Africa-Press – Ghana. Former Google security engineers who built widely-used web protection tools have raised $13 million in seed funding for AegisAI, a startup targeting enterprise email security with autonomous artificial intelligence agents.
AegisAI emerged from stealth mode Tuesday with funding co-led by Accel and Foundation Capital, aiming to address what founders describe as inadequate defenses against increasingly sophisticated phishing and malware attacks.
The company was founded by Cy Khormaee and Ryan Luo, former leaders of Google Safe Browsing and reCAPTCHA systems that protect billions of internet users daily. Their background in large-scale threat detection informs AegisAI’s approach to enterprise email protection.
More than 90% of successful cyberattacks begin with a phishing email, according to U.S. federal cybersecurity agency CISA, highlighting the critical nature of email security for organizations. Traditional rule-based systems struggle against modern threats that leverage artificial intelligence to create more convincing deceptive content.
AegisAI’s platform uses what the company calls “autonomous AI agents” that analyze email components including links, attachments, metadata, and behavioral patterns in real-time. This approach differs from conventional email security solutions that rely on static rules and extensive user training.
The startup claims its system reduces false positives by up to 90% compared to traditional solutions while eliminating the need for complex configuration and maintenance. Customers in production environments have demonstrated significant improvements in threat detection accuracy, according to company statements.
“We’ve spent almost a decade each protecting billions of users at Google, we’ve seen firsthand how enterprise email defenses are falling behind,” said Khormaee, who serves as CEO. The company targets the gap between rapidly advancing AI-powered attacks and static defense systems.
Modern attackers increasingly exploit trusted platforms like Salesforce, Zoom, and Google to deliver malicious content, bypassing traditional reputation-based security filters. AegisAI’s approach focuses on behavioral analysis rather than domain reputation to identify threats.
The platform integrates with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace through API deployment, avoiding the need for email gateway infrastructure changes. This implementation method appeals to organizations seeking security improvements without major IT overhauls.
Customer testimonials highlight the platform’s effectiveness against diverse threats. Mesh CEO Bam Azizi, describing himself as a former security founder, noted that AegisAI “stopped attackers in their tracks” and caught everything “from fuzzing attempts to AI-generated spear phishing and BEC.”
The funding will support product development, engineering team expansion, and go-to-market activities as AegisAI scales beyond its pilot customer base across fintech and technology companies. The company completed a stealth phase demonstrating measurable improvements in operational efficiency.
Accel Partner Eric Wolford emphasized the importance of “AI-native” leadership in addressing email security challenges. “We were looking for a team that didn’t just whitewash with AI – people who had the DNA and career investments in the development of AI,” he explained regarding the investment decision.
Email security represents a massive market opportunity as organizations face escalating threat sophistication. A 2024 study referenced by AegisAI showed LLM-generated phishing messages achieved 54% click-through rates compared to 12% for human-written versions, demonstrating AI’s effectiveness in deception.
The startup’s autonomous approach addresses operational burden concerns that plague many security solutions. Rather than generating additional alerts requiring human analysis, AegisAI aims to handle threat response automatically while providing security teams with actionable intelligence.
AegisAI’s emergence reflects broader trends in cybersecurity toward AI-powered defense systems. Traditional signature-based and rule-driven security tools increasingly struggle against attacks that leverage machine learning and sophisticated social engineering techniques.
The company’s focus on eliminating false positives addresses a persistent problem in email security where legitimate business communications get incorrectly quarantined, disrupting operations and reducing user confidence in security systems.
Lokker CEO Ian Cohen noted immediate threat visibility after implementing AegisAI, discovering attacks targeting accounting, engineering, and executive teams that the platform stopped “without our team manually hunting them down.”
The founders’ Google background provides credibility in enterprise security markets where track record and technical expertise heavily influence purchasing decisions. Their experience building systems protecting billions of users translates directly to enterprise-scale deployment challenges.
AegisAI’s stealth phase allowed extensive testing and refinement before public launch, following the pattern of many successful cybersecurity startups that prioritize proven effectiveness over rapid market entry.
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