What happened
Belgian cybersecurity startup Aikido Security has raised $60 million in a Series B funding round, valuing the company at $1 billion and granting it “unicorn” status. The round was led by DST Global with participation from PSG Equity, Singular, Notion Capital and others. Aikido’s platform helps developers detect and remediate security risks automatically across code, cloud, and runtime.
Who is affected
The company’s growth reflects strong demand among software‑driven organizations, with customers including Niantic, Revolut, and SoundCloud. Founded in 2022 by CEO Willem Delbare and co‑founders Roeland Delrue and Felix Garriau, Aikido has seen rapid adoption worldwide and significant revenue and customer expansion over the last year.
Why CISOs should care
- The milestone underscores a shift toward developer‑centric security tooling that automates risk detection and remediation, a trend that challenges traditional siloed approaches.
- With AI and continuous delivery accelerating software creation, static, manual security practices are increasingly insufficient. Solutions that integrate security into engineering workflows are gaining enterprise traction.
- Investment from prominent backers like DST Global signals elevated confidence in next‑generation application security platforms that can operate at modern development speeds.
3 Practical Actions for CISOs
- Evaluate developer‑first security tools: Assess platforms that integrate code, cloud, and runtime security into the software development lifecycle, reducing context switching.
- Prioritize automation: Look for solutions with automated triage and remediation to help teams keep pace with rapid deployment cycles.
- Align with engineering: Strengthen collaboration between security and development teams to embed security earlier, improving risk visibility and reducing late‑stage fixes.
