The 10 Italian startups fighting cybercrime

Identity theft, personal and corporate extortion, loss of sensitive information and critical business data, temporary business interruptions, loss of business and customers. These are just some of the results of cyber attacks. In 2024, cyber attacks worldwide reached an unprecedented record. Italy's share of the total global attacks is shocking : 10.1% . Our country is a prime target, as highlighted by the Clusit 2025 Report . Data analysis shows that, with the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, we entered a new phase of widespread cyber warfare that has continued for years to come. New problems have been added to this scenario, both deriving from the spread of generative AI , used by attackers as a force multiplier, and from increased tensions at the socio-economic and geopolitical level, which have brought back into favour forms of digital antagonism, mainly carried out through DDoS ( Distributed Denial of Service ) attacks that target websites and servers, knocking them out of action.

Digital security is increasingly at the center of global concerns, and the latest data confirms an alarming picture . Cyberattacks continue to grow in number and sophistication, with increasingly serious consequences for the media, businesses, public bodies, and citizens. In this increasingly complex landscape, the demand for cybersecurity solutions has grown exponentially, and Italy is seeing, alongside the offerings of corporate companies, a proliferation of services offered by innovative startups leveraging disruptive technologies in this sector, contributing to our country's digital sovereignty .

Ten Italian Cybersecurity Startups

In 2023, cybersecurity investments by Italian SMEs grew by 25%, and 40% of Italian SMEs plan to adopt cybersecurity solutions by the end of 2025, thanks in part to the support of public incentives and European funds, which are encouraging the deployment of protection strategies against increasingly advanced threats . This scenario is reflected in the sector's growth forecasts in Italy, which reached a record value of €2.15 billion in 2023 ( source : Cybersecurity & Data Protection Observatory - Politecnico di Milano) and could reach a value of €2.5 billion by 2026.

Italy is rapidly becoming a center of excellence in cybersecurity . From quantum cryptography to security awareness, from deepfake detection to geo-distributed cloud storage, here's our list of ten Italian cybersecurity startups to keep an eye on.

Cyber ​​Guru – Rome

Founded in 2017 in Rome by Giovanni Baroni, Cyber ​​Guru has developed a range of human-based cybersecurity awareness solutions to increase the security of individuals and organizations. Its solutions utilize learning paths to accommodate those who do not hold specialized cybersecurity roles within the company. The goal is to empower employees to understand the importance of security, helping them identify common threats and adopt behaviors that minimize the risk of cyberattacks induced by human error.

Cyber ​​Guru is now one of the fastest-growing startups in Southern Europe. Over one million active users in over ninety countries are continuously trained through its platform's training programs, which are based on advanced learning methodologies and powered by a proprietary machine learning model driven by artificial intelligence. The startup has been recognized by the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) as a partner to support the digitalization of public administration. In 2023, the Rome-based company opened an office at the Cyber ​​Campus in Paris. In 2024, CG raised a €25 million Series B round led by Riverside Acceleration Capital with participation from Educapital, Europe's largest investment fund focused on Edtech, along with longtime investors Adara and P101. It currently employs over 90 people, 50% of whom are women.

Exein – Rome

Founded in 1990 by Gianni Cuozzo , an internationally recognized cybersecurity expert, Exein specializes in cybersecurity for IoT devices in the industrial, automotive, and aerospace sectors. Its innovative approach redefines IoT security by shifting the focus from the network to individual devices. By integrating advanced security measures directly into the device software, it creates a true digital immune system for each device, autonomously and proactively ensuring its security.

Unlike traditional network security approaches, Exein offers intrinsic, decentralized protection. This approach allows manufacturers to easily integrate robust security measures into their products, protecting devices from ever-evolving cyber threats and ensuring compliance with increasingly stringent global cybersecurity regulations.

Exein uses advanced AI in edge computing to enhance protection, enabling real-time threat detection and response directly on the device, providing a robust defense mechanism tailored to each manufacturer's specific needs.

Exein’s technology has become a key pillar of all initiatives at the Yocto Project, the leader in embedded Linux, which runs on over six billion devices worldwide.

In the summer of 2024, Exein closed a €15 million Series B financing round led by 33N, with participation from Partech, United Ventures (the only Italian investor, Massimiliano Magrini's fund), eCAPITAL, and Future Industry Ventures. Since 2018, Exein has partnered with key players such as SECO, ARM, NVIDIA, AWS, and Lattice Semiconductor. The company is headquartered in Rome and San Francisco, and is opening offices in Taipei and Germany. The 40-person team includes engineers and researchers specializing in cybersecurity, embedded systems, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Cubbit – Bologna

With the rise of cyberattacks and rising geopolitical tensions, digital sovereignty and cybersecurity have become central issues in the cloud world. Cubbit , a scaleup founded in Bologna, offers geo-distributed cloud storage technology, designed to ensure maximum resilience against ransomware and natural disasters, full control over data, and savings of up to 80% compared to traditional solutions.

Born from an idea by Marco Moschettini, Stefano Onofri, Alessandro Cillario, and Lorenzo Posani, the scaleup has raised a total of $25 million, with the latest round closed in July 2024 at $12.5 million , led by LocalGlobe (with 19 unicorns in its portfolio) and ETF Partners. Unlike traditional cloud computing, which relies on a few centralized data centers, Cubbit fragments and encrypts data. The customer can then decide how to distribute it across multiple geographic locations. This way, even in the event of a failure or cyberattack, files remain accessible and reconstructable.

In a context where technology is increasingly exposed to tariffs, sanctions, and international tensions, and where data access represents the true strategic and productive wealth of companies, Cubbit offers a European alternative to overseas giants. Its technology allows you to choose where to store your data (in your own country or within a specific geographic area), avoiding dependence on providers who, from one day to the next, could change prices, conditions, or discontinue services in a country.

This technology is adopted by over 400 companies and public organizations, including Leonardo and Exclusive Networks ($4.9 billion in revenue and a global cybersecurity distributor). Technology partners also include HPE (Hewlett Packard Enterprise), Accenture, and Equinix. The scaleup operates in several strategic sectors—from defense and healthcare to education and media, as in the recent project with De Agostini Editore—and is accelerating its expansion across Europe and the United Kingdom.

Gyala – Rome

The Gyala solution addresses the cybersecurity needs of companies and, thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, automatically analyzes and blocks unusual events affecting IT infrastructure components, protecting the company from attacks. The software has been adopted by power plants, SMEs, healthcare companies, and hospitals because its modular solution can be used by a wide range of customers with varying levels of technological coverage and internal expertise. The startup, led by Gian Roberto Sfoglietta, Nicola Mugnato, and Andrea Storico, has its origins in research and development projects carried out as part of the National Military Research Plan (PNRM). Gyala has developed a platform capable of integrating and operating in various areas of cyber defense .

In 2023, the company closed a €5 million equity financing round , led by CDP Venture Capital, through the Evoluzione Fund, with a co-investor base that included Azimut Libera Impresa and a club deal from Italian Angels for Growth.

Drivesec - Turin

The Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity market has seen a sharp increase in demand for validation services and the resulting need for automated tools. Currently, product security validation is conducted through penetration tests (PTs) performed in the final design phase and immediately prior to production, i.e., before the product is released to the market. These tests are performed by specialists who require physical access to the systems being tested. The startup Drivesec addresses these needs in two ways: on the one hand, it provides a remote access platform to the systems being tested, thus enabling the efficiency of physical resources in terms of time and costs. On the other hand, it has developed automated tools that provide product teams with the ability to self-assess and self-certify the security of developed products, thus enabling them to anticipate PT results in the preliminary stages of product testing. Drivesec has developed Weseth, a tool that transforms cybersecurity testing by enabling remote and automated validation activities. This platform not only accelerates the certification process but also improves its reliability and cost-effectiveness. The IoT cybersecurity company led by Giuseppe Faranda Cordella closed a €3 million Series A round in 2025 with the EIB, LIFTT, and Levante Capital.

TrueScreen – Bologna

Founded in 2022 by Fabio Ugolini and Giuseppe Travasoni , TrueScreen has developed software that analyzes acquired content, verifying its authenticity and acquisition characteristics using proprietary and internationally patented algorithms. If the outcome is positive, the user receives a forensic document. TrueScreen documents are digitally signed, timestamped, and incorporate all the technical parameters needed to precisely define the context in which the acquisition occurred, all in line with and compliant with the main international guidelines for the preservation of digital evidence.

The legal fields of application are numerous, especially regarding damages of all kinds: automobiles, real estate, large structures, but also stalking, revenge porn, cyberbullying, and the many and unpredictable online dangers, from privacy violations and phishing, to online scams, fake news, deepfakes, viruses, Trojans, and malware. Among all of these, fake news, through content manipulation, can influence public opinion and undermine trust in digital information. To counter these dangers, it is important to adopt cybersecurity measures and educate users to recognize potential threats. With TrueScreen, citizens, businesses, and institutions can certify screenshots, screen recordings, real-time photos and videos, audio recordings, and location data. In September 2024, the startup closed a €2.4 million round led by Cysero of AVM Gestioni, followed by Growth Engine, Fin+Tech Accelerator, Pathfinder, Smeup, Encelado Ventures, and B-Yond Venture, as well as business angels including Mariano Spalletti, CEO of Qonto Italia, and Alessandro Petazzi, co-founder of Musement.

IdentifAI – Milan

The proliferation of AI-generated videos, audio, and images poses significant political, economic, and geopolitical risks. IdentifAI, an Italian startup founded by Marco Ramilli and co-led by Marco Castaldo, aims to counter these threats with its innovative deepfake detection technology.

As the generative AI market expands, demand for degenerative solutions has also increased. The fake image detection market is expected to grow from $0.6 billion in 2025 to $3.9 billion by 2029, a growth rate of 41.6%. IdentifAI is an innovative startup based in Milan, specializing in defining and training (de)generative models to identify the origin of content potentially generated by AI systems. Last September, it announced a €2.2 million seed funding round led by United Ventures . The round also included angel investors Edoardo Alessandri of Wellness Holding, Matteo Fago, co-founder of Venere.com (now Expedia), and Umberto Paolucci of UP Invest. The investment highlighted a shared commitment to developing technologies to combat the malicious use of deepfakes and promoting a transparent and secure information environment.

IdentifAI aims to empower every individual—citizen, consumer, policymaker, or business—to clearly distinguish whether what they observe is the product of artificial intelligence or human creativity. In this way, it aims to ensure that emerging technologies serve the common good and do not become tools of deception.

Mopso – Milan

Mopso was founded in Milan in 2021 from the experience of its founders, Andrea Danielli , a former Bank of Italy employee, and Enrico Fagnoni , a serial entrepreneur, to offer banks and financial institutions a modular software platform for money laundering prevention. Mopso's products use the semantic web and digital identity to streamline compliance processes. Specifically, thanks to its Brain platform, the team identifies suspicious transactions and at-risk customers by integrating millions of data points from internal sources enriched with datasets and open-source intelligence , while its algorithms perform risk profile searches and connection network analysis.

The startup, whose clients include banks and asset management companies, is also active in research and last year won a tender in Luxembourg for the PAMLA project, which involves the use of High Performance Computing to rapidly train innovative machine learning algorithms. Active in the fight against money laundering and the prevention of financial crime, the Mopso platform raised a €1 million seed round in February 2025. The capital increase was underwritten by Apside, the joint venture between Intesa Sanpaolo and Zest, by Fin+Tech from the CDP Venture Capital National Accelerator Network, and by an additional investment from Centro Istruttorie, a company belonging to the Moltiply group.

Octostar – Bergamo (Italy) and Galway (Ireland)

Founded in 2023 by Giovanni Tummarello (CEO), Simone Scarduzio, Varun Sharma, and Robert Fuller, Octostar is designed for organizations that need to conduct investigative and decision-making activities . These activities are crucial in public sectors such as national defense and the fight against crime, but are also increasingly relevant in the financial and corporate sectors, for the defense of corporate resources, for cybersecurity, and for exploratory due diligence activities. Octostar 's strength lies in its ability to integrate all intelligence technologies into a single operational platform and enable organizations to self-update the system by creating apps similar to those on Android or iOS. The apps are created and installed, allowing organizations to address new challenges such as new types of fraud or new types of data theft. Thanks to the use of modern technologies, Octostar guarantees scalability capable of addressing contemporary scenarios, enabling data processing on a massive scale, including the use of the latest generative AI technologies. This tool allows investigators, for example, to identify suspicious communications that use slang, which might be missed by traditional keyword searches.

In 2024, the startup raised a €2 million investment from the Cysero EuVeca fund, promoted by AVM Gestioni in conjunction with Kilometro Rosso, enabling the return of its know-how and resources to Italy.

Muscope – Milan

Muscope Cybersecurity is an innovative startup founded in December 2021 by four network and infrastructure security experts with over 20 years of experience in the sector: Bruno Cordioli, Gerolamo Valcamonica, Stefan Uver, and Maciej Mordasiewicz . Muscope 's mission is to assist small and medium-sized businesses in understanding and managing their cyber risk assessments , allowing them to focus on business growth while prioritizing their organization's security. The startup has developed CYSR, a platform that allows any organization, regardless of size, to assess and manage cyber risks intuitively, quickly, and effectively through a user-friendly graphical interface. The platform collects, analyzes, and measures key data needed to generate a cybersecurity score, which is then presented as an easily understandable numerical index.

In February 2025, Muscope, a company owned by Primo Capital, was acquired by TeamSystem , an Italian company providing digital solutions for businesses and professionals.