Theori
Category: AI in Cybersecurity
Offensive cybersecurity company building AI-powered security testing solutions, founded by world-class white-hat hackers with record DEF CON wins Theori was founded in 2016. The company is led by Brian (Se-jun) Pak. Based in Austin, Texas, United States (HQ); Seoul, South Korea (R&D). Team size: 51-200. Total funding raised: $17.3M. Latest round: Series A. Key investors include K2G Fund (Asia2G Capital); Dunamu (두나무); NAVER D2 Startup Factory.
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Austin, Texas, United States (HQ); Seoul, South Korea (R&D)
- Team size
- 51-200
- Total funding
- $17.3M
Value proposition
AI-powered offensive security that combines world-class hacker expertise with autonomous AI agents (Xint, Xint Code) to find vulnerabilities faster and more accurately than traditional pentesting or scanners
Products and solutions
Xint (AI-powered application security testing / AI hacker SaaS); Xint Code (LLM-native SAST for large-scale code analysis); αprism (LLM Guard & Monitoring); Dreamhack (cybersecurity education platform, 60K+ members); Dreamhack Enterprise (corporate training); Offensive Security Consulting; AI Red Teaming; ChainLight (blockchain security); Fermium-252 (threat intelligence); PatchDay (bug bounty platform)
Unique value
Only company combining 9x DEF CON winning hacker expertise with proprietary AI agents (Xint/Xint Code) that autonomously discover zero-day vulnerabilities — proven by discovering CVE-2026-31431 (Copy Fail) Linux kernel vulnerability in ~1 hour using AI
Target customer
Global enterprises, technology companies, financial institutions, blockchain/crypto firms, government agencies, and defense organizations needing advanced security testing and vulnerability discovery
Industries served
Cybersecurity, Technology, Finance/Fintech, Blockchain/Crypto, Telecommunications, Government/Defense, Cloud Infrastructure
Technology advantage
World's most decorated competitive hacking team (9x DEF CON wins, 70+ international CTF wins); AI models trained on elite hacker knowledge; Xint Code can analyze millions of lines of code in <12 hours; Top-3 in DARPA AIxCC (AI Cyber Challenge); autonomous vulnerability discovery with human-level business logic understanding
How they differentiate
Unlike traditional pentesting firms or bug bounty platforms, Theori combines elite hacker talent (9x DEF CON winners) with proprietary AI agents that autonomously discover vulnerabilities at scale. Xint Code is an LLM-native SAST that analyzes millions of lines of code in hours, not weeks, and finds business logic flaws that traditional scanners miss. The company has proven its AI can discover critical zero-days like CVE-2026-31431 (Copy Fail) in the Linux kernel.
Main competitors
HackerOne; Bugcrowd; Pentera; CrowdStrike; Synack
Key partnerships
Okta (strategic cybersecurity partnership); POSCO DX (AI-driven security framework); Samsung Electronics (Xint customer); Microsoft (Windows OS security verification); Google (Chrome vulnerability discovery); NAVER; Dunamu (두나무); LucentBloc; LG Electronics; Toss (토스)
Notable customers
Samsung Electronics; Microsoft; Google; Okta; NAVER; Dunamu; Toss; LG Electronics; POSCO DX; Hyundai Mobis; Ministry of National Defense (South Korea); US Defense research institutes
Major milestones
2016: Company founded in Austin, TX; 2017: Theori Korea established; 2018: NAVER D2 Startup Factory investment; 2020: Dreamhack cybersecurity education platform launched; 2022: $15.5M seed round led by K2G Fund; 2024: DARPA AIxCC semifinal winner; Presidential Commendation from South Korea; 2025: Xint AI hacker launched; αprism beta; Okta partnership; 2026: Xint Code launched; CVE-2026-31431 'Copy Fail' Linux kernel zero-day discovered using Xint Code
Growth metrics
87 employees (2026-03, Korea entity); 100+ total (2025); 60K+ Dreamhack members; 100+ enterprise clients globally; 150+ vulnerabilities found by Xint in beta
Market positioning
Premium offensive security provider bridging elite human hacking expertise with AI automation; positioned as a high-end alternative to both traditional pentesting consultancies and automated scanners; expanding from consulting to SaaS product model with Xint and Xint Code
Geographic focus
Global (HQ in Austin, TX; major R&D in Seoul, Korea); targeting North American and Asian enterprise markets; 2026 focus on North America expansion
Patents and IP
1 patent filed (2025-06-09, Korea); ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified
About Brian (Se-jun) Pak
Ex-Kaprica Security Co-founder; Ex-Lockheed Martin Intern; Carnegie Mellon University BS/MS Computer Science; DEF CON record 9x winner; Founded PPP (Plaid Parliament of Pwning) hacking team at CMU
Official website: https://theori.io