Rockville, Md.-based Sepio, a cybersecurity startup focused on protecting physical IT assets, has announced a new, undisclosed investment from U.A.E.’s Tau Capital, and extended its Series B funding.
The company’s prior backers include U.S. Venture Partners, Hanaco Ventures, Munich RE Ventures, Merlin Ventures, Citi Ventures, Pico Partners, Stanford University and some private investors. So far, the startup with roots in Israel has raised $48 million.
Key Differentiation
“Our patented…solution enables us to quickly and accurately detect, classify, asses and mitigate risk of connected hardware devices. All without the need to tap into traffic or device activity and without the need to risk privileged data,” Sepio co-founder and CEO Yossi Appleboum, a serial entrepreneur, said in a LinkedIn post.
Within the highly competitive cybersecurity market, Sepio has differentiated itself by focusing on protecting all hardware assets across a corporate network, rather than just those in active use. Its risk management platform, called HAC-1, monitors all devices, even when they don’t show any data traffic.
Appleboum said the new funding would help Sepio leverage “growing traction for global players across multiple verticals and territories.” Also, organizations in its recently formed Customer Advisory Board would provide invaluable insight and feedback for product enhancements, he added.
Commercial Real Estate
MacKenzie Companies
Advertising / Media / Communications / Public Relations
Nevins & Associates
Financial Services / Investment Firms
Chesapeake Corporate Advisors
Commercial Real Estate
Monday Properties
Venture Capital
Blue Delta Capital Partners
Internet / Technology
Foxtrot Media
A 25-year industry veteran with wide experience in security, networking, computer science and control systems, Appleboum served in the Israeli army before turning an entrepreneur. In 1998, he cofounded WebSilicon, which was later acquired by Magal (Nasdaq: MAGS). Later, he served as the chief technology officer at Senstar, the North American division of Magal, and relocated to the United States to work more closely with key customers and partners.
Brains Trust
Sepio’s chairpersons — Lane Bess and Monique Shivanandan – bring deep expertise and wide-ranging experience. Bess is an industry veteran who has served some of the best-known cybersecurity companies, including Trend Micro, Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks. He serves as the CEO of New York-based Deep Instinct, which is building an AI-based cybersecurity platform. Bess, famously, carried a Sepio-branded rubber ducky on Blue Origin’s first space flight with Jeff Bezos in 2021.
Shivanandan serves as the chief information security officer at HSBC. Previously she has worked at financial giants such as Chubb, Avaya and Capital One, and telecom firms such as BT and BellSouth.
