Aikido Security Achieves Unicorn Status with $60 Million Series B Funding Round.
Belgium’s Aikido Security raised $60 million in Series B funding at a $1 billion valuation. This makes it Europe’s fastest-growing cybersecurity unicorn. DST Global led the round, with help from PSG Equity, Notion Capital, and Singular.
Breaking Records in European Cybersecurity
Aikido started in 2022 in Ghent, Belgium. In just three years, it hit unicorn status faster than any other cybersecurity company in Europe. This win shows European startups can build top security platforms and compete worldwide.
Aikido grew its revenue five times last year. It nearly tripled customers, too. Now, over 100,000 teams use it, including The Premier League, Revolut, SoundCloud, and Niantic. Half its money comes from the US.
Developer-First Security Platform
Aikido focuses on developers, not just security bosses. CEO Willem Delbare says it acts as “guardrails for secure software, especially with AI.” Developers write code daily, so the platform fits their work.
It combines code, cloud, and runtime security in one spot. Teams ask: “Are we at risk?” Aikido spots issues, ranks them, and fixes them fast. It uses full context to triage vulnerabilities from code to production.
Key features include:
- Real-time static code analysis (SAST) and vulnerability detection
- Cloud posture management (CSPM) for misconfigurations
- Secrets detection for leaked keys and passwords
- Infrastructure as code (IaC) scanning for Terraform and Kubernetes
- Container image scanning and open-source dependencies (SCA)
- AI-powered AutoFix for pull requests
- DAST for web apps and APIs
- Malware detection and runtime protection
Part of the funding boosts Aikido Attack. This AI tool runs penetration testing with agents that act like hackers. It finds and fixes flaws.
Why Investors Back Aikido Now
DST Global’s Tom Stafford says, “AI changes software creation. Aikido matches this shift.” Old tools create too many false positives. Aikido cuts noise by 95% with deduplication and AutoTriage.
Aikido started small, with no big network. It used a freemium model for developers. Now, 180 people ship 60 updates daily.
What’s Next for Aikido
New funds will grow the platform, expand US reach, and add self-fixing loops. It supports Python, JavaScript, PHP, and IDEs.
Market Context and Growth
Network security hit $27.33 billion in 2024. Data breaches cost $4.45 million on average. Aikido grew revenue 1,531% last year. It ranks high among Europe’s top startups.
Funding path: $2.16M Seed (2023), $5.3M more Seed, $17M Series A (2024), now $60M Series B.
Aikido Philosophy: Simple Security
Aikido fights “BS” in security. Founders hated the old tools’ alerts and complex screens. Now, it notifies only real risks. It helps with SOC2, ISO 27001, and NIS 2 rules.
Over 3,000 firms and 6,000 developers use it. Visma picked it for 175+ companies.
Future of Cybersecurity
Aikido shows developer tools win. As AI code grows, platforms like this will secure software automatically.
Aikido’s fast rise proves Europe can lead. Its focus on real fixes sets the path forward.
