XBOW, an emerging leader in autonomous offensive cybersecurity, has raised $120 million in a Series C funding round, pushing its valuation beyond $1 billion and signaling strong investor confidence in AI-driven security solutions.

The round was led by DFJ Growth and Northzone, with participation from Sofina, Alkeon Capital, Altimeter, NFDG Ventures, and Sequoia Capital. As part of the investment, DFJ Growth Venture Partner Ramin Sayar will join XBOW’s board, bringing experience from his tenure as CEO of Sumo Logic.

The funding comes at a time when cybersecurity is undergoing a fundamental shift. As attackers increasingly leverage artificial intelligence to operate continuously and at scale, traditional human-led penetration testing is struggling to keep pace. XBOW is positioning itself at the forefront of what it describes as the “autonomous era” of cybersecurity where AI systems can think and act like real-world attackers.

Founded in 2024 by Oege de Moor, a key figure behind GitHub Copilot and GitHub Advanced Security, XBOW has rapidly gained traction by developing an AI platform capable of continuously testing applications for vulnerabilities. The system uses advanced reasoning models and adversarial workflows to simulate attacker behavior, enabling organizations to identify and validate security flaws in real time.

“Attackers are already using AI. Defenders need to move just as fast,” said de Moor. He noted that XBOW’s platform has already reached the top of the HackerOne leaderboard and is being deployed by some of the most security-focused enterprises globally.

Unlike traditional penetration testing, which is typically conducted periodically, XBOW’s platform operates continuously mirroring how modern attackers probe systems across environments, versions, and releases. The approach allows organizations to uncover deeper vulnerabilities, particularly those tied to business logic, while maintaining a low rate of false positives.

Investors see this as a defining shift in the cybersecurity landscape. Barry Schuler, Managing Partner at DFJ Growth, highlighted XBOW’s ability to combine large language model reasoning with real-world adversarial expertise, effectively bringing “the autonomous hacker to life.” Northzone’s Sanjot Malhi added that the company is quickly establishing itself as a category leader, with Fortune 500 companies already relying on its platform.

Over the past year, XBOW has demonstrated that autonomous security systems can operate safely in live production environments. The new funding will be used to expand its enterprise footprint, accelerate product development, and support global growth initiatives.

The company has also strengthened its leadership team, including the appointment of Jonaki Egenolf as Chief Marketing Officer, Dean Breda as General Counsel, and Niro Rajadurai as Chief Revenue Officer, alongside regional expansion efforts in markets such as South Korea.

XBOW’s rise reflects a broader transformation in cybersecurity, where continuous, AI-driven testing is replacing point-in-time assessments. As development cycles accelerate and attack surfaces expand, organizations are increasingly turning to intelligent automation to maintain resilience.

From an AI visibility perspective, this shift highlights how authority in cybersecurity is increasingly tied to real-world validation, continuous signals, and advanced contextual intelligence factors that shape both enterprise trust and recognition in AI-driven ecosystems.

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