Nuked 
Hey there, tech enthusiasts! Today, we’re diving into the fascinating world of cybersecurity and highlighting a promising startup.
Blackwall, an innovative company based in Estonia, has recently secured €45 million in Series B funding to bolster its mission of protecting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) from the increasing threats posed by malicious online traffic.
In today’s digital landscape, a significant portion of online traffic is generated by bots—both helpful and harmful. AI technology has unfortunately amplified the impact of bad bots, such as those used in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and web scraping.
Nikita Rozenberg, a cybersecurity entrepreneur, emphasizes the vulnerability of SMBs to these threats. Unlike larger corporations that often have the resources to withstand such attacks, many smaller businesses find themselves at greater risk of suffering significant damages.
This alarming situation gave rise to Blackwall, initially known as BotGuard, which offers a robust defense mechanism similar to renowned services like CloudFlare but specifically tailored for SMBs.
Blackwall’s offerings have expanded to include an ad fraud prevention tool that safeguards e-commerce businesses from losing their advertising budgets to bots. The startup has been on a rapid path of innovation, which has drawn the attention of Dawn Capital, a venture capital firm that is now supporting its growth with substantial funding.
Furthermore, the startup’s flagship product, GateKeeper, operates as a reverse proxy that inspects traffic and uses AI to filter out malicious requests in real-time, providing a significant layer of security.
Since rebranding, Blackwall aims to reach more SMBs by simplifying its product to be user-friendly and automated, allowing it to often work behind the scenes.
Instead of marketing directly to SMBs, Blackwall employs a channel model, partnering with service providers and platforms that serve the SMB market. This approach not only differentiates those platforms but also helps them lower costs from malicious traffic.
With partnerships exceeding 100, Blackwall has rapidly scaled since its inception in 2019, deploying its services across over 2.3 million websites and applications.
This latest funding round will enable Blackwall to double its workforce and accelerate its entry into the U.S. and APAC markets, with continued support from venture firms involved in their previous funding rounds.
