Exaforce raises $125M Series B to develop AI to catch and stop cyberattacks as they happen.

As cybercriminals use AI to exploit software vulnerabilities at an unprecedented speed, companies are realizing the need to strengthen cybersecurity.

Fortunately, those same AI tools are also helping businesses bounce back.

The need for such skills has helped ExaforceAn AI startup that detects and prevents attacks in real time, secured a $125 million Series B. The round had a three-year initial cost of $725 million, and saw participation from HarbourVest, Peak XV, Mayfield, Khosla Ventures, and Seligman Ventures.

The massive funding increase comes just over a year after Exaforce raised capital $75 million Series Abringing his total revenue to $200 million. The high level of investment ensures the high cost of building and selling an AI-enabled service center (SOC), as well as a large market opportunity that captures market opportunities.

Exaforce says it uses AI agents, called “Exabots,” and deep data analysis to implement security measures, eliminating human investigators.

For co-founder and CEO Ankur Singla, the goal is simple: Deploy AI to capture and stop threats in real time. “It’s a very simple task, but it’s hard to do,” he said.

The real challenge for security teams is that many of the alerts are false. “Security people receive a lot of information. How do you know that a real warning is important?” said Umesh Padval, managing partner at Seligman Ventures, likening the work of security forces to looking for a needle in a haystack.

Exaforce says its AI platform can reduce manual, time-consuming tasks by 90%.

Recognizing the rise of cyberattacks, the startup recently introduced “vibe search,” which allows security teams to query its AI platform and natural languages ​​to search for potential threats based on simple searches. “By looking for a vibe, you can ask a simple question like, ‘Have we encountered any new trends from Iran?'” Singla said.

Exaforce brought its product to market in the fourth quarter of last year, following two years of testing by its developers. The startup has added 20 clients, including well-known names like Replit and Guardant Health. Due to the increase in cyberattacks, Singla told TechCrunch that Exaforce expects to reach 40 to 50 customers by the end of the year.

The advanced attack “has increased our ability to reach customers, because customers are not asking, ‘Why do I need this?'” Singla said. A question they often hear now is: “How can I work?”

Exaforce is not alone in using AI for security. The company faces competition from startups such as 7ai, Dropzone AI and Prophet Security, as well as industry giants Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike.