Cybersecurity startup Hadrian has raised $40 million in fresh funding, giving the Amsterdam-based company additional capital to expand its AI-powered security platform across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the United States.

The funding round was co-led by Forgepoint Capital International and SmartFin, with existing investors including HV Capital, Motive Partners, Picus Capital and Oetker Ventures also participating. The latest investment brings Hadrian’s total funding to $65 million.

Founded in 2021, Hadrian is building a business around a growing problem for companies: cybersecurity threats are becoming faster and more automated, while many organisations still depend heavily on periodic penetration testing and manual security processes.

Its platform uses AI agents to continuously examine a company’s external digital infrastructure, identify potential weaknesses and determine which vulnerabilities could actually be exploited by an attacker. Its Atlas platform focuses on continuous exposure monitoring, while Nova provides on-demand AI-powered penetration testing.

This creates a significant commercial opportunity. Instead of selling cybersecurity assessments that happen periodically, Hadrian is positioning security as an always-on business service, potentially giving customers more visibility while creating recurring value for the company.

Hadrian says its customers have achieved 10 times greater visibility into critical exposures, 80% faster resolution and five times the return on investment compared with manual penetration testing. These figures are company-reported rather than independently verified.

The new capital will support international expansion as well as larger engineering and research teams. Hadrian already serves businesses including McKesson, NBCUniversal, TotalEnergies and Amadeus.

For the startup, the funding is more than an opportunity to grow its technology. It is a bet that AI can change the economics of cybersecurity by allowing companies to monitor and test their digital exposure continuously, rather than waiting for the next scheduled security assessment.