Dubai-based Cypherleak, a cyber risk monitoring and scoring startup, announced it closed a 750,000 USD seed round from investors based in Abu Dhabi, Morocco, and Qatar. 

The investment from entities including Maroc Numeric Fund II and Qatar Insurance Company will help drive Cypherleak’s expansion across the Middle East and Africa. 

Cypherleak specializes in simplifying advanced risk monitoring for smaller companies, eliminating the need for extensive cybersecurity technical expertise. 

Cypherleak allows companies to track their leaked passwords and information on both the Public web and Dark web, by utilizing only the domain name.

The startup enables them to identify the full extent of their attack surface and identifies vulnerabilities affecting their infrastructure. 

The company depends on Machine Learning and advanced risk models to deliver customized security ratings based on many cyber risk factors tailored for each customer.

Since its launch in April 2022, the company has successfully sold subscriptions to over 1000 corporate end-users across Europe and the MENA region, focusing on SMEs, often priced out of enterprise cybersecurity products. 

Cypherleak streamlines the process for smaller companies to deploy advanced risk monitoring without the need for deep cybersecurity technical knowledge. 

Mohamed Amine Belarbi, Founder and CEO of Cypherleak, said: “The funding injection will enable us to accelerate our expansion across the Middle East and Africa, fortifying our position as a leading player in the rapidly evolving field of cyber risk management and ratings. 

“With the backing of these strategic investors, Cypherleak is well-positioned to continue developing cutting-edge technologies and delivering unparalleled cyber risk insights to businesses and organizations across the region and the world.” 

“Cyber security risks are a serious threat for MENA SMEs who are mostly unprepared to face this new reality. Thanks to their strong experience, Mohamed Amine and his co-founders are building a strong and user-friendly platform that is able to address these serious threats, and help MENA SMEs get insured accordingly, says Dounia Boumehdi, Managing Director of MITC Capital, the management company of Maroc Numeric Fund II.

“We are thrilled to invest in Cypherleak and help the team open their African regional office in Morocco, which will be mainly dedicated to R&D,” Boumehdi added.

One of the most compelling use cases for Cypherleak’s technology is cyber insurance underwriting. Cypherleak’s cyber risk scoring enables insurers to accurately assess the cyber risk of prospective cyber insurance applicants, revolutionizing how cyber insurance is underwritten in the MENA region. 

“Cyber security is a growing topic in the MENA region. SMEs are among the companies that are the most vulnerable. Cyber insurance for SMEs is already needed and is poised to grow in the months to come, says Lars Gehrmann, Group Chief Digital Officer at Qatar Insurance Company (QIC).

“Cypherleak has demonstrated its ability to understand these new challenges. QIC Digital Venture Partners is thrilled to invest and leverage Cypherleak’s cyber security capabilities to empower its cyber insurance practice,” Gehrmann added.

“Amine has an extensive experience in cyber security in the region. Along with a strong team, he is building an easy-to-use cyber security solution for SMEs, and is demonstrating growing traction in the MENA region and beyond”, says Othmane Bennis, Head of CVC at DVP. 

He adds: “The SME cyber insurance market opportunity to come in MENA will be as huge as the one witnessed in the US and Europe”.