Italian firm Exein has raised €70m in series C funding to accelerate its mission to build a digital immune system providing embedded IoT security for connected devices.

With this capital, it plans to expand into markets including the USA, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, while strengthening its position in Europe.

It will also fasten the development of technologies, including runtime security designed for AI infrastructure and large language models (LLMs).

This investment highlights the growing urgency to tackle the ever-increasing cyber attacks, which are now exposing entire industries and critical infrastructures. Exein provides security right on the device to protect IoT and embedded systems from the inside out, in real time, like a digital immune system.

Additionally, Exein technology helps ensure compliance with old and new global cyber-security regulations, including the forthcoming Cyber Resilience Act, RED 3.3 and the US Cyber Trust Mark. That’s why chipset and other manufacturers, including MediaTek, Supermicro, Kontron, Seco and Aaeon, use the Exein platform for protecting over a billion devices at runtime.

Following its series B in July 2024, this round reflects the momentum behind Exein, including 450% year-over-year growth. It will also help it pursue acquisitions to expand its reach in the cyber-security ecosystem.

“Exein’s extraordinary growth is a testament to the urgent demand to secure devices which are ubiquitous in our everyday lives,” said Exein (www.exein.io) founder and CEO Gianni Cuozzo. “Embedded security at the device level is fundamental, and we are proud to support manufacturers in providing the highest levels of security, offering them confidence in knowing they are compliant with the latest security legislation. I’m extremely proud to be fortifying the foundations of European tech innovation, and to have the trust of our partners and investors as we expand globally and continue our mission of building the digital immune system for the connected world.”

The round was led by Balderton and joined by Supernova and Lakestar, with follow-on investments from previous investors 33N, United Ventures and Partech.

“We’re living in an era where everything from rail networks to industrial machinery is connected, and therefore exposed,” said Elena Moneta, principal at Balderton (www.balderton.com). “Exein tackles this threat where it begins: on the device itself, embedding real-time security on the edge, continuously monitoring, learning and responding. There is no better team to take on this challenge.”