OpenAI has made its first foray into cybersecurity investment, leading a $43 million Series A funding round for Adaptive Security, a New York-based AI startup.
Adaptive Security, launched in 2023, focuses on training employees to recognize AI-generated “social engineering” hacks, which co-founder and CEO Brian Long notes have become easier to execute with AI tools. The funding round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz.
Adaptive Security simulates attacks via phone calls, texts, and emails to identify vulnerable areas within a company and educate staff on potential risks. This proactive approach aims to prevent breaches caused by human error, like clicking malicious links, which have historically led to significant financial losses, such as the $600 million Axie Infinity hack in 2022.
With over 100 existing customers, Adaptive Security will allocate the new capital primarily to expand its engineering team. This expansion would help refine its product offerings and better address the evolving AI threat landscape.
Long is a serial entrepreneur, having previously sold mobile ad startup TapCommerce to Twitter in 2014 and founded ad-tech firm Attentive. Attentive was valued at over $10 billion in 2021.
Adaptive Security joins a growing number of cyber startups focusing on AI-related threats. Competitors include Cyberhaven, which recently raised $100 million to prevent sensitive data leaks into AI tools, Snyk, which attributes its ARR growth to insecure AI-generated code, and GetReal, a deepfake detection startup that raised $17.5 million last month.
Long’s advice to employees concerned about voice cloning is simple: “Delete your voicemail.”
