Press

VMRay closes $10 million Series B round

September 16, 2019

Digital⁺ Partners Leads New Funding Round in Growing Automated Malware Analysis & Detection Provider to Combat Latest Advanced Threats and Support Market Expansion

VMRay, a provider of automated malware analysis and detection solutions, today announced that it has closed its series B round of funding in the amount of $10 million (€9 million) led by Digital⁺ Partners, one of the leading technology growth equity firms in Europe, and supplemented eCAPITAL, an early investor. This brings the total amount raised by the company to approximately €12 million following previous funding rounds led by eCapital and High-Tech Gründerfonds. The company will use the new funding to expand its marketing program to reach new vertical markets, bolster its engineering team to enhance its platform capabilities, and better support its’ MSSP and VAR partners through an expanded channel program.

VMRay was founded by Dr. Carsten Willems and Dr. Ralf Hund in 2013, two early pioneers in automated malware analysis and detection, as a vehicle to transform their groundbreaking academic research into practical solutions for enterprise security teams. At the core of its flagship Analyzer platform is a sophisticated malware sandbox that is uniquely capable of rapidly identifying evasive malware threats that traditional dynamic analysis approaches, static analysis tools and signature-based security solutions often miss since they are unable to stop what they’ve never seen before or get detected by malware during analysis. As a result, VMRay Analyzer detects Zero-Day malware and advanced threats that can be missed by security solutions that rely primarily on those technologies.

“When we originally founded VMRay, our objective was simple: to provide comprehensive dynamic analysis in a way that cannot be detected by the latest and most complex malware strains. Many of the world’s largest enterprises and government agencies now rely on VMRay to provide the actionable threat intelligence they need to defend their network,” said Carsten Willems, co-founder and CEO for VMRay. “In Digital⁺ Partners we have found a true partner who will help us grow our market share over the long term, forge new customer and channel relationships, and help us scale into a dominant player in the threat analysis and detection market.”

While global spending on IT security continues to grow, the threat detection and incident response segment of the market remains one of the primary drivers as enterprise security teams seek new strategies for early threat detection. Since the introduction of VMRay Analyzer, its automated malware analysis platform in 2016, the company has steadily rolled out a complete suite of inter-connected threat detection solutions, including:

    • VMRay Detector: Delivers rapid, fully automated threat detection at scale, without the need for human interaction
    • VMRay Email Threat Defender: Enables organizations to fend off phishing and targeted email attacks using VMRay’s patented agentless threat detection technology
    • VMRay Web Threat Defender: Seamlessly integrates VMRay Analyzer technology into the web gateway, analyzing and detecting malicious content that would otherwise bypass web proxies and firewalls.

Through these new products, VMRay has successfully evolved from being a single-user console built for security researchers into a mature, integrated, and multi-layered enterprise threat analysis and detection suite.

“Our investment philosophy at Digital⁺ is focused on identifying and investing in best-in-class technology vanguards who are driving innovations across the B2B software landscape,” said Thomas Jetter, managing director and founding partner at Digital⁺ Partners. “With an exceptional management team already in place and a battle-tested platform that has demonstrated value to some of the largest and most sophisticated customers around the globe, VMRay is precisely the type of company we are eager to partner with and support.”

“The most effective security teams today are not reactively responding to new threats but rather arming their teams with the advanced tools they need to identify tactics, techniques, and indicators of compromise at the earliest phase of the threat lifecycle,” said Andy Pendergast, VP of Product for ThreatConnect. “This is precisely what VMRay’s platform enables us to do, giving our customers the critical visibility and intelligence they need to defend their network from tomorrow’s advanced threats.”

About VMRay
VMRay is focused on a single mission: to help enterprises protect themselves against the growing global malware threat. The company’s automated malware analysis and detection solutions help enterprises around the world minimize business risk, protect their valuable data and safeguard their brand. VMRay’s founders, Dr. Carsten Willems and Dr. Ralf Hund, were early pioneers in malware sandboxing, developing breakthrough technologies that continue to lead the industry. They founded VMRay to transform their research into practical solutions for making the online world a safer place. Learn more at www.vmray.com

About Digital⁺ Partners
Digital⁺ Partners is a leading technology growth equity investor focused on European and US B2B technology companies with €350 million assets under management. Digital⁺ aims to support ambitious entrepreneurs build global technology companies, providing them with strategic advice and long-term financial support to help them define and execute their growth plans. The fund focuses exclusively on B2B technology companies, with cybersecurity being a key vertical, and leverages a deep corporate network to help portfolio companies access new markets and build new partnerships. For more information please visit: http://www.dplus.partners

About eCAPITAL
eCAPITAL is one of the leading venture capital investors in Germany and has been actively supporting innovative entrepreneurs in promising sectors since 1999. The focus is on fast-growing companies in the software / IT, industry 4.0, cleantech and new materials segments. eCAPITAL currently manages funds with a subscription capital of more than 220 million euros. For more at www.ecapital.de/en

Press Contact
Robert Nachbar
Kismet Communications
P.: +1 206 427 0389
rob@kismetcommunications.net

About HTGF
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a powerful engine that drives the success of tech-driven startups. Armed with expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and passion, the experienced team of investment managers and startup experts guide top companies on their journey until the exit phase. HTGF focuses on high-potential startups active in the sectors of software, media, internet, hardware, automation and robotics, life sciences (medical technology, diagnostics, and biotechnology) and chemistry. This group also includes a number of success stories, such as Mister Spex, Rigontec, 6Wunderkinder, Next Kraftwerke and Cumulocity, as well as Juniqe, an online shop for art enthusiasts. www.htgf.de/en

Contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Schlegelstraße 2
53113 Bonn
Dr. Ulrich Schmitt
P.: +49 228 82300-147
u.schmitt@​htgf.de
www.htgf.de

 

 

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