Empirical Security, an emerging innovator in cybersecurity, has secured $12 million in seed funding to accelerate its development of artificial intelligence-driven vulnerability management solutions. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures, with additional support from DNX Ventures, Sixty Degree Capital, and a host of prominent industry figures—including the founder of Intrigue (acquired by Google/Mandiant), creators of the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, and former executives from Qualys and Google.
A Team Rooted in Security Leadership
Founded in 2025, Empirical Security is helmed by industry veterans Ed Bellis (CEO), Michael Roytman (CTO), and Jay Jacobs (Chief Data Scientist), all previously leaders at Kenna Security and instrumental in the development of the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS). Their combined expertise positions the company at the forefront of risk-based security solutions.
AI Models Tailored to Each Organization
Empirical Security’s approach is a notable departure from conventional, “one-size-fits-all” cybersecurity products. The company employs a dual-model AI architecture:
- Global Models: These are trained on approximately two million daily exploitation events from across the internet, allowing the platform to continuously adapt to the latest attack trends.
- Local Models: Customized for each client, these models integrate unique internal data, enabling organizations to accurately prioritize vulnerabilities according to their specific infrastructure and risk profile.
This tailored methodology delivers highly accurate threat detection and prioritization, empowering security teams to make faster, evidence-based decisions and allocate resources to the most critical risks.
Emphasis on Explainability and Data-Driven Decisions
Transparency is central to the Empirical Security platform. Its AI delivers explainable outputs, offering clear justifications for each security action or recommendation. This approach not only aids technical teams but also helps CISOs communicate security posture, compliance, and budgeting needs to executive boards.
Addressing the Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape
As cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated—often powered by AI—organizations require equally advanced and adaptable defenses. Empirical Security’s custom models move beyond static industry scoring systems, reflecting a shift toward smarter, context-aware cyber risk management. Investors have characterized this advancement as a “10x bigger opportunity” to elevate enterprise protection.
