Amsterdam: Dawnguard, a cybersecurity startup founded by former leaders from IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and military intelligence, has officially launched with $3 million in pre-seed funding.
The funding round was led by 9900 Capital alongside several prominent angel investors, including CIOs and CISOs from Europe’s leading tech scale-ups.
The startup introduces a radical shift in cybersecurity – embedding AI-driven security intelligence directly into the core architecture of digital infrastructure, spanning the entire IT lifecycle from day zero to day 10,000.
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Dawnguard: A Design-First Approach to Cybersecurity
Unlike traditional security models that bolt on protection in the later stages of development, Dawnguard’s platform is purpose-built to automate security architecture from inception.
The system empowers engineering and security teams with a collaborative canvas to validate designs, auto-generate secure Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and enforce compliance post-deployment.
“Our industry treats security as a checkbox. It’s broken,” said Mahdi Abdulrazak, CEO and co-founder of Dawnguard. “Security needs to be part of a system’s DNA – aligned with design from the very beginning, not retrofitted after vulnerabilities surface.”
AI at the Core of Dawnguard’s Security Automation
Led by Abdulrazak and CTO Kim van Lavieren, Dawnguard’s founding team brings decades of experience at the intersection of 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.
“Dawnguard closes the gap between security design and reality,” said van Lavieren. “We help teams move from guesswork and spreadsheets to enforceable, automated security blueprints.”
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Backing from Global Investors and Security Leaders
Investor Chris Corbishley, Managing Partner at 9900 Capital, noted, “In a world overwhelmed by reactive tools, Dawnguard tackles cybersecurity at the root – during design. This shift is vital as AI-generated code reshapes how applications are built and deployed.”
Security thought leader Dimitri van Zantvliet, CISO of Dutch Railways and Chair of the Dutch CISO Community, added, “Dawnguard isn’t just another tool—they’re rewriting the DNA of cybersecurity to be proactive, intelligent, and integrated.”
Plans for Expansion and Industry Impact
With its fresh capital, Dawnguard plans to expand its engineering operations, strengthen integrations with cloud platforms, and bring its product into broader production use.
The startup’s long-term roadmap includes securing dynamic GenAI-driven environments and closing the gap between high-speed software development and resilient security posture.
