Dawnguard, an Amsterdam-based cybersecurity startup, has completed a $3 million pre-seed funding round to develop what it calls a fundamentally different approach to digital security. The company aims to integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities throughout the entire software development lifecycle, moving beyond traditional reactive security models.
The startup was founded by CEO Mahdi Abdulrazak and CTO Kim van Lavieren, both bringing extensive backgrounds from major technology companies including IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon, as well as military cybersecurity operations. Their combined experience spans large-scale security implementations and cloud infrastructure management.
Rethinking Security Architecture
Rather than treating cybersecurity as a separate layer added after development, Dawnguard embeds security protocols directly into system architecture from the initial design phase. The company’s platform serves as a collaborative environment where engineering and security teams work together to create systems that balance protection, compliance, cost efficiency, and sustainability.
“Our industry treats security as a checkbox. It’s broken. We built Dawnguard because security needs to be part of the system’s DNA from the start, not an afterthought” ~ Mahdi Abdulrazak, co-founder and CEO.
The platform targets security architects, DevOps engineers, and cloud teams working in cloud-native environments. Its core functionality includes validating cloud infrastructure designs before deployment, automatically generating Infrastructure as Code from approved designs, and maintaining security standards after implementation to prevent configuration drift.
AI-Powered Security Integration
Dawnguard’s approach involves deploying multiple AI and machine learning engines across different stages of the IT infrastructure lifecycle. These systems identify potential security issues during the design phase and adapt to changing environments over time, making security protocols an inherent part of system operations.
The company describes its offering as a security architecture automation platform specifically built for cloud-native environments. Kim van Lavieren explained the company’s mission “We’re giving teams the power to translate security intent into enforceable code so they don’t have to rely on spreadsheets, static docs, or guesswork“
Investment and Market Response
The funding round was led by 9900 Capital, with participation from angel investors including startup founders and senior technology executives. The investment reflects growing concern about the limitations of current cybersecurity approaches, particularly as artificial intelligence capabilities advance on both defensive and offensive fronts.
Chris Corbishley, Managing Partner at 9900 Capital, noted the strategic importance of addressing security at the code level: “Hundreds of security tools overwhelm CISOs with promises of better detection, yet few tackle the root issue: design flaws in code that AI-driven threats exploit“
Dimitri van Zantvliet, Chief Information Security Officer at Dutch Railways and a Dawnguard advisor, emphasized the company’s fundamental approach to security challenges. He described the startup as “rewriting the DNA of cybersecurity” by focusing on underlying causes rather than surface-level fixes.
Future Development Plans
The company plans to use the funding to expand its engineering team and develop deeper integrations with enterprise systems. Dawnguard also aims to extend its platform capabilities to handle increasingly dynamic computing environments, particularly those supporting generative AI applications.
The startup intends to address what it sees as a growing gap between rapid software development practices and the infrastructure requirements for AI-powered applications. This includes developing new operational models for building trust and security at scale in modern development environments.
As software development cycles continue to accelerate, Dawnguard positions its platform as a solution that makes secure architecture both practical and automatic for development teams. The company’s approach represents a shift from post-development security patches toward integrated security design from the earliest stages of system planning.