Exein
Category: AI in Cybersecurity
Exein builds runtime cybersecurity for Physical AI — protecting robots, drones, vehicles and connected machines from kernel level up. Exein was founded in 2018. The company is led by Gianni Cuozzo. Based in Rome, Italy. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $495.7M. Latest round: Series D. Key investors include Headline, Sofina, Goldman Sachs, EIB Group (ETCI), KfW Capital, T.Capital, Balderton, HV Capital, Intrepid Growth Partners, 33N Ventures, Lakestar, Supernova Invest.
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- Rome, Italy
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $495.7M
Value proposition
Real-time, on-device runtime security embedded directly in firmware/kernel that detects and neutralizes known and unknown attacks on Physical AI systems (robots, vehicles, industrial machines) without waiting for patches or human intervention.
Products and solutions
Exein Runtime (Photon — kernel-level real-time threat detection/response for Linux and RTOS devices), Exein Analyzer (AI-powered firmware vulnerability + SBOM analysis with reachability scoring for CRA compliance), upcoming proprietary foundation model for Physical AI security trained on machine telemetry, powering autonomous security agents (agentic architecture shipping end of 2026, first foundation models Q1 2027).
Unique value
Positions itself as the only global player offering dedicated runtime security purpose-built for Physical AI, backed by 2+ years of proprietary machine telemetry from 2B+ protected devices — real operational machine-behavior data that is hard for competitors to replicate.
Target customer
OEMs, manufacturers and enterprises in automotive, industrial IoT, healthcare, energy, semiconductor, robotics and critical infrastructure needing embedded firmware security and regulatory compliance (EU CRA, IEC 62443, US Cyber Trust Mark).
Industries served
Manufacturing, Automotive, Healthcare, Industrial IoT, Energy, Semiconductor, Robotics, Critical Infrastructure
Technology advantage
Kernel-level runtime protection engine (Photon); largest known proprietary dataset of real-world machine telemetry (2B+ devices, 1M+ vulnerabilities found, 100K+ attacks blocked); building a dedicated foundation model trained on machine behavior rather than human text.
How they differentiate
Focuses specifically on kernel/runtime-level protection for 'Physical AI' (embedded, resource-constrained, RTOS/Linux devices) rather than network-layer or cloud-centric IoT security, and is building a proprietary foundation model on machine telemetry rather than general-purpose security AI.
Main competitors
Karamba Security, Sternum, Phosphorus, Microsoft Defender for IoT, Palo Alto Networks IoT/OT Security
Key partnerships
MediaTek (Genio chipsets), SECO spa (Clea IoT platform), AAEON Europe, Kontron (KontronOS / KontronAIShield runtime integration), DB Systemtechnik (rail/critical infrastructure), LILIN (video surveillance, kernel-level integration), Mesh Systems (IoT product development), Supermicro, Haas F1 Team (sponsorship/partner), J.P. Morgan & KfW (credit facility for M&A)
Notable customers
DB Systemtechnik (rail), AAEON Europe, SECO spa, MediaTek, Kontron, LILIN (surveillance), Nvidia, Arm, AWS, Leonardo, Haas F1 Team (partner)
Major milestones
Founded 2018 in Rome, Embedded World Best in Show award 2023, Series B (€15M) July 2024, Series C (€70M, Balderton) July 2025, €100M round (Blue Cloud) Dec 2025, launched Photon kernel-level runtime security 2026, $270M Series D at $1.7B valuation (unicorn) Sep 2026, announced proprietary Physical AI foundation model (models expected Q1 2027).
Growth metrics
450% YoY growth; 2B+ devices protected daily; 1M+ high-severity vulnerabilities uncovered; 100K+ attacks blocked; ~5,000 new non-repetitive attacks/week detected (5x YoY increase); reached $1.7B unicorn valuation Sep 2026.
Market positioning
Self-styled global leader / 'European champion' in Physical AI runtime security, scaling from Europe into the US and APAC (Taiwan HQ, Japan and Korea expansion planned) to compete globally against larger US IoT/OT security vendors.
Geographic focus
Global, HQ in Rome with offices in Karlsruhe (Germany), San Francisco (USA) and Taipei (Taiwan); expanding into Japan and South Korea.
Patents and IP
Exein S.p.A. patent family on kernel-level policy monitoring/enforcement: US20250133097A1 / EP4542425A1 / IT202300021819A1 ('Method for monitoring and enforcing secure policies in a device'); PitchBook notes 2 granted + 1 pending in family.
About Gianni Cuozzo
Began career as a cyberweapon/security expert working with various governments before founding Exein in 2018.
Latest news about Exein
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Official website: https://www.exein.io