CloudSEK has launched a 12-week incubation programme for early-stage cybersecurity startups alongside KeyVigil, a gateway designed to manage applications’ and AI agents’ access to AI models.
Announced in Bengaluru on October 29, 2026, CloudSEK Launchpad will select 10 startups for its first cohort. Each selected company will be eligible for up to US$5,000 in AI model credits, along with access to threat intelligence resources, mentorship, enterprise customers and investors. Applications are open until November 20, 2026.
The programme is aimed at pre-seed and seed-stage cybersecurity startups, as well as founders at the idea stage who have a strong team and a clearly defined security problem.
KeyVigil, the second initiative announced by CloudSEK, provides a central gateway through which applications and autonomous AI agents can access different AI models. It includes controls for API credentials, sensitive information, model interactions and spending. Startups selected for Launchpad will receive KeyVigil credits to support product development.
Launchpad offers access to threat intelligence and enterprise customers
CloudSEK said the incubation programme would focus on helping startups develop, test and commercialise cybersecurity products. Participants will have access to the company’s cybersecurity expertise, research resources and enterprise network across India, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and the United States.
The programme includes weekly mentorship sessions with CloudSEK leaders working across research, product development, enterprise sales and fundraising. The sessions will cover customer identification, product development, pricing strategies and business growth.
Participants will also be able to engage with CloudSEK’s threat intelligence resources, cybersecurity researchers and partner ecosystem. The programme is intended to help startups incorporate information about emerging threats and enterprise security requirements into their products.
Another component involves introductions to potential enterprise customers and channel partners. These connections are intended to help participating companies explore commercial opportunities and navigate enterprise adoption.
Each selected startup will be eligible for up to US$5,000 in KeyVigil credits to access AI models through the gateway. At the end of the 12-week programme, participants will have an opportunity to present their products to investors and potential customers at a demo day.
CloudSEK founder and CEO Rahul Sasi said the programme was designed to share lessons from the company’s own experience, including customer acquisition, product positioning and access to industry expertise. He said the initiative would help founders work towards acquiring their first 10 paying customers.
KeyVigil provides a gateway for AI model access
KeyVigil is designed to manage interactions between applications, autonomous AI agents and frontier AI models. CloudSEK said the gateway would provide organisations with a central point to manage model access and associated security controls.
The platform allows applications to access multiple AI models through a single endpoint. Developers can switch between models without changing application code, according to the announcement.
KeyVigil also centrally manages master API keys used to access AI model providers. This reduces the need to store provider-specific master keys directly in application code or development environments.
The gateway includes controls for sensitive information. It is designed to detect and mask personally identifiable information, secrets and customer records before they are sent to AI models.
Other features include controls intended to flag and block prompt-injection and jailbreak attempts, which can be used to manipulate AI systems into producing unintended responses or bypassing safeguards.
KeyVigil also provides centralised logging of model interactions. This allows organisations to track which applications or agents are using particular models and monitor the associated costs. Usage limits can be set for individual teams, applications and AI agents.
KeyVigil builds on CloudSEK’s AIVigil platform
CloudSEK said KeyVigil was developed by the team behind its AIVigil platform, which focuses on identifying exposed AI assets and attack surfaces.
While AIVigil is used to identify potential exposure involving AI systems, KeyVigil focuses on controlling traffic and interactions between applications, agents and AI models.
The gateway is available to enterprise customers, while startups participating in Launchpad will receive access through the programme’s credits.
Startups invited to apply across five security areas
CloudSEK is inviting applications from early-stage cybersecurity companies working across several areas, including security for AI systems, models and autonomous agents; AI-native security operations and incident response; threat intelligence and digital risk management; identity security, fraud prevention and brand protection; and software supply-chain and code security.
The selection process will involve application submissions, discussions between shortlisted founders and CloudSEK’s leadership, the 12-week incubation programme and a concluding demo day.
CloudSEK said Launchpad draws on its experience developing products including XVigil, BeVigil, SVigil, AIVigil and Nexus AI, as well as its relationships with enterprise customers and partners across international markets.
Applications for the first cohort close on November 20, 2026. The company has not announced the names of the selected startups.