Cybersecurity Startup Dawnguard Emerges from Stealth with $3M Funding to Revolutionize System Architecture.

Dawnguard, a cybersecurity startup, has emerged from stealth with $3 million in funding. Founded by former IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and military cybersecurity leaders, Dawnguard introduces a new category of embedding AI/ML engines across the IT lifecycle. The funds will be used to expand engineering teams, deepen enterprise integrations, and bring the platform to broader production use. Dawnguard aims to make security native and embed it into system architecture from day zero to day 10,000.

Amsterdam-based cybersecurity startup Dawnguard has emerged from stealth mode with a significant $3 million pre-seed funding round, led by 9900 Capital [1]. The funding will support the expansion of Dawnguard's engineering team, strengthen enterprise integrations, and bring its platform to broader production use.

Founded by former leaders from IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and military intelligence, Dawnguard aims to embed AI-driven security intelligence directly into the core architecture of digital infrastructure, spanning the entire IT lifecycle from day zero to day 10,000. This innovative approach represents a radical shift in cybersecurity, moving away from traditional reactive models that bolt on protection in later stages of development.

The startup's platform is designed to automate security architecture from inception, empowering engineering and security teams with a collaborative canvas to validate designs, auto-generate secure Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and enforce compliance post-deployment. This design-first approach aims to address the industry's reliance on manual reviews and scattered documentation, which often lead to misalignment between intended and actual deployed security.

Dawnguard's leadership team, including CEO Mahdi Abdulrazak and CTO Kim van Lavieren, brings decades of experience in AI, cloud-native computing, and cybersecurity. The platform uses multiple AI/ML engines to help enterprises identify design flaws early, adapt to real-time changes in infrastructure, and ensure continuous security across evolving environments.

The funding round was backed by several prominent angel investors, including CIOs and CISOs from Europe’s leading tech scale-ups. Chris Corbishley, Managing Partner at 9900 Capital, noted that Dawnguard's approach tackles cybersecurity at the root, during design, which is crucial as AI-generated code reshapes how applications are built and deployed [2].

Dawnguard's long-term roadmap includes securing dynamic GenAI-driven environments and closing the gap between high-speed software development and resilient security posture. The startup plans to expand its engineering operations, strengthen integrations with cloud platforms, and bring its product into broader production use.

With this funding, Dawnguard aims to make security a native part of system architecture, ensuring that digital products are secure, compliant, and scalable from day one. By integrating intelligent systems and architecture-level thinking, Dawnguard hopes to reimagine cybersecurity from the ground up, making shift-left security a practical and reliable standard.

References:
[1] Sahyadristartups.com. "Dawnguard Emerges from Stealth with $3M Funding." [https://sahyadristartups.com/spotlight/dawnguard-emerges-from-stealth-raises-usd-3m-to-embed-security-from-day-zero-to-day-10000/](https://sahyadristartups.com/spotlight/dawnguard-emerges-from-stealth-raises-usd-3m-to-embed-security-from-day-zero-to-day-10000/)
[2] Techfundingnews.com. "Dawnguard Co-led by Refugee Nabs $3M to Reinvent Cybersecurity in AI Era." [https://techfundingnews.com/dawnguard-co-led-by-refugee-nabs-3m-to-reinvent-cybersecurity-in-ai-era/](https://techfundingnews.com/dawnguard-co-led-by-refugee-nabs-3m-to-reinvent-cybersecurity-in-ai-era/)