June 17 : Cyber warfare startup Twenty said on Wednesday it has raised $100 million in a funding round that valued it at $1 billion, underscoring growing investor interest in cybersecurity and defense technology.The round, led by Accel, brings the company's total fundraising to $138 million since its founding in 2024. Other investors such as Point72 Ventures, Friends & Family Capital, Caffeinated Capital also participated in the latest funding.The fresh capital will be used to expand research and engineering efforts, said Joe Lin, CEO of the Arlington, Virginia-based company, which develops AI-enabled cyber capabilities for the U.S. military and intelligence community.
Investor interest in cybersecurity has increased sharply as mounting concerns over AI-powered cyberattacks prompt governments and organizations to boost spending on digital security and defense."America is under sustained cyberattack, and our adversaries have learned — correctly — that those attacks rarely carry consequences," Lin said.Reuters had reported in April that U.S. cybersecurity and intelligence agencies warned of escalating Iranian cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure sectors.In March, Iran-linked hackers breached FBI Director Kash Patel's personal email account, publishing photographs and other documents online in a high-profile cyberattack.Israeli researchers have also linked Iranian hackers to a separate cyberattack in March that disrupted parts of Los Angeles' transit system.
