Italian startup Exein has achieved a $1.7 billion valuation after raising a $270 million funding round led by Headline. The Rome-based company specialises in providing a cybersecurity layer for physical AI, evolving from its initial focus on the Internet of Things (IoT).
Exein's CEO, Gianni Cuozzo, stated that the company's concept is for every device to be able to defend itself, regardless of network connection. Its latest product, Photon, is a runtime security solution designed to prevent attacks at the kernel level of a device.
The company, founded in 2018, works directly with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and silicon vendors. Exein claims to have secured over 2 billion connected devices in sectors such as aerospace, industrial automation, automotive manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and semiconductors.
Exein anticipates continued growth driven by the rise of physical AI, which includes AI-powered robots, drones, self-driving cars, and smart appliances. The company is currently training a foundational model for Physical AI security using machine data and telemetrics, with plans for it to be ready in the first quarter of 2027.
The new funding will also be used for mergers and acquisitions to expand its product portfolio and to hire staff to accelerate its expansion in the U.S. and Asia Pacific regions.