Central and Eastern Europe boasts a good regional representation of heavyweight cybersecurity players who have firmly established themselves on the global stage, setting high benchmarks.
Mapping out the rest of the key cybersecurity players in Central and Eastern Europe reveals a striking concentration of “midweight” companies in Czechia, underscoring the region’s strong cybersecurity legacy. It’s a bit concerning, however, that the broader region doesn’t have more mid-sized representatives, hinting at untapped potential beyond established hubs. (Stay tuned for rising stars mapping in the following days to see if some changes are on the way.)
For this list, we selected companies from CEE that either boast more than 50 employees or have secured over €30M in total funding (or €10M+ ARR when available) – a bar is a bit lower than what you would expect, which also highlights the significant gap between global heavyweights and mid-sized players.
So, in conclusion, this curated overview not only points notable successes from Central and Eastern Europe but also emphasizes the need for broader regional growth in cybersecurity.
The mapping was done with the help from Dealigence, an AI-powered platform providing deal flow signals for venture capitalists, enhancing the due diligence process.
Heavyweights
Ajax Systems
This well-known Ukrainian cybersecurity company is one of the largest manufacturers of advanced security systems for both corporate and governmental organizations. It provides high-performance security systems, including intrusion detection, data encryption, and cyber threat intelligence. Ayax Systems is particularly known for its work in critical infrastructure protection and its ability to monitor and mitigate cyber risks in real-time. The company’s solutions are widely used in sectors such as energy, telecommunications, and finance.
Founded Year: 2011
Country: Ukraine
Founders: Aleksandr Konotopskyi
Total Funding till date: €10.2M
Stage: Series A
Investors: Horizon Capital, SMRK VC
Current Team Size: 2600+
Latest Funding Round: €9.3M, Mar 2019
Bitdefender
Bitdefender is a multinational cybersecurity technology company founded in 2001, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, and Santa Clara, California. The company offers a range of security products and services for both consumers and enterprises, including antivirus software, endpoint security, identity protection, and online privacy solutions. Bitdefender’s solutions are distributed through partners in over 150 countries, with the U.S. market accounting for more than 40% of its revenue.
Founded Year: 2001
Country: Romania
Founder: Florin Talpeș
Stage: IPO-ready
Total Funding till date: €178.5M
Investors: Romanian-American Enterprise Fund
Current Team Size: 1800+
Latest Funding Round: €166.5M, Dec 2017 (Secondary Sale)
SEON
SEON is a fraud prevention and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance company founded by Tamas Kadar and Bence Jendruszak, who initially developed the platform to combat fraud in their cryptocurrency startup. Utilizing real-time digital footprint analysis, device intelligence, and a customizable AI-driven rules engine, SEON enables businesses across sectors like iGaming, fintech, and e-commerce to proactively detect and mitigate fraudulent activities. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in London and Budapest, the company has safeguarded over $200 billion in fraud-related losses and serves more than 5,000 businesses globally.
Founded Year: 2017
Country: Hungary
Founders: Tamas Kadar and Bence Jendruszak
Stage: Series B
Total Funding till date: €101.8M
Investors: IVP, Creandum, Crew Capital, PortfoLion, Discovery Ventures, Fiedler Capital
Current Team Size: 290
Latest Funding Round: €88.8M, Apr 2022
Reversing Labs
ReversingLabs is a cybersecurity company specializing in software supply chain security and threat intelligence solutions. Founded in 2009, the company has its origins in Croatia, but it has expanded globally with offices in the United States, South Korea, and Switzerland. ReversingLabs provides advanced cybersecurity solutions, including Spectra Assure for comprehensive software supply chain security and Spectra Analyze for in-depth malware analysis, both leveraging AI-driven binary analysis to detect sophisticated threats across various file formats. They have achieved the so-called Black Unicorn status in the cybersec community.
Founded Year: 2009
Country: Croatia
Founders: Mario Vuksan and Tomislav Peričin
Stage: Series B
Total Funding till date: €84.2M
Investors: ForgePoint Capital, Trident Capital, In-Q-Tel
Current Team Size: 261
Latest Funding Round: €51.8M, Aug 2021
Other notable legacy companies from CEE important to mention are Czech Avast, and Polish ESET.
ESET is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1992 in Bratislava, Slovakia, by Rudolf Hrubý, Peter Paško, and Miroslav Trnka. It has built a strong reputation for its antivirus, endpoint security, and network protection solutions. In over more than three decades, it has grown to 1800+ employees, supporting over a billion users in more than 200 countries and territories.
Avast, founded in 1988 by Pavel Baudiš and Eduard Kučera in the Czech Republic, is a multinational cybersecurity software company known for its Avast Antivirus product. By 2020, it had over 435 million monthly active users and was among the top anti-malware application vendors globally. In September 2022, Avast merged with NortonLifeLock to form Gen Digital, further expanding its reach in the cybersecurity industry.
Midweights
IP Fabric
IP Fabric headquartered in Prague, Czech Republic, specializes in automated network assurance solutions for large-scale enterprise networks. Their platform offers on-demand network discovery, advanced analytics, and detailed engineering visibility, enabling organizations to enhance security and operational efficiency. The company serves clients like Red Hat, Airbus, Air France, and BlackBerry.
Founded Year: 2015
Country: Czechia
Founders: Miroslav Hybl, Pavel Bykov, Roman Aprias
Stage: Series B
Total Funding till date: €28.8M
Investors: One Peak Partners, Presto Ventures, Credo Ventures, Senovo, Bolt Start Up Development
Current Team Size: 87
Latest Funding Round: €23.1M, Jun 2023
Resistant AI
Resistant AI, founded in 2019 and based in Prague, Czech Republic, specializes in AI-driven solutions to protect financial services from fraud and manipulation. Their technology scrutinizes customer interactions and documents to detect threats such as document forgery, synthetic identities, and account takeovers.
Founded Year: 2019
Country: Czechia
Founders: Martin Rehak, Jan Stiborek, Karel Bartoš, Jan Jusko, Lukáš Machlica, Martin Grill and Jan de Waard
Stage: Series A
Total Funding till date: €40M
Investors: Notion Capital, Google Ventures, Credo Ventures, Index Ventures, Seedcamp
Current Team Size: 69
Latest Funding Round: €10.2M, Jun 2023
Alcatraz AI
A Bulgarian-founded company specializing in autonomous access control solutions that utilize 3D facial authentication and artificial intelligence to enhance security and convenience. Their flagship product, The Rock, integrates facial biometrics with AI and machine learning to provide touchless and secure entry, effectively replacing traditional badge systems.
Founded Year: 2016
Country: Bulgaria
Founder: Vince Gaydarzhiev
Stage: Series A
Total Funding till date: €62M
Investors: Almaz Capital, EBRD Venture Capital, Endeavor Catalyst, SeedBlink, Silverline Capital, Golden Seeds, LDV Partners, Mucker Capital, JCI Ventures, Ruvento, Hemi Ventures
Current Team Size: 60
Latest Funding Round: €23.1M, Sept 2022
ThreatMark
ThreatMark, founded in 2015 and based in Brno, Czech Republic, specializes in AI-powered fraud prevention solutions for financial institutions. Its Behavior Intelligence Platform for digital fraud prevention and threat detection utilizes AI-powered behavior profiling technology to secure online experiences. Features include behavioral biometrics, real-time transaction risk monitoring, and continuous user identity monitoring. In the end, the platform doesn’t just prevent fraud – it silently monitors attackers’ infrastructure, devices, techniques, and money flows to reveal entire crime rings.
Founded Year: 2015
Country: Czechia
Founders: Michal Tresner and Kryštof Hilar
Stage: N/A
Total Funding till date: €32.6M
Investors: Springtide Ventures, ORBIT Capital, Octopus Ventures, Riverside Acceleration Capital
Current Team Size: 52
Latest Funding Round: €22.14M, Jan 2025
