Lakera, the global leader in real-time Generative AI (GenAI) Security, has successfully raised $20 million in a Series A funding round. This round was spearheaded by the European venture capital firm Atomico, with significant contributions from Citi Ventures, Dropbox Ventures, and existing investors including Redalpine. This latest investment elevates Lakera’s total funding to $30 million, positioning the company at the forerunner of securing GenAI applications in the global economy.
Sasha Vidiborskiy, a Partner at Atomico, is set to join Lakera’s board as part of this round. With predictions indicating that by 2026, 80% of enterprises will be utilizing GenAI or GenAI-enabled applications in their production environments—up from less than 5% in 2023—Lakera is poised to meet the surging demand for GenAI security. As companies worldwide rush to leverage GenAI’s capabilities while mitigating AI-specific risks, Lakera’s platform is expected to experience rapid growth.
GenAI is projected to contribute an estimated $4.4 trillion annually to global GDP. However, cybersecurity remains the second most-cited risk associated with its adoption, as traditional cybersecurity tools are inadequate to address the unique threats posed by GenAI. This underscores the urgent need for specialized security solutions to unlock AI’s full potential.
David Haber, Founder and CEO of Lakera, emphasized the critical nature of this issue: “With the advent of GenAI, old cybersecurity techniques aren’t sufficient. Enterprises now operate in a world where anyone who knows how to talk knows how to hack. Security solutions need to change but they can’t get in the way of user experience. There is a need for real-time AI security solutions that continuously evolve and enable amazing user experiences.”
The New Age of AI Security Risks
Generative AI introduces a new spectrum of vulnerabilities, particularly large language models (LLMs). These include:
- Prompt Attacks: The most accessible hacking method, where knowledge of coding is unnecessary. Merely being able to converse with GenAI can allow malicious actors to gain unauthorized access to systems, steal confidential data, and generate harmful content.
- AI “Sleeper Agents”: These can remain dormant until activated for malicious purposes, compromising powerful models within minutes through jailbreaking techniques.
- AI-Targeted Worms: Capable of bypassing security measures, these worms can harvest data and launch widespread attacks.
- Large-Scale Compromises: Researchers have demonstrated the ability to jailbreak a million LLM agents with a single image in just 27-31 chat rounds, highlighting the potential for rapid, extensive breaches.
Lakera’s comprehensive AI security approach provides three key benefits for enterprises: protection without compromising AI application performance, the ability to stay ahead of AI threats with continuously evolving intelligence, and centralized implementation of AI security controls. Their API integrates seamlessly with a single line of code, offering an ultra-low-latency security layer compatible with any GenAI model. Centralized controls enable security teams to customize application-specific policies and address emerging threats without code changes.
Changing Approach to AI Security
Lakera’s innovative approach is further bolstered by Gandalf, an AI educational platform created by the company. Serving as the world’s largest AI red team, Gandalf boasts over 250,000 unique users worldwide, including companies like Microsoft, where it is utilized in security training. Generating a real-time database of AI threats, Gandalf’s dataset grows by 100,000 new attacks daily, keeping Lakera’s software continuously updated and ensuring robust protection for its customers. With over 50 million data points, Lakera’s customers can stay ahead of threats and deliver exceptional user experiences.
Sasha Vidiborskiy, Partner at Atomico, praised Lakera’s achievements: “Lakera has seen impressive commercial pull, winning customers such as Dropbox and a top 3 US bank, and already having more than 35% of Fortune 100 companies knock on their door. All those clients have an urgency to deploy GenAI applications into production but can’t do it without protection in place. Easy integration, best-in-class performance, and low latency are why they pick Lakera. But most importantly, the company is led by David and his team, who are thought leaders in the space and have a deep understanding of what the adoption of AI means for new cybersecurity risks.”
Donald Tucker, Head of Corporate Development and Ventures at Dropbox, also highlighted the importance of this partnership: “At Dropbox, ensuring the security of our systems and customers’ data is a top priority. Lakera’s team has extensive expertise and a deep understanding of the complex security challenges companies are facing with LLMs and Generative AI. Their advanced technology is helping companies like Dropbox safeguard against vulnerabilities these new technologies pose. We’re thrilled to strengthen our existing relationship with Lakera by investing in the future of the company and AI security.”
Lakera plans to utilize this funding to further invest in product development and expand its presence in the US, particularly in Silicon Valley.
Lakera’s solutions and continuous advancements ensure that enterprises can safely harness the power of Generative AI, securing a future where innovation is protected against emerging threats.