Protectt.ai acquires majority stake in AIShield to expand AI security business
Protectt.ai Labs has acquired a majority stake in AIShield, an artificial intelligence (AI) security platform incubated at Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW), through a combination of a primary share issuance and a secondary purchase from existing investors.
Following the investment, AIShield will operate as an independent company, AIShield Private Limited (AISW), under Protectt.ai. The companies said the investment would support product development, research and development (R&D), and expansion into international markets. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed in the announcement.
The partnership brings together Protectt.ai’s mobile application security business and AIShield’s technology for securing AI systems. Protectt.ai plans to use AIShield’s capabilities alongside its existing customer relationships, particularly in regulated sectors such as banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI).
AIShield offers security tools for AI systems
AIShield’s platform addresses security risks associated with the development and deployment of AI applications. Its capabilities include security assessments, red teaming, runtime protection and safety guardrails.
Red teaming involves testing a system to identify vulnerabilities by simulating potential attacks. In AI applications, this can include attempts to manipulate model responses through prompt injection or exploit weaknesses in how an application processes instructions and data.
AIShield’s tools are designed to assess AI systems during development and monitor them during deployment. The company has more than 40 patent filings, including 11 granted patent families, according to the announcement. It also serves customers in Europe and the Middle East.
The investment is expected to provide funding for further product development and research, while giving AIShield access to Protectt.ai’s customer relationships and market presence.
Focus on regulated industries and sovereign AI security
Protectt.ai provides cybersecurity products for mobile applications and AI systems. Its customers include banks, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), insurers, fintech companies and government platforms in India. The company also has a presence in the UAE and the US.
The company plans to combine Protectt.ai’s mobile application security capabilities with AIShield’s tools for securing AI applications. The partnership will also focus on sovereign AI security, which involves maintaining control over AI systems, data and workloads in accordance with an organisation’s security and regulatory requirements.
The announcement comes as businesses expand their use of AI in operational and customer-facing applications. This has increased the need to assess vulnerabilities in AI systems, including risks arising from model interactions, data access and the deployment environment.
Protectt.ai founder and chief executive Manish Mimani said the partnership would bring together the companies’ capabilities across mobile application security and AI security. He also said the companies intended to develop a security platform covering AI for security, security for AI and sovereign AI security.
The announcement did not disclose the investment amount, the valuation of AIShield or the terms of the agreement with Bosch Global Software Technologies.
Bosch incubated AIShield before its transition
AIShield was developed within Bosch Global Software Technologies before becoming an independent company under the new arrangement. The investment marks a change in its ownership structure and is intended to support the platform’s expansion and further development.
Vishal Gupta, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, which backs Protectt.ai, said the transaction reflected opportunities for Indian technology companies to partner with established technology businesses and expand into international markets.