that is increasingly difficult to do manually as attacks become faster and more sophisticated.
Hadrian's CEO argued that attackers are already using AI to find weaknesses at machine speed, so defenders need similar automation to keep up. "We need to build a defense that can match the speed of the attack," he said, describing the situation as a race where companies have only minutes to respond once a vulnerability is exposed.
The funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand into new markets, particularly the US. The round adds to a growing wave of investment in cybersecurity startups that pitch AI as both a threat and a solution, as enterprises look for ways to stay ahead of increasingly automated adversaries.