A new startup in Ghent, Belgium is aiming to disrupt the cybersecurity industry with a developer-friendly approach. Aikido, founded by Willem Delbare, has just raised a $17 million Series A round to further develop its open-source security platform.
The rise of startups holding large amounts of customer data has made security a concern for developers of all sizes. Aikido believes that existing security tools are too complex and not user-friendly for developers. In contrast, Aikido offers an all-in-one security solution with a freemium model and actively open sources new products.
Aikido’s approach seems to be working, with 3,000 small-to-midsize customers already onboard. The startup has secured a total of $22.5 million in funding, with Singular leading the recent Series A round.
One of Aikido’s unique aspects is its location in Ghent, Belgium, as opposed to the Israeli and U.S. dominance in the security industry. Delbare emphasized that Aikido is not following the typical playbook of getting acquired by larger companies for a specific feature, but rather aims to grow its customer base and revenue.
The team behind Aikido includes co-founders Roeland Delrue and Felix Garriau, as well as chief brand officer Madeline Lawrence, who left her position at Peak VC to join the startup. Notion Capital and Connect Ventures have also participated in funding rounds for Aikido.
As the network security software market is expected to grow, Aikido is poised to make a significant impact with its simplified and developer-focused approach to cybersecurity. With security risks on the rise, the need for user-friendly solutions like Aikido is becoming more critical in the industry.
