Funding flows into secure, AI-native infrastructure and startup tooling

Building the Backbone of Enterprise AI

Continued 2026 Surge: Funding Flows into Secure, AI-Native Infrastructure and Mission-Critical Startup Tooling Reach New Heights

The first half of 2026 has firmly established an extraordinary era of growth within the AI ecosystem—marked by massive, sustained investments into secure, AI-native infrastructure and mission-critical startup tooling. This momentum underscores a fundamental industry shift: AI is no longer just a driver of innovation but now serves as a trustworthy, resilient backbone for enterprise deployment, societal safety, and regulatory compliance at scale. As AI ecosystems deepen their integration across sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, energy, and enterprise operations, the focus increasingly pivots toward regulation-aware, auditable, and robust infrastructure. This evolution is catalyzing strategic funding waves, technological breakthroughs, and sector-specific solutions aimed at enabling safe, scalable, and compliant AI deployment.

Building on earlier signals of rapid growth, recent developments reveal a maturing landscape characterized by industry-specific security measures, hardware-software co-design, autonomous agent platforms, and compliance-driven workflows. The latest rounds of funding, technological innovations, and strategic moves by industry leaders affirm a trust-first approach—making it clear that building trustworthy AI infrastructure is now fundamental for large-scale, mission-critical deployment.

Major Funding Surge in 2026 for Secure, Mission-Critical AI Ecosystems

Throughout 2026, capital continues to flow robustly into startups prioritizing security, privacy, operational resilience, and regulatory compliance. This consistent pattern reflects a widespread industry recognition: trustworthy AI infrastructure is no longer optional but a core requirement—crucial for enterprise success and societal safety.

Sector Highlights and Key Examples

Encryption & Privacy-Preserving AI (Wodan AI, Europe):
Recently closing a €2 million pre-seed round, Wodan AI is pioneering fully encrypted AI systems that enable data insights without raw data exposure. Their platform directly addresses GDPR, data sovereignty, and privacy concerns, especially vital for healthcare, finance, and government sectors.
AI-Native Operating Systems (QPioneers):
Backed by Q Fund, QPioneers develops secure, AI-native OS platforms that integrate AI into core enterprise workflows, emphasizing security, compliance, and operational agility—aimed at mission-critical AI deployment at scale.
Financial & Energy Infrastructure (Lucid Capital, Encoord):
With $2.5 million and $2 million raised respectively, these startups focus on secure, real-time decision-making—serving financial markets and energy grid management. Their solutions prioritize resilience, speed, and strict regulatory adherence, crucial for maintaining stability in critical infrastructure.
Healthcare & Industrial AI (Farmevo, MultivisionDx, Leona Health):
- Farmevo employs autonomous sensing for resource management and environmental monitoring.
- MultivisionDx raised €1 million to advance trustworthy AI diagnostics in cancer detection, exemplifying regulatory-aligned AI in healthcare.
- Leona Health secured $14 million to develop clinical AI copilots accessible via WhatsApp, supporting real-time, compliant healthcare decisions at the point of care.
Legal, Analytics, & Regulatory Tech (WholeSum, Alice, Fintower):
These startups develop explainable, auditable workflows and compliance tools for finance, healthcare, and legal sectors. Their funding rounds ranged from £730,000 to €1 million pre-seed, with platforms designed to enhance transparency and accountability in AI-driven decision-making.
Biotech & Drug Discovery (OutSee):
Raised £2.5 million, partnering with o2h Discovery to accelerate trustworthy AI-driven genomic analysis and pharmaceutical R&D, emphasizing regulatory compliance and data security in highly sensitive research environments.
Cybersecurity & Deepfake Defense (Zepo Intelligence):
With $15 million, Zepo develops AI solutions for detecting deepfakes, voice impersonations, and social engineering attacks—addressing the rising threat landscape of AI-enabled deception, which is critical for enterprise and government cybersecurity.
Voice & Agent Platforms (VoiceRun, Elyos AI):
- VoiceRun secured $5.5 million for a secure, scalable voice AI platform tailored for enterprise communication.
- Elyos AI raised €11 million to develop industry-specific AI agents that automate routine tasks and enhance decision-making across sectors like finance, legal, and customer service.
Regulatory & Video Intelligence (Fintower, InfiniMind):
- Fintower raised €1.5 million to optimize regulatory reporting, AML, and fraud detection.
- InfiniMind secured $5.8 million to develop video intelligence infrastructure capable of analyzing enterprise and regulated video archives, reinforcing trustworthy AI for security, legal, and compliance applications.

New Frontiers Reinforcing Trust, Security, and Automation

Recent high-profile funding rounds and technological innovations further confirm an AI ecosystem increasingly centered on building trust through auditable workflows, regulation-aware AI, and secure infrastructure.

Notable Recent Developments

Zast.AI:
Raised $6 million to pioneer AI-powered code security tools that employ AI-driven vulnerability detection, enforce best practices, and prevent software breaches. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, Zast.AI’s platform integrates security directly into the development pipeline, ensuring code integrity from inception.

“Zast.AI’s approach allows security to be embedded seamlessly into the development lifecycle, reducing vulnerabilities before deployment,” industry analysts note.
Veritus:
Secured $10.1 million in seed funding to deploy AI agents in regulated consumer lending. Their platform leverages trustworthy, compliance-aware AI for automating credit assessments, fraud detection, and customer interactions, exemplifying regulation-conscious AI adoption in financial services.
AiStrike:
An emerging player specializing in preemptive AI-driven cyber defense, announced raising $7 million early in 2026. Their autonomous threat detection and response platform aims to predict and neutralize cyberattacks proactively, addressing the growing sophistication of AI-enabled cyber threats.
Overmind:
Launched with a €2.3 million seed round, Overmind is a London-based startup building the supervision layer for autonomous AI agents. Founded by a former MI5 officer, Overmind’s platform emphasizes security, oversight, and compliance for autonomous AI agents operating in sensitive environments.

“Overmind’s supervision layer ensures AI agents act responsibly, with robust security and auditability,” industry insiders observe.
Seamflow:
Raised $4.5 million in a seed round, Seamflow develops AI tools for testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) organizations. Their platform streamlines auditing, compliance checks, and automated certification workflows, enabling more transparent and reliable operations in regulated industries.
Reflow:
Secured over $15 million in seed funding, Reflow focuses on operational visibility for enterprises, providing real-time monitoring, analytics, and control to support resilience and compliance in mission-critical environments.
Scala:
A significant addition this year, Scala, based in Bellevue, raised $8.5 million to revolutionize contact center automation. Founded by former executives from Accolade, Scala develops AI-driven contact center platforms that automate and optimize customer interactions in regulated environments.

"Our AI solutions transform customer engagement, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and better service outcomes," says Rajeev Singh, co-founder.
Didero:
A standout recent development, Didero Inc. announced raising $30 million in an early-stage funding round. Focused on expanding autonomous, agentic AI platforms specifically for enterprise procurement and supply chain automation, Didero aims to revolutionize how organizations manage sourcing, vendor negotiations, and contract management.

“Our AI agents are designed to handle complex procurement workflows autonomously, ensuring compliance and operational efficiency at scale,” Didero’s CEO remarked.
This investment underscores the industry’s commitment to agentic, automation-driven solutions that are trustworthy, regulation-compliant, and mission-critical.

Hardware and Infrastructure Innovation

The momentum is further supported by significant investments in hardware and infrastructure that enable scalable, secure AI deployment. Notably, N2’s $300 million Series B for AI chip development addresses scalability bottlenecks and hardware security, paving the way for enterprise-scale AI systems capable of handling sensitive, mission-critical workloads.

Ecosystem Deepening: Trust, Automation, and Sector-Specific Agentization

The 2026 landscape increasingly emphasizes building trust through auditable workflows, regulation-conscious AI, and secure infrastructure. The focus on hardware-software co-design, exemplified by N2’s massive funding, addresses scalability and security challenges, enabling enterprise AI deployment at unprecedented levels.

Meanwhile, autonomous, revenue-generating AI agents—often called agentic platforms—are gaining momentum as key enablers of operational automation:

Fibr AI:
Secured $7.5 million for a web experience automation platform that orchestrates revenue interactions and streamlines customer engagement.
Airrived:
Raised $6.1 million to deploy AI agents capable of web automation and decision-making, optimizing enterprise workflows.
AppFactor:
Secured $4 million to develop self-healing, autonomous enterprise systems focused on software maintenance and infrastructure management.
Optivian:
Raised $2 million pre-seed to embed AI into sales functions, transforming AI into active revenue agents, especially within highly regulated markets.

Additional Pioneering Developments: Infrastructure for AI-Generated Code and Data Security

Two recent notable developments broaden the scope of the trust-centric AI ecosystem:

Entire:
Raised $60 million in a seed round to build infrastructure for AI-generated code collaboration. Founded by former GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke, Entire aims to facilitate seamless, secure, and collaborative development workflows powered by AI assistants.

“Our platform enables developers to collaborate on AI-generated code safely and efficiently, addressing scalability and security challenges in software development,” says Dohmke.
Hardshell:
Secured $1.1 million to deliver the data-centric foundation of AI security. Led by defense AI experts and Army cyber veterans, Hardshell focuses on protecting sensitive datasets that power AI systems, ensuring privacy, integrity, and security at the data level.

“Securing data is paramount in building trustworthy AI; our approach embeds security directly into the datasets themselves,” Hardshell’s CTO explained.
Crustdata:
Recently closing a $6 million seed round, Crustdata is pioneering the internet for AI agents by building the foundational data layer that enables AI agents to access, share, and collaborate over persistent, secure data repositories. Their platform aims to bridge the gap between AI agents and reliable data sources, fostering interoperability and resilience in AI ecosystems.

“Crustdata’s infrastructure creates a decentralized, trust-minimized data network that powers autonomous AI agents at scale,” according to their founders.
Simmetry.ai:
Raised €330,000 to scale its synthetic data platform tailored for agriculture and industrial applications. Specializing in generating high-fidelity, privacy-preserving synthetic datasets, Simmetry.ai addresses data scarcity, security, and compliance challenges faced by organizations deploying AI in sensitive, regulated environments.

“Synthetic data allows organizations to train robust AI models without exposing sensitive or proprietary information,” explains the CEO.

The New Frontiers: Regulation-Aware Risk Intelligence and Sector-Specific Trust Solutions

Adding to the expanding ecosystem, Zurich-based startup ScyAI recently secured €2 million in a pre-seed round to develop AI-driven risk intelligence solutions tailored for real estate and insurance sectors. Their platform leverages advanced AI models to assess property risks, underwriting complexities, and regulatory compliance in real-time, enabling organizations to better manage liabilities and operational risks.

“Our goal is to provide transparency and precision in risk assessment, powered by trustworthy AI,” stated ScyAI’s CEO.

This development underscores the industry’s broader shift toward regulation-aware, resilient AI stacks, particularly vital for sectors with stringent compliance requirements.

Mirai: On-Device AI with $10 Million Seed Funding

Adding a vital piece to this ecosystem, Mirai, a London-based startup, recently secured $10 million in seed funding. Mirai develops edge-first AI frameworks optimized for on-device deployment, enabling privacy-preserving inference in sensitive, regulated environments like healthcare, finance, and government operations. Their technology emphasizes local data processing, reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure and enhancing security and compliance.

“Our on-device AI solutions empower organizations to deploy powerful models securely at the edge, ensuring data privacy and operational resilience,” said Mirai’s CEO.

This funding highlights the ongoing industry focus on edge AI, privacy-preserving deployment, and secure infrastructure, complementing the broader trust-centric ecosystem.

Emerging Spotlight: Clearly AI’s $8.4 Million Seed Round

Adding a significant new actor to this landscape, Clearly AI, based in Seattle and co-founded by husband-wife duo Emily and Joe Choi-Greene, recently announced raising $8.4 million in seed funding. Their platform focuses on enterprise security solutions, emphasizing trustworthy, regulation-compliant AI systems tailored for enterprise cybersecurity and operational resilience.

“Our goal is to provide organizations with AI tools that are inherently secure, transparent, and regulation-ready,” Emily Choi-Greene stated.

This fresh injection of capital underscores the industry’s emphasis on enterprise-focused AI security solutions, reinforcing the narrative that trustworthy, regulation-aware AI is central to mission-critical deployment.

Sherpas Joins the Fray: AI-Native Infrastructure Platform Raises $3.2M

Adding to the wave of infrastructure-focused startups, Sherpas, a Kansas City, MO-based provider of an AI-native infrastructure platform, has recently raised $3.2 million in seed funding led by 1248. Sherpas specializes in building scalable, regulation-compliant AI infrastructure designed for enterprise and government sectors. Their platform aims to streamline deployment, auditing, and security of AI models, ensuring trustworthiness from development through operation.

“Our infrastructure empowers organizations to deploy AI systems that are secure, auditable, and compliant at every stage,” said Sherpas CEO.

This funding highlights the industry’s recognition that robust, regulation-aware AI infrastructure is foundational for large-scale, mission-critical AI ecosystems.

Hardware and Infrastructure Innovation

Ecosystem Deepening: Trust, Automation, and Sector-Specific Agentization

Meanwhile, autonomous, revenue-generating AI agents—often called agentic platforms—are gaining momentum as key enablers of operational automation:

Fibr AI:
Secured $7.5 million for a web experience automation platform that orchestrates revenue interactions and streamlines customer engagement.
Airrived:
Raised $6.1 million to deploy AI agents capable of web automation and decision-making, optimizing enterprise workflows.
AppFactor:
Secured $4 million to develop self-healing, autonomous enterprise systems focused on software maintenance and infrastructure management.
Optivian:
Raised $2 million pre-seed to embed AI into sales functions, transforming AI into active revenue agents, especially within highly regulated markets.

Implications and Future Outlook

The 2026 funding landscape vividly demonstrates that trustworthy, security-first AI infrastructure is now core to enterprise and societal success. The emphasis on regulation, auditable workflows, sector-specific tooling, hardware innovations, and autonomous agents signifies a mature ecosystem committed to resilience and transparency.

The expanding focus on developer tooling (e.g., Entire’s infrastructure), dataset-level security (e.g., Hardshell), synthetic data platforms (like simmetry.ai), and industry-specific agentization (e.g., Didero, ScyAI) underscores a trust-first approach—crucial for large-scale, mission-critical AI deployment across sectors vital to societal infrastructure and economic stability.

Final Reflection

As 2026 unfolds, it’s clear that building secure, trustworthy, AI-native infrastructure is no longer a futuristic goal but a current industry imperative. The multi-million-dollar funding rounds, hardware breakthroughs, and sector-specific solutions confirm that trust, security, and compliance are the foundations of scalable, responsible AI ecosystems.

In Summary

The funding landscape of 2026 affirms that security, compliance, and operational resilience are central to AI innovation. Across sectors—finance, healthcare, government, energy, and enterprise operations—the ecosystem’s maturity is evident in industry-specific tooling, hardware advancements, autonomous agent platforms, and trust-centric infrastructure.

This trust-first approach is catalyzing widespread, responsible enterprise AI adoption, ensuring that AI’s transformative potential is harnessed safely and sustainably across sectors crucial to societal well-being.

Current Status and Outlook

The 2026 AI investment landscape vividly demonstrates a maturing industry that prioritizes trust, security, and regulatory compliance at every layer—from hardware and data security to autonomous agents and sector-specific tooling. The significant funding inflows, technological innovations, and sector-specific solutions are laying the groundwork for a resilient, trustworthy AI ecosystem capable of supporting enterprise-critical and societal applications.

Looking ahead, these developments suggest a future where AI infrastructure is inherently secure, regulation-aware, and auditable, enabling scalable, safe, and responsible AI deployment across all vital sectors. The industry’s focus on trust, hardware-software co-design, and agentization signals a paradigm shift—one where trust, resilience, and compliance are inseparable from AI’s transformative potential.

Supplementary New Developments

Trace: Solving the AI agent adoption problem in enterprise

Trace recently raised $3 million to address the challenges of deploying AI agents at scale within enterprise environments. Their platform facilitates smooth onboarding, integration, and management of autonomous AI agents across complex organizational systems, aiming to accelerate enterprise trust and operational automation.

“Our goal is to remove barriers to AI agent adoption, making them accessible, manageable, and secure in enterprise settings,” said Russell Brandom, highlighting their mission.

Callosum: Challenging entrenched AI compute models

Callosum, a London-based AI software startup, closed a $10.25 million funding round led by European early-stage investors, aiming to revolutionize AI compute infrastructure. Their platform challenges legacy compute architectures by offering more efficient, secure, and scalable AI processing solutions, directly addressing hardware security and performance bottlenecks that hinder large-scale deployment.

“We’re redefining AI compute paradigms to support the next generation of trustworthy, scalable AI,” stated Callosum’s leadership.

Conclusion

The 2026 AI investment landscape demonstrates an industry deeply committed to trust, security, and regulatory compliance. The diverse array of funding rounds, technological innovations, and sector-specific solutions underscores a mature ecosystem focused on building resilient, auditable, and regulation-conscious AI infrastructure. This trust-first approach is poised to enable widespread, mission-critical AI deployments that are safe, scalable, and societal beneficial—laying the foundation for a responsible AI-powered future.

Sources (19)