Latest news with #TheoryVentures
Fast Company
08-08-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
AI can do your writing, but not your thinking
As a partner at Theory Ventures, a VC firm built around deep technology and market research, I spend my days swimming in information: academic papers, market reports, interview notes, and written analyses. Our job is to synthesize these data points into a nuanced perspective to inform our investment decisions. Reading the hype online, it's tempting to think you can just delegate anything to AI. But for something so critical to our job, we don't just want it done, we need it to be excellent. How much can AI really do for us? In this piece, I will share: How we structure instructions to get the best analysis out of an AI model Where I critically intervene and rely on my own thoughts How you can get an AI to mirror the way you write When relying on an LLM you often get something that only seems good at first glance: often the AI has missed details, or an important nuance. And for this core part of my job, decent isn't enough—I need output to be excellent.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dropzone AI Secures $37M Series B, Putting AI Security Analysts on the Front Lines of Cyber Battlefield
New funding fuels the development of autonomous AI SOC agents, set to turn the tide on the losing cybersecurity battle SEATTLE, July 28, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dropzone AI, the leading provider of AI SOC analysts, has raised $37 million in Series B funding, led by Theory Ventures and joined by Madrona, Decibel Ventures, Pioneer Square Labs, and IQT. This infusion of funding validates Dropzone AI's unique solution as it leads the market for AI SOC agents, delivering measurable and transformative security outcomes for clients like UiPath, Zapier, Pipe, Assala Energy, and over 100 other enterprises. Their AI-native approach equips security teams with a superior defense - reducing security risks, operational costs, and analyst burnout - uniquely addressing the limitations of legacy cybersecurity solutions. "Dropzone AI's ability to autonomously triage and investigate security alerts with human-level reasoning is a game-changer in a market that's overwhelmed by alert fatigue and attack frequency," said Vivek Ramaswami, Partner at Madrona Ventures. "At Madrona we look for founders who are passionate about advancing their sector and have the technical ability to do so; Edward exemplifies this pairing of vision and acumen. We're proud to support him and the Dropzone team in building what modern security teams need to stay ahead." According to the 2024 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 67% of respondents face staffing shortages, worsened by layoffs and budget cuts, making it more difficult to secure their organizations and driving interest in AI SOC solutions as leaders recognize the need for fundamental change. Recent Gartner® research1 predicts that, "multiagent AI in threat detection and incident response will rise from 5% to 70% of AI implementations to primarily augment — not replace — staff." Additionally, we were recently named a Sample Vendor for AI SOC Agents within the 2025 Gartner® Hype Cycle ™ for Security Operations2. Dropzone AI is at the forefront of this transformative shift in cybersecurity strategies and investments, set to fundamentally redefine cybersecurity operations. "Dropzone AI SOC analyst's performance is exceptional, delivering detailed, high-fidelity alerts within minutes," said Andrew Marsh, Director of Information Security at Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance. "This transparent, rapid processing and accuracy significantly elevates threat response capabilities." Dropzone AI autonomously investigates security alerts, replicating the techniques of elite analysts and allowing SOCs to achieve coverage and speed that was not previously possible. CBTS, a North American IT services provider, uses Dropzone AI to enhance the efficiency and quality of its managed detection and response service. By offloading 30–50% of alert volume, the platform has significantly reduced repetitive work, allowing the team to focus more on threat hunting, customer onboarding, and improving coverage. "Today's funding fortifies our market lead," said Edward Wu, Founder and CEO of Dropzone AI. "We're driving a generational shift in cybersecurity from manpower-bound, alert-chasing SOC teams to SOC teams backed by an army of autonomous AI agents that get to focus on what truly matters. This change is not optional; it's essential. We exist to level the playing field for cyber defenders, and we can field these next-generation capabilities right now. We know who we're working for. We'll ensure they always outmatch the attackers." The capital will be deployed across three strategic pillars. First, Dropzone AI will amplify its global footprint to meet surging demands by growing sales, marketing, and customer-success teams, so more security teams can better protect and enable their businesses without large increases in headcount or budget. Second, the company will fast-track the creation of additional specialized, autonomous AI agents for manual security tasks. Finally, it will deepen and extend its roster of ecosystem partnerships and technical integrations, ensuring its solutions can work with security teams of all sizes, tool stacks, and maturity to boost operational efficiency, sharpen threat detection, and drive stronger ROI. "As the AI SOC market has begun to mature, Dropzone has pulled ahead of the pack," said Tomasz Tunguz, General Partner at Theory. "Their AI SOC analysts have been validated by some of the world's largest enterprises and MSSPs, and are in production across dozens of businesses – along with recognition from analyst firms like Gartner and Forrester. Dropzone's sales have taken off as they've established their position as a trusted category leader; we were excited to double down in the Series B to further accelerate their efforts and shape what's next in AI-native security platforms." To learn more about Dropzone AI or to book a demo, please visit: About Dropzone AI Dropzone AI weaponizes LLMs for cyber defenders, equipping them with armies of AI agents so that they can overmatch attackers. With Dropzone autonomously handling routine Tier 1 alert triage, organizations can spend less time on reactive security and more time on proactive security. The Dropzone AI SOC Analyst replicates the techniques of elite analysts and is trusted by more than 100 organizations, including Mysten Labs, Pipe, UiPath, and Zapier. Learn more by visiting ______________________________ 1 Gartner, "Emerging Tech: Techscape for Detection and Response Startups," Bhatia, Esha, and Apeksha Kaushik. , March 19, 2025. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. 2 Gartner, "Hype Cycle for Security Operations, 2025," Nunez, Jonathan, and Darren Livingstone, June 23, 2025. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. View source version on Contacts Media ContactTori OdomLaunchTech Communications+1-443-752-5466todom@
Axios
10-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Exclusive: Security startup Maze finds way to $25M Series A
Maze, an agentic AI startup for cloud security, raised a $25 million Series A led by Theory Ventures, co-founder and CEO Harry Wetherald tells Axios Pro. Why it matters: The exploitation of vulnerabilities jumped by 34% last year with increasing cloud adoption. How it works: London-based Maze deploys thousands of agents to investigate customer's cloud data and identify and fix vulnerabilities. State of play: Other startups are riding the excitement for agentic AI. In April, Cynomi, a cybersecurity agentic AI platform for service providers, raised a $37 million Series B, and agentic AI security operations center startup Exaforce locked up $75 million in Series A. "The emerging capabilities of AI will transform security," says Andy Triedman, a partner at Theory Ventures. "The question isn't will this work? The question is who is going to win?" Zoom in: Existing investors Cherry Ventures and Tapestry VC also participated in the new round. It comes just nine months after Maze raised a $6 million seed round led by Cherry Ventures. What they're saying:"Investor interest came to us as security is going to go through a big change thanks to AI," Wetherald said.
