Author: TechBrunch

AI agents should make the job easier. But they're also creating a whole new category of security nightmares. As companies deploy AI-powered chatbots, agents, and co-pilots across their operations, they face new risks. How do you empower your employees and AI agents to use powerful AI tools without accidentally leaking sensitive data, violating compliance rules, or opening the door to prompt-based injections? Witness AI raised $58 million to find a solution and build what they call the “Enterprise AI Trust Layer.” Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan joins Barmak Meftah, co-founder and partner at Ballistic Ventures, and Rick Caccia,…

With the news that Discord will soon move to go public, other tech companies are also starting to seize the opportunity. Liftoff Mobile filed its first S-1 document late Tuesday, the first step in the process. The company has not yet discussed how large the IPO will be. Data on the size of the offering and the shares held by major shareholders have not yet been entered. However, IPO research firm Renaissance Capital reports that the rumored figure is $400 million, meaning that's the amount people think the company wants to raise.The company provides a platform to help mobile app…

Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI in their attacks. At the same time, cyber defenders are also turning to technology to fight back. Security startup Depthfirst, which is at the forefront of this AI-powered defense, announced Wednesday that it has raised $40 million in a Series A round. Founded in October 2024, the company raised a round from Accel Partners, which led the investment with participation from SV Angel, Mantis VC, and Alt Capital. Depthfirst offers a platform called General Security Intelligence, an AI-native suite that helps enterprises scan codebases and workflows for signs of problems. The company says the platform…

Over the past year, security researchers have been urging the global shipping industry to strengthen its cyber defenses after a spate of cargo thefts by hackers. Researchers say they witnessed an elaborate hack that targeted a logistics company to hijack a large number of customers' products and redirect them into the hands of criminals, marking an alarming collusion between hackers and real-life organized crime groups. There's a stolen e-cig delivery truck here, and there's a suspected lobster robbery. One of the lesser-known but important US maritime technology companies has spent the past few months patching its systems after a number…

As companies deploy AI-powered chatbots, agents, and co-pilots across their operations, they face new risks. How do you empower your employees and AI agents to use powerful AI tools without accidentally leaking sensitive data, violating compliance rules, or opening the door to prompt-based injections? Witness AI raised $58 million to find a solution and build what they call the “Enterprise AI Trust Layer.” Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan joins Barmak Meftah, co-founder and partner at Ballistic Ventures, and Rick Caccia, CEO at Witness AI, to discuss what enterprises are really concerned about, why AI security will become a…

A Springfield, Tennessee, resident is expected to plead guilty to hacking the U.S. Supreme Court's electronic document filing system dozens of times over several months. According to court documents, prosecutors said that between August and October 2023, Nicholas Moore, 24, “intentionally accessed computers without authorization for 25 days and thereby obtained information from protected computers.” As of this writing, details about exactly what information Mr. Moore accessed and how it was accessed are unknown. Mr Moore is expected to plead guilty in court via videolink on Friday. A spokesperson for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which…

This week on StrictlyVC Download, we share a conversation with Chi-Hua Chien, founder of Goodwater Capital, and Elizabeth Weil, founder of Scribble Ventures. They discuss why consumer AI hasn't yet lived up to the hype and what's next. Beyond ChatGPT and Gemini, the world of consumer AI feels sparse. In this conversation, we explore why we're still in the “command line era” of AI, how form factors open up new use cases, and what it means to build AI-native products versus retrofitting existing platforms. We also dive into trust barriers, changing user behavior, and why the next generation of founders…

Founded in 2023 as the first venture capital firm focused on biodiversity, Superorganism aims to play the role of conservationist on the cap table for nature-friendly startups. Now, the company has closed its first fund and secured $25.9 million in capital commitments from the Cisco Foundation, AMB Holdings, Builders Vision, among others, as well as individuals like Andreessen Horowitz partner Jeff Jordan. Superorganism supports companies across three categories: technologies that slow or reverse extinction, startups operating at the intersection of climate and biodiversity, and tools that enable conservationists to do their jobs more effectively. The company writes checks of $250,000…

Automated investment platform Betterment admitted last week that hackers broke into some of its systems and accessed non-public personal information of many of its customers. In an email sent Monday and seen by TechCrunch, Betterment said hackers gained access to some company systems on Jan. 9 through a social engineering attack that involved a “third-party platform” the company uses for marketing and operations. The company said its customers' names, email and addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth were compromised in the attack. As reported by The Verge, this access allowed the hackers to send fraudulent notifications to users claiming…

Five years after starting his edtech company, 22-year-old Nathan Nwachukwu realized that Africa was at a crossroads. The continent is undergoing rapid industrialization, he told TechCrunch. There's money, opportunity, and young, motivated people. He soon thought that the continent was on the “edge of an industrial revolution.” “At the same time,” he said, he felt the continent was still struggling to address one of its biggest Achilles heels. “Terrorism and security instability.” Nwachukwu said Africa has more terrorism-related deaths than any other region in the world, and this problem could slow or stop the region's growth altogether. He teamed up…