Cybersecurity Startup Koi Raises $48M to Secure Enterprise Software

Koi, a cybersecurity startup founded in 2024 by alumni of the Israeli Defense Forces' elite Unit 8200, has raised a total of $48 million through seed and Series A rounds led by Battery Ventures, Team8, Picture Capital, and NFX to develop advanced endpoint security solutions. The company addresses the emerging risks posed by non-binary software such as AI models, extensions, code packages, and containers, which traditional endpoint security tools were not designed to handle and are increasingly used via self-service workflows that bypass IT oversight. Koi's origin stems from a white-hat hacking experiment where the founders created a fake VSCode extension called "Darcula Official" that infected over 300 organizations worldwide, including major companies like Oracle and Pizza Hut, exposing critical security gaps in software marketplaces. This experiment led to the development of a risk assessment and governance platform, initially named ExtensionTotal and later rebranded as Koi, which provides centralized visibility, risk analysis, and policy enforcement across distributed software environments. CEO Amit Assaraf highlights that Koi's solution is an early mover in a rapidly growing market focused on safeguarding the complex software supply chain and non-binary software types that constitute the majority of enterprise endpoint software today. The company has already achieved significant revenue growth, surpassing seven figures within eight months and currently generating over $10 million, with sustained client retention.