LakellaLakera, a leading real-time generative AI (GenAI) security company, has raised €18.4 million in a Series A funding round. Led by European venture capital firm Atomico, with participation from existing investors including Citi Ventures, Dropbox Ventures and redalpine, the investment brings Lakera's total funding to $30 million. This funding positions Lakera at the forefront of the global economy's race to secure GenAI applications. As part of the round, Atomico's partners Sasha Vydiborski Lakera plans to use the funding to further invest in product development and expand its presence in the United States, where it is already based in Silicon Valley.
it's been Predicted By 2026, 80% of enterprises are predicted to be using GenAI or GenAI-enabled applications in production, up from less than 5% in 2023. Demand for Lakera's platform is expected to continue to grow rapidly as businesses around the world rush to harness the power of GenAI without exposing themselves to the risks inherent in AI.
GenAI is Estimated $4.4 trillion The annual growth rate of cybersecurity as a percentage of global GDP is The second most commonly cited risk Traditional cyber tools are inadequate to address the new dangers posed by GenAI, creating numerous challenges for its adoption. This makes security solutions that address the unique risks of GenAI crucial, as without them, businesses will not be able to reap the benefits of AI.
Lakera founder and CEO David Haber explained the urgency: “With the advent of GenAI, traditional cybersecurity technologies are no longer enough. Companies now operate in a world where anyone who knows how to talk to them knows how to hack them. Security solutions need to change, but they can't get in the way of the user experience. We need real-time AI security solutions that continuously evolve and enable a great user experience.”
Lakera's comprehensive approach to AI security provides three key benefits to enterprises: Protection that doesn't slow down your AI applicationsThe ability to stay ahead of AI threats with continuously evolving intelligence, and focused implementation of AI security controls.
The company's growth comes at a pivotal time in AI development. GenAI adoption allows users to interact with software applications using natural language, and Lakera's real-time AI security doesn't compromise application interactivity. To make it easy for developers to implement, the company's API can be integrated with a single line of code, providing an ultra-low latency security layer that is compatible with any GenAI model. Centralized management allows security teams to customize application-specific policies and address emerging threats without code changes.
Lakera is uniquely positioned to tackle these rapidly changing challenges thanks to Gandalf, an AI education platform it created that serves as the world's largest AI red team, with over 250,000 unique users worldwide, including companies like: Microsoft Used in security training, Gandalf generates a real-time database of AI threats with 100,000 new attacks emerging every day, keeping Lakera's software up to date and continuously protecting its customers. The 50+ million data points generated by Gandalf, combined with the founding team's deep experience in building AI systems with real-time requirements, empowers Lakera's customers to stay ahead of threats and deliver great user experiences.
Sasha Vidoborskiy, a partner at Atomico who will join Lakera's board of directors, added: “Lakera has significant commercial influence, with customers such as Dropbox and the top three US banks, and already over 35% of the Fortune 100 on board. These clients urgently want to deploy GenAI applications in production, but can't do so without safeguards in place. They choose Lakera because of our ease of integration, best-in-class performance, and low latency. But most importantly, the company is led by David and his team, who are thought leaders in the space and have a deep understanding of how the adoption of AI impacts new cybersecurity risks.”
“At Dropbox, ensuring the security of our systems and our customers' data is our number one priority.” “We're thrilled to partner with Dropbox to bring the power of blockchain to the world,” said Donald Tucker, head of corporate development and ventures at Dropbox. “The Lakera team has extensive expertise and a deep understanding of the complex security challenges facing enterprises with LLM and generative AI. Their advanced technology helps companies like Dropbox protect themselves from vulnerabilities these new technologies pose. We are pleased to strengthen our existing relationship with Lakera by investing in the company's future and AI security.”
