OpenAI — a pioneer in the field of generative artificial intelligence — has just made its first-ever investment in the cybersecurity space. The startup selected for this milestone is Adaptive Security, a New York-based company that simulates AI-generated cyberattacks to help train employees to recognize and defend against emerging threats.
Adaptive Security announced on April 3, 2025, that it raised $43 million in a Series A funding round, co-led by the OpenAI Startup Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. OpenAI confirmed this marks its first investment in a cybersecurity company.
Focused on Social Engineering Defense
Adaptive Security offers a training platform that replicates attacks powered by AI — including fake voice calls, emails, and text messages that appear to come from trusted figures such as a company’s CTO or CFO. The goal is to teach employees how to recognize suspicious behavior and avoid falling victim to manipulation.
Beyond simulated attacks, the platform evaluates which departments within an organization are most vulnerable, enabling businesses to proactively strengthen weak points. The company focuses particularly on social engineering attacks — where hackers convince users to take harmful actions, such as clicking on malicious links or revealing authentication codes.
Cases like the 2022 hack of Axie Infinity — which resulted in over $600 million in losses due to a fake job offer — highlight the damage that well-executed social engineering can cause.
Over 100 Enterprise Clients and a Proven Leadership Team
According to CEO Brian Long, Adaptive Security now serves more than 100 customers. Long is a seasoned entrepreneur who previously founded TapCommerce (acquired by Twitter in 2014 for a reported $100 million) and Attentive, an ad-tech company valued at over $10 billion in 2021.
He stated that the newly raised capital will be used primarily to hire additional engineers, expand the product offering, and ensure that the company stays ahead in the evolving AI threat landscape.
AI as Both Tool and Threat
Adaptive Security is one of several emerging startups tackling the rise of AI-related security threats. According to Forbes, Cyberhaven recently raised $100 million to help organizations prevent sensitive data from leaking into tools like ChatGPT. GetReal, a deepfake detection company, secured $17.5 million last month, while Snyk, which helps developers find vulnerabilities in code, attributes part of its $300 million+ ARR to the growing use of insecure AI-generated code.
As AI-powered attacks become more sophisticated, Brian Long offers one simple piece of advice for those concerned about voice cloning:
“Delete your voicemail.”
With just a few seconds of audio, today’s AI tools can create incredibly convincing voice clones — and that’s all it takes to trick someone.
