Apex revealed ongoing trials with various Fortune 500 companies and investment firms, nearing the finalisation of paid contracts. The fresh funds are earmarked for expediting product development, bolstering the workforce, and enhancing marketing efforts, according to the company
Israeli cybersecurity startup Apex, specialising in safeguarding the swift adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, announced on Thursday an undisclosed investment from OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman. The company disclosed a total of $7 million raised in a seed funding round, primarily led by Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures, with Altman among the contributors. Altman refrained from immediate comment.
Apex revealed ongoing trials with various Fortune 500 companies and investment firms, nearing the finalisation of paid contracts. The fresh funds are earmarked for expediting product development, bolstering the workforce, and enhancing marketing efforts, according to the company.
“With demand growing for AI tools – including OpenAI’s ChatGPT – that help to complete tasks much faster, their users are seeking ways to protect their own data and prevent threats and inappropriate data from entering their systems,” Matan Derman, Apex’s CEO, said.
Derman highlighted the emerging spectrum of threats associated with AI models, spanning from data leakage to privacy and compliance concerns. He underscored a notable shift in the cybersecurity landscape, moving beyond traditional prevention and access denial towards addressing the nuanced challenges posed by AI.
“We started Apex to build the extra layers of security that’s needed for enterprises to adopt (AI),” he said. “We will try to take this as far as we can.”
Founded ten months ago by Derman and Tomer Avni, both former officers of the Israeli military’s elite 8200 intelligence unit, Apex operated in stealth mode, collaborating selectively with companies.
“Every board, every CEO, every investor, and every entrepreneur is talking about AI and how they can leverage AI,” Avni said. “So, the need for security is much more imminent.”
Avni emphasised the pressing need for security amidst the widespread adoption of AI, likening it to previous technological shifts necessitating enhanced security measures.
Israel’s prominence in cybersecurity, boasting numerous startups, underscores the fertile ground for Apex’s endeavors.