Exein closes €100M round to harden security in internet of things devices – News

Embedded cybersecurity firm Exein SpA today announced it raised €100 million (about $117 million) to accelerate the company’s global expansion and develop a next-generation platform to defend connected devices against cyberattacks.

The new investment was led by Blue Cloud Ventures, with participation from HV Capital, Intrepid Growth Partners, Geodesic and J.P. Morgan. This funding round follows the company’s recent Series C in July and brings the total raised to €170 million (about $200 million).

Exein develops and deploys embedded runtime security solutions for connected devices — such as those in the internet of things ecosystem — using artificial intelligence and open-source software to harden attack surfaces and prevent compromise. The solution embeds directly into firmware, self-updates and maintains a dynamic list of attack parameters, effectively functioning as a connected device “cybersecurity immune system.”

Thanks to its onboard nature and self-activating capability, Exein’s platform does not require constant connectivity to operate and defend against attacks. The company said its platform currently protects more than 1 billion devices, with more than 1 million high-severity vulnerabilities discovered and more than 100,000 attacks blocked in real time.

“This round demonstrates just how rapidly Exein is growing,” said founder and Chief Executive Gianni Cuozzo. “In just one year, we’ve become a truly global company, expanding across the U.S. and Asia-Pacific, and emerged as the world’s largest embedded runtime security provider by devices protected.”

Exein’s customer footprint spans critical infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, supported by major partnerships with leading manufacturers and chipset providers, including Kontron and MediaTek.

Device-level security is crucial for stopping unexpected attacks that can disrupt bottom-line infrastructure. Cyberattacks against medical devices can shut down hospitals, compromise supply chains and disrupt essential services. Traditional perimeter defenses such as firewalls and network filters can block only what they can see or intercept, but not all devices sit inside a monitored cybersecurity perimeter.

The Forescout 2025 Report outlined that vulnerabilities and attacks against embedded devices are growing globally across information technology, internet of things, operational technology and the internet of medical things. Healthcare networks are the foremost growing risk in device insecurity and internet routers now represent 50% of the most vulnerable devices.

A 2024 report from the World Economic Forum revealed that internet of things vulnerabilities and breaches can cost corporations in excess of $330,000. In addition to that, 34% of enterprises that fell victim to a breach via an IoT device faced higher cumulative costs than cyberattacks on non-IoT devices, ranging between $5 million and $10 million.

Exein noted its security model provides deeper integrity and performance checks across the entire supply chain. It also follows compliance with global cybersecurity regulations, including RED 3.3, the forthcoming European Union Cyber Resilience Act and U.S. Cyber Trust Mark.

The company said it intends to use the new funding to support and uplevel its marketing strategy as it scales into new markets. Cuozzo added that it will further drive the company’s development of a next-generation runtime security platform that the company will unveil at the RSA Conference in March 2026.

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