Nexos.ai Secures $35M Series A for AI Security Middleware
Nexos.ai Raises $35M Series A to Bridge Enterprise AI Security Gap
Lithuanian startup Nexos.ai has completed a $35 million Series A funding round just months after emerging from stealth mode, bringing its valuation to $350 million. The company was founded by Tomas Okmanas and Eimantas Sabaliauskas, the entrepreneurs behind cybersecurity giant Nord Security.
The funding was co-led by Index Ventures and new investment firm Evantic Capital, with participation from existing investors Creandum and Dig Ventures. Notable angel investors included executives from Datadog, Klarna, Supercell, and Wix.
Solving the Enterprise AI Dilemma
Nexos.ai positions itself as a secure middleware platform that acts as an intermediary between employees and AI systems. The solution addresses growing concerns about employees uploading sensitive data to public large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.
"We want to become the Switzerland of large language models," said Okmanas, referring to the platform's neutral mediator role. Rather than banning AI tools entirely—which sacrifices productivity gains—Nexos.ai establishes a control layer that maintains data security while enabling AI adoption.
The company's technology includes:
- An AI workspace interface for employees
- An AI gateway providing security controls, cost management, and compliance monitoring
- Support for approximately 200 AI models through a single access point
Rapid Growth Signals Market Demand
The quick funding round—coming shortly after an $8 million seed investment—reflects both the founders' track record and urgent market needs. Okmanas and Sabaliauskas previously built Nord Security into a $3 billion cybersecurity company behind NordVPN.
Evantic Capital founder Matt Miller (formerly of Sequoia) pursued Nexos.ai aggressively despite the company not actively seeking funding. "We see tremendous value in venture capital now," Okmanas noted, marking a shift from their previous bootstrapped approach at Nord.
The investment will accelerate:
- Support for private models handling sensitive data
- Expansion in Europe and North America
- Team growth to 100 employees within a year
Targeting Regulated Industries First
While conducting 50-60 weekly demo calls currently focuses on:
- Technology companies already using AI daily
- Businesses in regulated industries concerned about governance
- Organizations wary of sending data to foreign-hosted AI models
The founders identified the market need while overseeing Tesonet's startup portfolio. Some Tesonet companies are already customers alongside Bulgarian fintech unicorn Payhawk.
Okmanas cited concrete ROI examples from their portfolio: "An AI assistant at Hostinger reduced human support needs, saving €10 million this year by avoiding 500 hires."
The European focus proves strategic as data sovereignty concerns open doors with public institutions—a potential new market beyond corporate clients.
Competitive Landscape & Future Challenges
The enterprise AI security space is becoming increasingly crowded with similar proxy solutions emerging globally. Nexos.ai differentiates through:
- Founders' cybersecurity credibility
- Strong European compliance capabilities
- Broad model coverage (200+)
- Focus on data sovereignty requirements
The company declined to share revenue figures but emphasized rapid hiring plans—a common pattern among high-growth enterprise startups prioritizing expansion over immediate profitability.
Key Points:
- Raised $35M Series A at $350M valuation led by Index Ventures & Evantic Capital
- Provides secure middleware layer between enterprises and 200+ AI models
- Solves critical dilemma: enabling AI adoption while preventing data leaks
- Initial focus on tech firms & regulated industries facing strict compliance needs
- Plans European/North American expansion with team growing to 100 employees
