Tag Archives: Cybersecurity

Onapsis Partners with Microsoft to Boost Enterprise Defense with End-to-End SAP Security Monitoring

.406 Venture

Onapsis Defend integration with Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP helps Security Operations teams strengthen SAP threat detection and response

 

BOSTON, MA., September 30, 2025 – Onapsis, a global leader in SAP cybersecurity and compliance, today announced the launch of a new integration between its flagship Onapsis Defend threat monitoring product and Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP, based on Microsoft’s AI-powered cloud-native Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform. The integration provides security operations centers (SOC) with unified visibility and threat detection and response capabilities for SAP security events.

SOC teams struggle with a profound visibility gap into activity happening in their mission-critical SAP landscapes, which commonly serve as foundational systems of record for enterprises. This gap includes identifying SAP threats, detecting SAP-targeted exploits and zero-day activity, suspicious user or insider behavior, sensitive data downloads, security control violations and more. The new integration provides organizations with a superior early warning system with proprietary exploit detection rules for business-critical SAP applications, enabling their security teams to detect exploit attacks on vulnerable SAP systems before patches are even released.

“The collaboration extends the power of Onapsis’ SAP-endorsed, industry-leading threat monitoring directly into Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP,” said Sadik Al-Abdulla, Onapsis Chief Product Officer. “By unifying Onapsis’ context-rich insights with Microsoft Sentinel’s Solution for SAP, enterprises can investigate and respond to SAP threats faster, meet strict disclosure requirements with confidence and strengthen their security posture across both on-prem, cloud and RISE with SAP environments.”

Key benefits of the integration include:

  • Specialized Exploit and Zero-Day Detection: The Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP offers advanced pre-patch exploit protection and early warning alerts against cyberattacks, enriched with threat intelligence from Onapsis Research Labs and their Global SAP Threat Intelligence Network. This collaboration enhances Microsoft Sentinel’s native SAP capabilities with specialized insights from one of the industry’s most trusted research teams.
  • Context-Rich Alerts, Designed for the SOC: SAP events are uniquely enriched with detailed explanations, mitigation guidance, and anomaly scoring from the SAP cybersecurity experts at the Onapsis Research Labs to accelerate investigations
  • AI-Powered Security Insights: The powerful Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP and Microsoft Security Copilot AI capabilities, combined with the security insights and threat intelligence from Onapsis, offer superior identification of sophisticated attacks affecting your SAP and broader environment.
  • Unified Security Operations: With market-leading SAP threat and exploit detection from Onapsis, organizations can push security events to Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP for correlation with broader enterprise events to streamline incident handling and reduce response times through a unified view of the overall threat landscape in the Microsoft Unified SecOps Platform.

“Microsoft takes a holistic approach to SAP security, moving beyond isolated conversations. By integrating threat intelligence across the enterprise, and Security Copilot into Microsoft Defender Portal, we demonstrate that security isn’t limited to SAP Applications or data – it is about the whole ecosystem,” said Martin Pankraz, Product Manager, SAP Security, Microsoft. “Onapsis complements that effort with their market-leading pre-breach capabilities such as SAP exploit and zero-day detection, SAP Vulnerability Management or ABAP Code Security. We’re delivering deeper protection for our customers’ SAP landscapes, empowering them to respond to SAP threats faster and keeping them far ahead of the latest SAP attacks and exploitation techniques from malicious threat actors.”

It has been a watershed year for defenders marked by a series of high-profile SAP vulnerabilities, zero-days and global attack campaigns that led to hundreds of enterprises being compromised. Despite SAP’s rapid patching, security practitioners are still faced with the ongoing challenge of protecting their business-critical applications in a sophisticated threat landscape. Considering the notable success of well-funded threat actor groups targeting SAP applications, directly combined with significantly stricter regulatory requirements under EU NIS2 and SEC rules in the US, and the looming deadline for migration to SAP S/4HANA through RISE with SAP, organizations find themselves under unprecedented pressure to better secure their SAP landscapes. The Onapsis integration with Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP directly addresses these challenges by giving SOC teams the visibility and control needed to rapidly respond to an increasing number of threats to critical SAP systems.

Availability

The Onapsis Defend for Microsoft Sentinel Solution for SAP integration is available today. Pricing and further details available through Onapsis sales representatives or authorized systems integrators. For more information, please visit the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

About Onapsis

Onapsis is the global leader in SAP cybersecurity and compliance, trusted by the world’s leading organizations to securely accelerate their SAP cloud digital transformations with confidence. As the SAP-endorsed and most widely used solution to protect SAP, the Onapsis Platform empowers Cybersecurity and SAP teams with automated compliance, vulnerability management, threat detection, and secure development for their RISE with SAP, S/4HANA Cloud and hybrid SAP applications. Powered by threat insights from the Onapsis Research Labs, the world’s leading SAP cybersecurity experts, Onapsis provides unparalleled protection, ease of use, and rapid time to value, empowering SAP customers to innovate faster and securely. Connect with Onapsis on LinkedIn, X, or visit https://www.onapsis.com.

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Onapsis Unveils New Platform Updates Delivering the Deepest Level of SAP Application Security Posture Insights to Date

.406 Venture

The company launches SAP Notes Command Center, Rapid Controls and expands its SAP BTP coverage and Onapsis Security Advisor capabilities to protect SAP applications   

 

BOSTON, MA – September 25, 2025–Onapsis, the global leader in SAP cybersecurity and compliance, today announced major updates to its Onapsis Platform, including the launch of three new capabilities – the SAP Notes Command Center, Rapid Controls for Dangerous Exploits, and Alert on Anything for SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP). Together, these enhancements arm organizations with deeper insights, greater visibility, and new automation to strengthen their SAP application security posture.

“This is a pivotal time in SAP security. Organizations no longer have the time to spend sorting through false positives or wondering if a patch is applied correctly; instead, they need security solutions that are customizable to their business and attack surface,” said Mariano Nunez, CEO of Onapsis. “The new capabilities in our Assess and Defend products, as well as the expansion of our platform, provide our customers with the technologies they need to keep ahead of sophisticated threat actors, protect their most valuable data, and achieve business resilience.”

The exploitation of SAP applications is a top concern for organizations, as this year the industry is experiencing a record number of attacks targeting business-critical applications, leaving thousands of enterprises compromised. To help ensure companies are prepared and protected, Onapsis is delivering new updates that proactively discover threat activity with enhanced exploit detection rules and streamline all SAP security measures with task prioritization and patch validation. These updates include:

  • SAP Notes Command Center in Assess: Empowers users to easily anticipate SAP patch days and prioritize tasks while also providing additional insights into SAP Note applications. This new dashboard eliminates the time spent on false positives, reduces the risk of undetected vulnerabilities and automatically validates that all patches – including manual configurations and workarounds – were applied correctly
  • Rapid Controls: Leverages Defend’s unique exploit detection rules to monitor for threat activity targeting the most dangerous SAP vulnerabilities. These controls proactively address the risk of critical vulnerabilities and support regulatory requirements, such as EU NIS2 and US SEC rules
  • Alert on Anything for SAP BTP: Enables organizations to customize and expand their BTP threat monitoring, providing users with the flexibility needed to manage security controls tailored to individual use cases
  • Expanded Coverage Analysis in Onapsis Security Advisor: Automatically identifies assets in a customer’s security landscape that are not being actively monitored for threats, expanding their visibility to detect and act on any potential unmonitored critical systems in their SAP business landscapes

“Onapsis’ unique insights and unmatched data set put us at the forefront of application security,” said Sadik Al-Abdulla, Chief Product Officer at Onapsis. “With the launch of these new enhancements, organizations are able to take control of their SAP security by proactively addressing any vulnerabilities and automatically identifying assets that aren’t protected in their security landscape but could weaken or cause disruption to their SAP applications.”

Availability

These new enhancements will be available in late September 2025. Pricing and further details are available through Onapsis sales representatives or authorized systems integrators. For more information, please visit: https://onapsis.com/platform/

About Onapsis

Onapsis is the global leader in SAP cybersecurity and compliance, trusted by the world’s leading organizations to securely accelerate their SAP cloud digital transformations with confidence. As the SAP-endorsed and most widely used solution to protect SAP, the Onapsis Platform empowers Cybersecurity and SAP teams with automated compliance, vulnerability management, threat detection, and secure development for their RISE with SAP, S/4HANA Cloud and hybrid SAP applications. Powered by threat insights from the Onapsis Research Labs, the world’s leading SAP cybersecurity experts, Onapsis provides unparalleled protection, ease of use, and rapid time to value, empowering SAP customers to innovate faster and securely. Connect with Onapsis on LinkedIn, X, or visit https://www.onapsis.com.

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Carlyle Invests in Quantum Leap, a High-Growth National Security Company, in Partnership with Management and Razor’s Edge

Carlyle

Leesburg, VA – September 10, 2025 – Quantum Leap (the “Company”) today announced the completion of an investment from funds managed by global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG). As part of the transaction, Jim Miller, Quantum Leap Founder and CEO, Razor’s Edge, and other existing shareholders have reinvested alongside Carlyle.

Quantum Leap is an innovative provider of cybersecurity and intelligence solutions for U.S. government customers, helping to solve some of the most complex national security challenges. As a trusted government partner, the Company leverages technical, operational, and analytical expertise to offer differentiated intelligence and advanced technology solutions that address customer requirements across the space, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, and maritime domains.

Jim Miller, who will continue to lead the Company as CEO, said, “We are delighted by this opportunity to partner with Carlyle, one of the preeminent investors in the defense and intelligence sectors, and to benefit from their expertise as we continue to execute for our customers. We chose to partner with Carlyle because of their long track record supporting companies focused on national security and commitment to continue investing in Quantum Leap’s people and solutions to drive mission impact.”

“We are extremely excited to partner with Jim Miller and the Quantum Leap team,” said Dayne Baird, Partner on Carlyle’s Aerospace, Defense & Government team. “Quantum Leap is a truly unique business, with extraordinary people and capabilities that are focused on enabling some of our country’s most critical and complex missions. We are honored to support Quantum Leap in the pursuit of advancing our national security.”

Jack Kerrigan, Managing Partner at Razor’s Edge said, “The Quantum Leap team manages programs of global consequence with a level of professionalism, innovation, and focus that is simply extraordinary. We are thrilled to continue this work with Quantum Leap and Carlyle, investors who share Jim’s standard of excellence, integrity, and commitment to customers.”

J.P. Morgan acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Quantum Leap in connection with the transaction. Covington & Burling LLP acted as legal advisor to Quantum Leap. Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal advisor to Carlyle.

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About Quantum Leap

Quantum Leap delivers a broad range of national security solutions to a diverse base of U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. Quantum Leap’s capabilities are aligned with some of the most critical national security missions and help customers overcome their steepest challenges across the space, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, and maritime domains. Headquartered in Leesburg, VA, Quantum Leap employs a world-class team of professionals with deep subject matter expertise across technology and intelligence.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit, and Carlyle AlpInvest. With $465 billion of assets under management as of June 30, 2025, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies, and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,300 people in 27 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on X @OneCarlyle and LinkedIn at The Carlyle Group.

About Razor’s Edge

Razor’s Edge is a growth equity firm that invests in technology companies in national security and high-growth commercial markets. In addition to providing capital to accelerate the pace of innovation, Razor’s Edge offers direct and practical operational support informed by decades of collective experience in the national security sector. The Razor’s Edge team works tirelessly to identify disruptive technologies and capabilities that can solve critical mission needs and deliver them to government and commercial customers who need them. For more information, visit www.razorsvc.com.

 

Media Contacts:

 

For Quantum Leap:

Bonnie Good

(703) 783-5203, extension 112

bonnieg@ql-research.com

For Carlyle:

Brittany Bensaull
(212) 813-4839
brittany.bensaull@carlyle.com

 

For Razor’s Edge:

Jack Kerrigan

(703) 774-8797

jkerrigan@razorsvc.com

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Tecno Holding, Advent and Nextalia enter into a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of Tinexta

Advent
Advent and Nextalia announce the signing of binding agreements for the acquisition of a stake in Tinexta from current majority shareholder Tecno Holding and the subsequent launch of a mandatory tender offer aimed at delisting
Upon completion, Advent and Nextalia will hold the majority of the shares of Tinexta while Tecno holding will retain a significant minority stake

Milan, 5 August 2025 – Advent International L.P. (“Advent”) acting on behalf of certain private equity funds managed and / or advised by it, and Nextalia SGR S.p.A. (“Nextalia”), acting on behalf of the Nextalia Private Equity and Nextalia Flexible Capital funds (together the “Sponsors”), announce the signing of binding agreements for the acquisition of a stake in Tinexta S.p.A. (“Tinexta” or the “Group”) from the current majority shareholder Tecno Holding S.p.A. (“Tecno Holding”).

Tinexta is an Italian group with digital transformation at its core, operating across three divisions: Digital Trust, Cybersecurity, and Business Innovation. The Digital Trust division is a leading player in the Italian and European Digital Transaction Management market, enabling secure and trustworthy digital transactions between individuals and service providers as well as offering crucial digital tools for independent professionals. The Cybersecurity division offers a wide range of products and services within the Italian cybersecurity market. Lastly, the Business Innovation division supports SMEs and enterprises in innovation, sustainability, and internationalization processes through specialised advisory services.

Founded in 2009 and listed on the Euronext STAR Milan Segment since 2016, Tinexta has operations in 12 countries and over 3,000 employees. The Group has grown consistently over the past 15 years through a combination of organic growth and strategic M&A transactions, reaching total revenues in excess of €450 million in 2024.

As described in greater details in the press release available on Tinexta’s website, the transaction (the “Transaction”) entails the acquisition of a stake representing 38.74% of Tinexta share capital held by the current majority shareholder Tecno Holding by private funds managed by Advent and Nextalia (the “Acquisition”), and the launch, acting in concert with Tecno Holding, of a mandatory tender offer for Tinexta’s shares (the “Offer”), with the aim of delisting from the Euronext STAR Milan market, at the same price (€15 per-share) paid to Tecno Holding in the context of the Acquisition.

Completion of the Acquisition and launch of the Offer are subject to the approval of the Transaction by the shareholders’ meeting of Tecno Holding, convened for the 7th of August 2025, and to the receipt of all required legal authorisations.

Upon satisfaction of these conditions, the Sponsors will complete the Acquisition and proceed with the launch of the Offer, providing timely disclosures to the market.

Upon completion of the Transaction and assuming full success of the Offer, the Sponsors will hold the majority of Tinexta’s shares, while Tecno Holding will retain a significant minority stake.

Francesco Canzonieri, CEO of Nextalia, commented: “This transaction is transformational for Tinexta and represents a compelling opportunity to unlock significant value and accelerate growth in high-potential sectors. It allows us to position  ourselves on an asset with the potential to become a consolidator and a key player in the Digital Transaction Management  market. We aim to give the Group a clear strategic direction and long-term industrial imprint. Nextalia, thanks to its industrial and financial expertise and its extensive network of relationships, will support the Group in the effective execution of its business plan. This also confirms our ability to seize the most compelling opportunities in the Italian market, executing complex and impactful transactions in partnership with leading international investors.”

Francesco Casiraghi, Managing Director at Advent, commented: “Tinexta has a strong track record of innovation and is well-placed to become a European champion. Our investment in Tinexta reflects Advent’s commitment to backing leading growth-oriented businesses across Europe. Joining forces with Nextalia and Tecno Holding provides a unique opportunity to support the company’s next chapter, through enhancing its innovation capabilities, expanding internationally, and delivering long-term value. We look forward to working closely with the management team and our partners to accelerate Tinexta’s strategic development.”

Carluccio Sangalli, Chairman of Tecno Holding, commented: “We are proud to join forces with Advent and Nextalia, who represent the best partners to support Tinexta’s development in the years ahead, by contributing additional financial and industrial expertise. We believe that, also thanks to Advent and Nextalia’s global network and capabilities, Tinexta is ready to take a further step in its growth and market consolidation strategy, particularly abroad. We are also confident that the transaction will enhance the Group’s positioning as a hub for talent retention and an attractive platform for highly qualified professionals, delivering benefits for all of Tinexta’s stakeholders.”

Advent and Nextalia were assisted by Rothschild & Co, Mediobanca, Barclays, and Banca Akros / Gruppo Banco BPM as financial advisors, by Chiomenti and PedersoliGattai as legal advisors, Alvarez & Marsal for financial due diligence and by Legance and KPMG for tax and structuring matters. Tecno Holding has been advised by Lazard as exclusive financial advisor and by Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici as legal advisor.

About Advent

Advent International is a leading global private equity investor committed to working in partnership with management teams, entrepreneurs, and founders to help transform businesses. With 16 offices across five continents, we oversee more than USD $94 billion in assets under management* and have made over 430 investments across 44 countries.

Since our founding in 1984, we have developed specialist market expertise across our five core sectors: business & financial services, consumer, healthcare, industrial, and technology. This approach is bolstered by our deep sub-sector knowledge, which informs every aspect of our investment strategy, from sourcing opportunities to working in partnership with management to execute value creation plans. We bring hands-on operational expertise to enhance and accelerate businesses.

As one of the largest privately-owned partnerships, our 660+ colleagues leverage the full ecosystem of Advent’s global resources, including our Portfolio Support Group, insights provided by industry expert Operating Partners and Operations Advisors, as well as bespoke tools to support and guide our portfolio companies as they seek to achieve their strategic goals.

*Assets under management (AUM) as of March 31, 2025. AUM includes assets attributable to Advent advisory clients as well as employee and third-party co-investment vehicles.

About Nextalia

Nextalia SGR S.p.A. is an investment platform promoted by Francesco Canzonieri together with leading Italian institutional investors (Intesa Sanpaolo, Unipol Assicurazioni, Aurelia, Finprog Italia, Fondazione ENPAM, H14, Istituto Atesino di Sviluppo, Massimo Moratti S.a.p.a, Confindustria, Bonifiche Ferraresi and Micheli Associati.

With approximately two billion euros in assets under management, Nextalia has established itself as a key Italian player in private market investments, leveraging its extensive network and the expertise of a highly qualified team. Nextalia manages five funds, “Nextalia Private Equity”, “Nextalia Credit Opportunities”, “Nextalia Ventures”, “Nextalia Capitale Rilancio” and “Nextalia Flexible Capital” and has recently launched the fundraising phase for “Nextalia Credit Solutions”.

About Tecno

Tecno Holding S.p.Ais a financial company participated by Camere di Commercio, companies from the chamber system, and Unione Nazionale.

Media Contacts

Advent
Community
Giulia Polvara adventinternational@community.it
+39 334 2823514
Mafalda la Gala
mafalda.lagala@community.it
+39 347 74635

Nextalia
Marina Marchese
Gregorio Galimberti
IR@nextalia.com

MAIM Group
Andrea Pontecorvo
a.pontecorvo@maimgroup.com
+ 39 393 5486192

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Reality Defender democ­ra­tizes deepfake detection with public API launch

DCVC
The democ­ra­ti­za­tion of artificial intel­li­gence has been a double-edged sword. While generative AI tools have unleashed unprece­dented creative and produc­tivity possi­bil­i­ties, they’ve also armed bad actors with sophis­ti­cated deception capa­bil­i­ties that were once the exclusive domain of state-sponsored actors and well-funded criminal orga­ni­za­tions. Today, anyone with a smartphone can create convincing deepfakes that can bypass traditional security measures, manipulate financial markets, or destroy reputations in minutes.It’s against this backdrop that Reality Defender​’s latest announce­ment takes on profound signif­i­cance. The company, which has been quietly protecting Fortune 500 companies and government agencies from AI-powered deception, has launched a public developer API and SDK with a free tier offering 50 detections per month. This isn’t just another API launch — it’s a fundamental shift in how we approach digital security in the age of synthetic media. See Fast Company coverage of the news here.

What makes this partic­u­larly compelling is the timing. As deepfake technology becomes increas­ingly accessible and sophis­ti­cated, Reality Defender is essentially betting that the defense against digital deception needs to be just as ubiquitous as the tools that create it. By making enterprise-grade deepfake detection available to any developer with just two lines of code, they’re attempting to build what they call a ​“distributed defense network.”

I caught up with Ben Colman, co-founder and CEO of Reality Defender, to discuss what this API launch means for the broader fight against AI-powered deception and how democ­ra­tizing detection technology could reshape digital trust.

DCVC: What drove the decision to make your enterprise-grade detection technology publicly available?

Colman: We’ve been incredibly successful protecting large enterprises and government agencies, but every success story came with a nagging question: What about everyone else? The reality is that deepfakes don’t discrim­i­nate by company size or budget. A single sophis­ti­cated deepfake can devastate a startup just as easily as it can harm a Fortune 500 company.

We realized that protection can’t be reserved for those with enterprise budgets. When we see deepfakes being used to manipulate local elections, defraud small businesses, or spread disin­for­ma­tion on social platforms, it becomes clear that detection needs to be everywhere — embedded in every app, accessible to every developer, protecting every user.

The API launch represents our commitment to enabling trust in an AI-powered world. We’re not just offering a platform; we’re building the infra­struc­ture for a more trustworthy digital ecosystem.

DCVC: How significant is the threat that individual developers and smaller companies face from deepfakes?

Colman: The threat is already substantial and growing expo­nen­tially. What’s partic­u­larly concerning is that the barrier to entry for creating deepfakes continues to plummet while the sophis­ti­ca­tion increases. We’re seeing attacks that would have required significant technical expertise and resources just two years ago now being executed by individuals with minimal training.

For smaller companies, the impact can be existential. They don’t have the resources to recover from a sophis­ti­cated deepfake attack that damages their reputation or enables fraud. A startup building a trust-based platform, a content creator whose likeness is being used maliciously, or a financial services company dealing with synthetic identity fraud — these orga­ni­za­tions need the same level of protection as our enterprise clients.

The democ­ra­ti­za­tion of creation tools demands a democ­ra­ti­za­tion of detection capa­bil­i­ties. That’s why we made our API production-ready from day one with the same multi-model detection capa­bil­i­ties that protect our largest clients.

DCVC: What’s your vision for this ​“distributed defense network” you’re building?

Colman: Imagine a world where detecting deepfakes is as routine as filtering spam. Where every commu­ni­ca­tion platform, every content management system, every social app has deepfake detection built in by default. Every developer integrating our API becomes part of a global shield against AI deception.

This is about creating ubiquitous protection. Our API introduces context-aware detection that looks beyond just faces — our proprietary techniques analyze entire images holis­ti­cally, marrying multiple types of approaches to catch sophis­ti­cated deepfakes that other systems miss. This makes our detection useful not just for catching imper­son­ations, but many other types of deepfakes in the wild.

The network effect is crucial here. The more developers integrate detection capa­bil­i­ties, the more data points we have to improve our models, and the more resilient the entire ecosystem becomes against emerging threats.

DCVC: How do you see this impacting the broader AI safety landscape?

Colman: This API launch is a step toward making AI safety infra­struc­ture as fundamental as cyber­se­cu­rity infra­struc­ture. Just as we don’t question whether websites should have SSL certifi­cates or whether apps should have authen­ti­ca­tion, we shouldn’t question whether platforms should have deepfake detection.

We’re at an inflection point where the tools to impersonate are evolving daily. The tools to detect must be everywhere and then some. By making detection accessible to any developer, we’re not just protecting individual appli­ca­tions — we’re building the foundation for an AI ecosystem where trust can be verified, not just assumed.

The broader implication is that we’re moving from a world where deepfake detection is a luxury to one where it’s a necessity. Every developer building trust-critical appli­ca­tions — whether that’s a dating app, a financial platform, or a news aggregator — now has access to the same detection capa­bil­i­ties as the largest institutions.

DCVC: What’s next for Reality Defender and the API?

Colman: We’re expanding beyond audio and image detection to video and other modalities in the coming months. But more importantly, we’re focused on making integration even simpler and more powerful. We want to get to a point where adding deepfake detection to an application is as straight­for­ward as adding a payment processor.

We’re also working on industry-specific solutions that leverage the API foundation. Think specialized detection for financial services, media veri­fi­ca­tion for newsrooms, or identity veri­fi­ca­tion for hiring platforms. The API is the foundation, but the appli­ca­tions are limitless.

The ultimate goal is to make deepfake detection invisible to end users while being indis­pens­able to developers. We want to enable a world where digital inter­ac­tions can happen with confidence, where trust isn’t just assumed but verified in real-time.

This API launch is several giant steps forward toward making that reality. The tools to impersonate are evolving daily — now the tools to detect can be everywhere they’re needed.

Ali Tamaseb

Ali Tamaseb is a General Partner at DCVC.

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Exein raises €70m Series C to protect critical infrastructure from back door attacks

Balderton

The round was led by Balderton and joined by Supernova and Lakestar, with additional participation from existing investors.

Exein, the embedded IoT cybersecurity company at the forefront of defending Europe’s critical infrastructure, has raised €70m in a Series C round. The fresh capital will drive Exein’s ambitious global expansion plans across the US, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea, as well as to strengthen its established European presence.

Hackers, including many state-sponsored actors, have identified smart devices as a back door into critical systems at businesses and organisations, with one in three data breaches involving a IoT device. Exein, which secures more than a billion smart devices globally, including critical infrastructure for railway networks and healthcare providers, is creating a digital immune system for connected devices, which is fast becoming the global standard for embedded IoT security.

 

We’re living in an era where everything — from rail networks to industrial machinery — is connected, and therefore exposed. As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly software-defined and networked, the risks multiply, especially with AI enabling attackers to hit more targets faster than ever before. And they are no longer breaching through the front door; the microwave on a military ship, or the smart fish tank in a hospital waiting room – any one of these could be exploited to compromise the entire network.

Exein tackles this threat where it begins: on the device itself, embedding real-time security on the edge — continuously monitoring, learning, and responding in real time. There is no better team to take on this challenge, and we are immensely proud to be partnering with Gianni and team as they build the cybersecurity foundation for the AI-powered, hyper-connected world ahead.

Elena MonetaPrincipal, Balderton

Exein offers AI-enabled, real-time threat detection across key industries, including critical infrastructure, semiconductor, energy, automotive, healthcare, and robotics. Achieving over 450% year-over-year growth, Exein has formed strategic partnerships with the world’s leading chipset and OEM/ODM manufacturers, including MediaTek, Supermicro, Kontron, SECO and AAEON.

Exein’s end-point approach creates a digital immune system, securing individual devices rather than relying solely on network defences. This decentralised approach ensures that manufacturers can seamlessly integrate the latest security tools into their products, safeguarding devices from cyber threats and ensuring compliance with stringent global cybersecurity regulations such as Europe’s NIS2 and the Cyber Resilience Act – which comes into force in 2026 – and the US Cyber Trust Mark.

Exein Runtime Product – Incident Report Page

As part of Exein’s strategic global expansion, the company is also developing runtime security solutions to secure AI infrastructure and large language models (LLMs), addressing the growing demand to secure AI and LLMs operating within devices, rather than in a centralised cloud environment. Additionally, the funding will support Exein’s pursuit of strategic M&A opportunities in the cybersecurity industry, further enhancing its growth plans.

 

Exein’s extraordinary growth is a testament to the urgent demand to secure devices which are ubiquitous in our everyday lives. Embedded security at the device level is fundamental, and we are proud to support manufacturers in providing the highest levels of security, offering them confidence in knowing they are compliant with the latest security legislation. I’m extremely proud to be fortifying the foundations of European tech innovation, and to have the trust of our partners and investors as we expand globally and continue our mission of building the digital immune system for the connected world.

Gianni CuozzoFounder & CEO, Exein

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A-LIGN announces strategic investment from Hg to accelerate its global expansion

HG Capital

Partnership with Hg will accelerate A-LIGN’s growth trajectory and support its mission to become the global cyber compliance services champion.

TAMPA, FLORIDA, July 8th: A-LIGN, a leading provider of technology-enabled cybersecurity compliance services, today announces that it has secured a significant strategic investment from Hg, a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses. Hg will acquire a majority stake in the company from Warburg Pincus.

The investment comes as organizations face a surge in cyber-attacks, with AI-powered threats making compliance and security more critical and complex than ever before. This has increased the demand for sophisticated compliance partners to navigate this environment and provide assurance to stakeholders.

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, A-LIGN’s cybersecurity compliance audits and related assessments allow organizations to provide assurances to their customers that sensitive data is protected, and that mission-critical operations are conducted with integrity.

Since its founding in 2009, A-LIGN has established itself as a category leader in cybersecurity compliance services, serving over 5,700 clients with audits and assessments including SOC 2, ISO, HITRUST, FedRAMP, CMMC and PCI standards.

A-LIGN’s customer-first approach and extensive use of technology has enabled the firm to deliver over 50% compounded annual growth over the past 15 years. A-LIGN’s delivery model combines deep domain expertise with proprietary technology, to deliver superior audit quality, while driving operational efficiency for its customers.

The partnership with Hg will support A-LIGN’s ambitious growth plans, leveraging Hg’s extensive network to accelerate its global expansion, and building on Hg’s commitment and expertise in data and AI to drive significant value for A-LIGN’s customers.

Scott Price, CEO of A-LIGN, commented: “This new partnership comes at the perfect time as we enter our next phase of growth. Hg’s deep expertise and track record in scaling tech-enabled services businesses globally, combined with world-class operational resources, makes them the ideal partner to help us provide the best possible services to our customers. I’d also like to thank Warburg Pincus and FTV Capital for their support over the last few years, in helping us reach this milestone.”

Hector Guinness and Joris van Gool, Partners at Hg: “Scott and his world-class team have built an exceptional and truly client-centric business. We have been particularly impressed by their unwavering commitment to quality, while leveraging proprietary technology to drive efficiency for their customers. This combination has created a sustainable source of competitive differentiation that we believe can extend A-LIGN’s growth in new regions, adjacent service lines, and new customer groups.”

William Holmes, Principal at Hg, added: “A-LIGN has all the hallmarks of what Hg looks for in tech-enabled services investments, and we are excited to support Scott and his world-class team to become the global champion in cyber compliance services.”

Brian Chang, Managing Director at Warburg Pincus, said: “It has been a privilege to support Scott and the talented team at A-LIGN through an exceptional period of transformative growth, partnering closely with them to expand the company’s service offerings and grow its customer base. A-LIGN is a strong example of our firm’s focus on accelerating the success of innovative market leaders in cybersecurity and compliance, especially as the number of cyber-attacks continue to rise and compliance and security needs become more complex. We wish Scott and the A-LIGN team the best in their next chapter and look forward to the company’s continued success.”

Jefferies LLC served as lead financial advisor and Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as financial advisor to A-LIGN and Warburg Pincus. Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP served as legal counsel for A-LIGN and Warburg Pincus. Harris Williams served as financial advisor to Hg, with Latham & Watkins serving as Hg’s legal counsel.

For further information, please contact:

A-LIGN
Press inquiries, press@a-lign.com

Hg
Tom Eckersley, tom.eckersley@hgcapital.com
Sam Ferris, sam.ferris@hgcapital.com

Warburg Pincus
Kerrie Cohen, kerrie.cohen@warburgpincus.com

About A-LIGN
A-LIGN is the leading cybersecurity compliance partner, trusted by over 5,700 organizations worldwide to navigate the complexities of compliance, audit, and risk.

With a tech-enabled delivery model and deep domain expertise, A-LIGN has completed more than 31,000 audits. It is the #1 issuer of SOC 2 reports and a top three FedRAMP assessor. Founded in 2009, A-LIGN delivers high-quality, efficient audits across frameworks including SOC 2, ISO 27001, FedRAMP, CMMC, ISO 42001, PCI, and HITRUST. To learn more, visit: https://www.a-lign.com.

About Hg
Hg is a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses. We help to build sector-leading enterprises that supply critical software applications or workflow services to deliver intelligent automation for their customers.

We take an active approach to value creation, combining deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources to provide compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale enduring businesses.

With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg has more than $85 billion in assets under management and more than 400 employees. Our portfolio spans more than 50 companies worth over $160 billion in aggregate enterprise value, employing more than 126,000 people and consistently growing revenues at more than 20% annually.

About Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus LLC is the pioneer of private equity global growth investing. A private partnership since 1966, the firm has the flexibility and experience to focus on helping investors and management teams achieve enduring success across market cycles.

Today, the firm has more than $87 billion in assets under management, and more than 220 companies in their active portfolio, diversified across stages, sectors, and geographies. Warburg Pincus has invested in more than 1,000 companies across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies.

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

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Conscia, backed by Nordic Capital, acquires Dubex to further strengthen its cybersecurity competencies in Denmark as part of broader European growth strategy

Nordic Capital

Conscia, a leading European provider of cybersecurity, networking, hybrid cloud, observability and managed services, announces the acquisition of Dubex, a Danish cybersecurity specialist with deep expertise in advisory and managed security services.

With the acquisition of Dubex, Conscia is advancing its cybersecurity and security operations center capabilities across the Group while also deepening technical expertise and strengthening local competencies in Denmark. The acquisition is thus a strategic move to expand Conscia’s already strong security competencies and accelerates its ambition to become a pan-European leader in cybersecurity and managed services. This marks Conscia’s 16th acquisition in five years.

“Dubex is a perfect match and strengthens Conscia’s strategic position as Europe’s go-to cybersecurity company,” says Erik Bertman, CEO of Conscia Group. “Dubex adds deep security capabilities and a culture of leadership and excellence that aligns with our values. By combining their focused services with our pan-European platform, we can scale our leading cybersecurity capabilities and respond to rapidly evolving cyber threats more effectively.”

Dubex has a proven track record of more than 25 years dedicated to cybersecurity with a strong service offering across Governance, Risk & Compliance, Security Operations, Managed Security Services (including SIEM, MDR, and EDR), Incident Response, Offensive Security, and cybersecurity training. Dubex brings immediate scale to Conscia’s cybersecurity operations, both in terms of people and service breadth. With more than 80 specialists joining, including a high-capacity Security Operations Center (SOC), the Group significantly boosts its delivery power.

“Conscia Denmark now firmly establishes itself as a comprehensive cybersecurity partner. By integrating Dubex’s strong brand and capabilities in high-trust areas like incident response and offensive security, Conscia is positioned to be the first call when critical threats emerge. This significantly enhances our relevance and visibility among enterprise and public sector clients,” says Martin Høyer, General Manager of Conscia Denmark. “We’re excited to welcome a team that shares both our dedicated customer focus and strong technical DNA, and I look forward to working together with Dubex’s leadership to the benefit of customers from both companies.”

Dubex’s service offering and focus on cybersecurity fits well with Conscia’s scalable operational model while maintaining continuity in leadership, organisation and customer relationships.

“Joining Conscia is a natural step for us. We’ve always prioritized technical excellence and close customer partnerships – values we know Conscia shares,” says Gorm Mandsberg, co-founder and CEO of Dubex. “With access to new resources and broader capabilities, we can expand our impact and continue to lead in the cybersecurity field for our clients.”

The parties have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction and completion is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

Press contacts:

Conscia Group
Daniel Siberg, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer
Phone: +46 734 082 778
Email: dasi@conscia.com

Conscia Denmark
Janne Rumle Becker, Communications- & Marketing Director
Phone: +45 51 29 32 20
Email: jbc@conscia.com

‍About Conscia

Conscia is a pan-European leader in cybersecurity and managed services for mission-critical IT infrastructure. Conscia secures and runs complex digital infrastructure for large organisations in an increasingly digital world facing rising threats and vulnerabilities. With global expertise and a local presence, Conscia designs, delivers, and manages cybersecurity, networking, hybrid cloud, and observability solutions that keep systems protected, connected, and high-performing. By safeguarding critical data and operations, Conscia ensures organisations stay resilient and prepared for what’s next – empowering them to secure progress. Founded in Denmark in 2003 and backed by private equity investor Nordic Capital, Conscia has grown into a pan-European leader. Headquartered in Denmark, the company now employs more than 1,400 people across Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK, serving clients in multiple sectors including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, utilities, retail, and the public sector.

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Proofpoint Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Hornetsecurity

Thomabravo

Strategic acquisition marks significant milestone in advancing Proofpoint’s mission to deliver human-centric security solutions to businesses of all sizes across the globe

 Hornetsecurity will leverage Proofpoint’s capabilities to extend its reach and impact with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) globally with their unique cloud security solution for M365

Sunnyvale, Calif. and Hanover, Germany—Proofpoint, Inc., a leading cybersecurity and compliance company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Hornetsecurity Group, a leading pan-European provider of AI-powered Microsoft 365 (M365) security, data protection, compliance, and security awareness services.

The acquisition significantly enhances Proofpoint’s ability to provide human-centric security to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) globally through managed service providers (MSPs), further enabling all organizations to protect their people and defend their data. By combining Proofpoint’s global leadership with Hornetsecurity’s deep expertise in the MSP ecosystem, the two companies will advance their shared mission to protect organizations of all sizes and the people behind them.

Hornetsecurity brings a high-performing business into the Proofpoint portfolio with over $160 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), more than 20 percent year-over-year growth, and performance above the Rule of 60 – an indicator of healthy market demand and exceptional business operations at scale.

Hornetsecurity and Proofpoint deliver world-class solutions servicing distinct segments of the market; Hornetsecurity provides solutions to over 12,000 channel partners and MSPs and more than 125,000 SMBs across Europe, while Proofpoint has established itself as a global leader in enterprise-grade security, trusted by 85 percent of the Fortune 100 and over half of the Fortune 1000. Together, the companies will deliver complementary, purpose-built platforms fueled by shared threat intelligence to serve every customer across the globe with a powerful new standard in human-centric security.

“As attackers grow more sophisticated and people remain the primary target, organizations need security that protects them wherever they work—across email, cloud applications, and every digital channel,” said Sumit Dhawan, CEO of Proofpoint. “With the addition of Hornetsecurity, we’re excited to extend our industry-leading, human-centric security platform to better serve the unique needs of MSPs and SMBs. We look forward to deepening our investment in the European markets as part of our global growth strategy.”

“Hornetsecurity’s AI-powered security platform enables thousands of MSPs to deliver enterprise-grade protection to their SMB customers across Europe,” said Daniel Hofmann, founder and CEO of Hornetsecurity. “With the breadth of human-centric risks only growing, joining Proofpoint is a natural next step in our journey to build the strongest global offering of M365 security services. By coming together, we can better serve our partners and customers and extend that protection globally to help MSPs everywhere safeguard their customers’ people, data, and operations.”

With M365 at the center of how many businesses operate, it has also become a top target for attackers. Proofpoint’s recently expanded partnership with Microsoft supports scalable innovation and delivers human-centric security to help mutual customers proactively detect and mitigate threats targeting people and the data they work with.

Hornetsecurity’s flagship product, 365 Total Protection, is the most comprehensive cloud security solution for M365, giving MSPs a multi-tenant, unified platform to deliver integrated services including advanced email security, backup, security awareness, access and permission control, and domain fraud protection. The Hornetsecurity team will continue to drive innovation across their Total Protection product platform to deliver additional innovative solutions to their partners and customers. Through the combination of shared threat intelligence and AI models, both Proofpoint and Hornetsecurity customers and partners will benefit from improved efficacy of their leading detection ensembles against threat actors.

Upon closing, Proofpoint intends to leverage its global reach to make the power of the Hornetsecurity platform available for MSPs and their customers worldwide – advancing the shared mission of protecting every organization’s people, data and operations. Hornetsecurity will serve as the central hub for all MSP and SMB customers within the group—ensuring a unified approach, enhanced service delivery, and accelerated innovation tailored to the needs of these key customer segments.

Hornetsecurity’s CEO Daniel Hofmann will remain at the helm of the company, continuing to drive its strategic growth and vision. The management team will remain on board, championing the company’s vision and proven product strategy—while accelerating innovation to deliver the next generation of cybersecurity solutions.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal are confidential.

###

About Proofpoint, Inc.

Proofpoint, Inc. is a leading cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organizations’ greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber attacks. Leading organizations of all sizes, including 85 percent of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint for people-centric security and compliance solutions that mitigate their most critical risks across email, the cloud, social media, and the web. More information is available at www.proofpoint.com.

About Hornetsecurity Group

Hornetsecurity is a leading global provider of next-generation cloud-based security, compliance, backup, and security awareness solutions that help companies and organizations of all sizes around the world. Its flagship product, 365 Total Protection, is the most comprehensive cloud security solution for Microsoft 365 on the market. Driven by innovation and cybersecurity excellence, Hornetsecurity is building a safer digital future and sustainable security cultures with its award-winning portfolio. Hornetsecurity operates in more than 120 countries through its international distribution network of 12,000+ channel partners and MSPs. Its premium services are used by more than 125,000 customers. For more information, visit www.hornetsecurity.com.

Read the release on the Proofpoint website here.

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Hornetsecurity to join Proofpoint, creating a leading global cybersecurity platform

TA associates

Hanover, Germany – Leading global investment firms TA Associates (“TA”), PSG Equity (“PSG”) and Verdane, are pleased to announce that their portfolio company Hornetsecurity Group (“Hornetsecurity”) has today entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Proofpoint, Inc. (“Proofpoint”).

Hornetsecurity is a global provider of comprehensive AI-powered M365 security, data protection, compliance, and security awareness solutions. Driven by innovation and cybersecurity excellence, Hornetsecurity is helping to build a safer digital future and sustainable security cultures with its award-winning product portfolio. The Company operates in more than 120 countries and serves more than 125,000 customers through its international distribution network of over 12,000 channel partners and Managed Service Providers (“MSPs”).

The acquisition will significantly enhance Proofpoint’s ability to provide human-centric security to small and mid-sized businesses (“SMBs”) globally through MSPs, further enabling all organisations to protect their people and defend their data. By combining Proofpoint’s global leadership with Hornetsecurity’s deep expertise in the MSP ecosystem, the two companies will together advance their shared mission to help protect organisations of all sizes and the people behind them.

“Hornetsecurity’s AI-powered security platform enables thousands of MSPs to deliver enterprise-grade protection to their SMB customers across Europe,” said Daniel Hofmann, founder and CEO of Hornetsecurity. “With the breadth of human-centric risks only growing, joining Proofpoint is a natural next step in our journey to build the strongest global offering of M365 security services. By coming together, we can better serve our partners and customers and extend that protection globally to help MSPs safeguard their customers’ people, data, and operations.”

Hornetsecurity will bring a high-performing business into the Proofpoint portfolio with over $160 million in annual recurring revenue (“ARR”), more than 20 percent year-over-year growth, and performance above the Rule of 60.

Verdane invested in Hornetsecurity in 2016 with PSG investing in 2020 and TA becoming a shareholder in 2022. Since 2016, the company has completed nine acquisitions to expand its cloud cyber security offering, adding cloud back-up solutions and security awareness training, among others.

“Over the past three years, it has been a privilege to collaborate with Hornetsecurity’s talented and impressive team, working closely with PSG and Verdane to build on the company’s leading position. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and believe Hornetsecurity is well-equipped to further extend its reach and impact as part of Proofpoint,” said Morgan Seigler, Managing Director at TA, and Stefan Dandl, Director at TA.

“We are proud to have supported Daniel Hofmann and the entire Hornetsecurity management team since our initial investment in 2020, scaling the business more than tenfold through a critical phase of growth alongside TA and Verdane. Hornetsecurity is exactly the kind of business that PSG likes to partner with and reflects our strong conviction in cybersecurity, the robust potential of the industry and structural tailwinds driving demand for next-generation cyber security solutions. It has been a privilege to support the Hornetsecurity team on its journey to becoming a European leader and now global cybersecurity champion. We are confident the company is exceptionally well-positioned for its next chapter of growth” said Dany Rammal, Managing Director and Head of PSG in Europe, and Christian Stein, Managing Director.

“Our journey with the Hornetsecurity team began in 2016 with the ambition to create a leader in what is today an AI-powered M365 security platform. It has been a great privilege to work with and support Daniel Hofmann and the Hornetsecurity team over the years through multiple acquisitions and reinvestments from Verdane. We are very pleased with this outcome welcoming Proofpoint as new owners”, said Emanuel Johnsson, Partner at Verdane.

The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.

Arma Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Hornetsecurity, TA, PSG and Verdane. Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel to Hornetsecurity and Hengeler Mueller acted as legal counsel to the management of Hornetsecurity.

About Hornetsecurity Group
Hornetsecurity is a leading global provider of next-generation cloud-based security, compliance, backup, and security awareness solutions that help companies and organisations of all sizes around the world. Its flagship product, 365 Total Protection, is one of the most comprehensive cloud security solutions for Microsoft 365 on the market. Driven by innovation and cybersecurity excellence, Hornetsecurity is building a safer digital future and sustainable security cultures with its award-winning portfolio. Hornetsecurity operates in more than 120 countries through its international distribution network of 12,000+ channel partners and MSPs. Its premium services are used by more than 125,000 customers. For more information, visit www.hornetsecurity.com.

About Proofpoint
Proofpoint, Inc. is a leading cybersecurity and compliance company that protects organisations’ greatest assets and biggest risks: their people. With an integrated suite of cloud-based solutions, Proofpoint helps companies around the world stop targeted threats, safeguard their data, and make their users more resilient against cyber-attacks. Leading organisations of all sizes, including 85 percent of the Fortune 100, rely on Proofpoint for people-centric security and compliance solutions that mitigate their most critical risks across email, the cloud, social media, and the web. More information is available at www.proofpoint.com.

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