StrikeReady Founder and CEO Yasir Khalid [File Photo]

Richardson-based security solutions provider StrikeReady has received $12 million in Series A funding.

The funding round was led by 33N Ventures with participation from Hitachi Ventures and Monta Vista Capital, along with Brian NeSmith, executive chairman and former CEO at Arctic Wolf; and Rod Beckstrom, former CEO of ICANN and founding director of the U.S. National Cybersecurity Center (now CISA).

StrikeReady, an AI-pioneer advancing the way modern security teams operate, said it’s revolutionizing cybersecurity with its groundbreaking, vendor-neutral AI security operations platform. The company emerged from stealth three years ago. Besides its North Texas HQ, the startup has offices in Fremont, California; Lahore, Pakistan; and Dubai, UAE.

“Our security management platform up-levels and scales the capability of any SOC by making best-of-breed AI automation accessible and affordable for everyone,” Founder and CEO Yasir Khalid said in statement. “The platform leverages AI to streamline and automate the routine and empower better, faster response to complex threats. Until now, our customers have referred to StrikeReady as a ‘well-kept secret’, but this funding will accelerate market awareness and growth.”

StrikeReady says its “one-of-a-kind solution” seamlessly integrates with organizations’ existing security tools, unifying the entire tech stack. StrikeReady’s command center makes SOC (security operations center) teams more efficient and effective by uniting, centralizing and operationalizing security, leading to “smarter, faster decision-making and proactive security defense.”

‘Breaking the mold of conventional security solutions’

StrikeReady noted that SOC environments are complex, and said the tools traditionally used to manage security have proven “ineffective and inefficient” in bringing disparate technologies together and keeping companies ahead of threats.

The company said the perpetual shortage of skilled security professionals hampers the ability to manage and respond to security incidents, leaving organizations vulnerable to cyber threats—and said  these challenges are driving StrikeReady’s growth.

StrikeReady said it has secured Series A funding amidst “challenging investment conditions,” calling that a testament to the sophistication of its AI solution and the pressing cybersecurity challenges it addresses.

“StrikeReady is breaking the mold of conventional security solutions. We refuse to believe that security-centric companies should be confined to one platform. Instead, we champion the idea that teams should have the freedom to utilize the best-of-breed technology available,” Carlos Moreira da Silva, co-founder and partner at 33N Ventures, said in a statement. “StrikeReady turns this belief into reality through its dedication to seamless integrations, ensuring compatibility with the diverse array of tools utilized by SOC teams today and tomorrow.”

Hitachi Ventures Principal Galina Sagan said StrikeReady, which was founded in 2019, offers cutting-edge tech.

“StrikeReady pioneers a groundbreaking AI-powered Security Command Center. Their hybrid model augments human intuition with cutting-edge AI and ML technologies. The mission: Streamlining tool sprawl, bridging the cybersecurity skills gap, all while placing humans—equipped with unparalleled guidance and automation—firmly at the helm of the cyber defense arsenal,” Sagan said in a statement.

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