Horizon3.ai: Horizon3.ai, the company behind the NodeZero Autonomous Security Platform, has raised US$100 million in a Series D funding round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from SignalFire, Craft Ventures, and 9Yards Capital. (US$1=RM4.23)

According to BERNAMA News Agency, NEA Partner and Head of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, and Microsoft former Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Lila Tretikov, will join the company’s Board of Directors following the investment. Horizon3.ai Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Snehal Antani, emphasized the reality and impact of AI-driven offensive security over the past four years.

NEA Partner Aaron Jacobson noted that Horizon3.ai is pioneering a new security category through its autonomous technology. Tretikov highlighted how the platform is transforming the management and verification of cyber risks for organizations. The company has reported more than 100 percent year-on-year annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth and achieved Rule of 40-positive metrics, indicating efficient business scalability.

Founded in 2019, Horizon3.ai develops NodeZero, an autonomous penetration testing (pentesting) platform used by over 3,000 organizations globally. NodeZero employs reinforcement learning and graph reasoning to mimic real-world attackers. It autonomously conducts pentesting in live environments and improves its algorithms by collecting data from each test, creating what is described as a ‘compounding data advantage’.

The recent funding is intended to scale operations through strategic partnerships, advance product innovation in web application security and vulnerability management, and expand Horizon3.ai’s federal market footprint, particularly within the United States (US) defense sector. Notably, NodeZero recently achieved a significant milestone by autonomously gaining access to sensitive US aircraft carrier design data via a third-party supplier, without human intervention.