AI Security Startup DepthFirst Secures $40 Million in Series A Funding

Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI in their attacks, while security professionals are adopting the same technology to counter these threats. Depthfirst, a security startup positioning itself at the vanguard of AI-driven defense, announced on Wednesday that it secured $40 million in a Series A funding round.

The company, founded in October 2024, raised this round from Accel Partners, which led the investment. The round also saw participation from SV Angel, Mantis VC, and Alt Capital.

Depthfirst provides a platform named General Security Intelligence, an AI-native suite designed to help companies scan and analyze their codebases and workflows for potential security issues. According to the company, the platform also enables businesses to guard against credential exposures and monitor threats targeting their open-source and third-party components.

The new capital will be used to expand the team, with hires focused on applied research, engineering, product development, and sales.

“We are now in an era where software is developed faster than it can be secured,” stated Qasim Mithani, the company’s co-founder and CEO, in the announcement. Mithani, whose background includes roles at Databricks and Amazon, added that automation has transformed how malicious actors carry out attacks. “AI has already altered the tactics of attackers. Defense must undergo an equally fundamental evolution.”

The leadership team brings deep expertise in both AI and security. Another of Depthfirst’s co-founders, Daniele Perito, previously held the position of director of security and risk engineering at Square, now part of Jack Dorsey’s Block. The CTO and a third co-founder, Andrea Michi, was formerly an engineer at Google DeepMind.

Just as AI serves legitimate purposes, it is also being weaponized by cybercriminals to automate a wide array of malicious activities—from generating malware and conducting social engineering attacks to scanning for vulnerabilities to exploit. Last November, Anthropic reported that it had thwarted the first known “AI-orchestrated cyber espionage campaign.”

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Depthfirst states that it can help protect organizations from many of these “AI-driven exploits” and has already established partnerships with several notable companies, including AngelList, Lovable, and Moveworks.