Ciphero Raises $2.5M to Build AI-Native Security for Agentic Workflows

"Enterprise AI adoption is accelerating faster than organizations can secure it. While 62% of companies now deploy agentic AI systems internally and 78% of employees bring their own AI tools to work, 97% of organizations lack proper access controls and 63% have no internal governance framework whatsoever. This disconnect has created a crisis: 80% of enterprises show signs of Shadow AI activity, with one in six data breaches this year traced directly to unauthorized AI usage."

"Ciphero addresses this security gap by providing the first AI Verification Layer purpose-built for the probabilistic, dynamic nature of modern AI systems. Unlike static DLP platforms and conventional firewalls designed for traditional software, Ciphero captures and verifies every AI interaction across employees, agents, and models in real-time, enforcing policies dynamically while detecting shadow AI usage invisible to legacy tools. Founded by second-time entrepreneurs Saoud Khalifah and Rob Gross, who previously built and sold Fakespot to Mozilla in 2023, the company operates"

"Ciphero raised $2.5M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round. The round was co-led by Sovereign's Capital and Chingona Ventures. Additional investors included BlueWing Ventures, Bullpen Capital, Everywhere Ventures, Fc Centripetal, Hustle Fund, Lotus Venture Partners, Propeller Inc, Viaka, and strategic angels. Tell us about the product or service that Ciphero offers. Ciphero is the first AI Verification Layer that captures, verifies, and governs all enterprise AI interactions - including Shadow AI and agentic deployments - to encourage safe and ethical AI usage for all organizations."

Enterprise AI adoption is outpacing organizational security and governance. Sixty-two percent of companies deploy agentic AI internally and 78% of employees bring personal AI tools to work, while 97% of organizations lack proper access controls and 63% lack internal governance. Eighty percent of enterprises show Shadow AI activity, contributing to one in six data breaches traced to unauthorized AI usage. Ciphero delivers an AI Verification Layer built for probabilistic, dynamic AI that captures every interaction across employees, agents, and models in real time. Ciphero enforces dynamic policies, detects shadow AI invisible to legacy tools, operates independently of vendors and clouds, and raised $2.5M in an oversubscribed pre-seed round.

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