Protecting from AI cyberattacks and deepfakes before they happen
Algemene beschrijving (incl. samenvatting van onderstaande vier punten, deze beschrijving wordt gepubliceerd)
Brightside AI stands for the idea that individual online safety is the foundation of strong organizational cybersecurity, treating employees not as the weakest link but as a proactive defense layer. The company was founded because the founders wanted to make it easy for individuals to control their personal data while countering how generative AI enables scalable, low-cost fraud against organizations. Brightside AI was founded in 2023, with the commercial product officially released in 2024 and now used by companies across the EU.
Brightside AI stands for the idea that individual online safety is the foundation of strong organizational cybersecurity, treating employees not as the weakest link but as a proactive defense layer. The company was founded because the founders wanted to make it easy for individuals to control their personal data while countering how generative AI enables scalable, low-cost fraud against organizations. Brightside AI was founded in 2023, with the commercial product officially released in 2024 and now used by companies across the EU.
Beschrijf het product of dienst van uw start-up op basis van probleemoplossing, concurrentie, disruptie en/of technologie
Brightside AI addresses the rapid rise in AI-fueled social engineering and deepfake attacks, where 95% of breaches stem from human error and cybercrime damages are projected to exceed $10.5 trillion. The platform automatically collects and analyzes publicly available employee data (OSINT), identifies individual vulnerabilities, and then runs hyper-realistic AI-driven phishing, vishing, and deepfake simulations tailored to each employee’s digital footprint.
Key differentiators and disruption:
1. No static templates: adaptive, ultra-personalized simulations that mirror real attacker behavior across email, voice, and video.
2. Built-in privacy portals and “Brighty”, a privacy companion, give each employee direct visibility into their personal OSINT exposure and step-by-step guidance to close vulnerabilities and remove data.
3. Delivers red-team–level testing to SMBs and enterprises at a fraction of the cost of traditional red teams or generic awareness tools, making human cybersecurity proactive, engaging, and data-driven.
Beschrijf de markt op basis van omvang, onderscheidend vermogen, marketingplan, successen, marge en/of schaling
Brightside AI operates in the global cybersecurity market estimated at over $500B, focusing on mid-sized companies in the US and EU that lack effective protection against AI-powered social engineering. Priority verticals include financial services, IT, healthcare, and manufacturing, where reliance on employees is high and current training is often outdated and generic.
Market and go-to-market characteristics:
- The SaaS model designed for organization-wide deployment and recurring usage, ensuring stable cash flow and continuous protection.
- Go-to-market strategy combines founder-led direct sales to reach product–market fit with scaling through MSSP partnerships; Brightside has already signed two distribution partnerships with Swiss and EU-based security providers, targeting a 100x+ client base expansion as each MSSP serves on average 122 clients.
Beschrijf het team van uw start-up op basis van samenstelling, ontwikkeling, aansturing en/of competenties
The team has built a fully commercial product and in-house AI data search technology plus deepfake voice and video attack simulation capabilities in under two years. Brightside AI’s team blends technical expertise in generative AI, OSINT-based data collection, and offensive security simulation with a strong focus on human-centric cybersecurity and privacy education. A team of 11, all based in different parts of the world, makes sure to continuously improve the product.
Team strengths and recognition:
- Demonstrated execution speed: going from idea to live, revenue-generating SaaS product used by EU customers in less than two years.
- External validation: winner of multiple awards, including 1st place at Tech4Trust, PwC cybersec award winner, and ranking among The Europas’ top 3 hottest cybersecurity companies.
- Values-driven culture centered on turning employee vulnerability into a security asset and prioritizing employee digital safety as a core part of cyber resilience.
Beschrijf de business van uw start-up op basis van visie, successen, tegenslagen, schaalbaarheid en/of plannen.
Brightside AI’s vision is to make human-centered, hyper-personalized security the standard way organizations defend against AI-powered social engineering, deepfakes, and online violence, by treating employees as a proactive security asset rather than the weakest link. The SaaS business is built to scale globally: automated OSINT analysis, AI-driven simulations, and personal privacy guidance let Brightside protect entire workforces without linear increases in cost or headcount, while a planned €3M Seed round is designed to fund product expansion, deepen enterprise trust, and move the company toward breakeven.
We are also working on the development of a B2C solution, allowing individuals to find out what information can be found about them on the web based on their digital footprint, educated themselves using our interactive courses, and delete their digital footprint directly.