Tallinn-based Blackwall, formerly known as BotGuard, has secured a €45 million Series B funding round led by Dawn Capital, with participation from existing investor MMC, Expeditions Fund, Red Dawn Ventures, and Tera Ventures. The company provides cybersecurity solutions for hosting and managed service providers (HSPs & MSPs), focusing on mitigating the impact of malicious bot traffic, which makes up 66% of all automated online activity. With the new funding, Blackwall plans to expand into the U.S. and APAC markets, double its workforce, and invest in research and development for new security applications. Additionally, Norman Fiore (Dawn Capital) joins the board, while Shamillah Bankiya (Dawn Capital) takes an observer role.
Blackwall is a cybersecurity company that provides bot mitigation and web security solutions for hosting service providers (HSPs) and managed service providers (MSPs). Its core product, GateKeeper, is a reverse proxy designed to filter out malicious bot traffic, prevent automated attacks, and reduce infrastructure strain. The company focuses on addressing security challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), which are often targeted by cyber threats but lack access to scalable protection. Founded in Tallinn, Estonia, Blackwall currently protects over 2.3 million websites and is expanding its operations into the U.S. and APAC markets.
Around 50% of all global web traffic stems from bots, 66% of which is malicious. Traditional solutions are priced and designed for enterprises, leaving SMBs – subject to 43% of all cyber attacks – vulnerable.
Blackwall partners with Hosting Services Providers (HSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and eCommerce Platforms, which typically host thousands to hundreds of thousands of websites. This in turn protects the SMB customers that use Blackwall via their service and hosting providers.
Unwanted bot traffic throttles networks, and AI is driving the volume and sophistication of attacks HSPs and MSPs have to manage. This increases their costs while slowing down end customers’ sites. While big providers can afford to spend millions on in-house product development, many HSPs and MSPs need external support to deal with the problem.
Blackwall’s flagship product, GateKeeper, is an advanced reverse proxy fortified with next-generation bot and attack detection mechanisms. It proxies requests to hide servers from bots and hacker attacks, allowing HSPs and MSPs to reduce operational costs by up to 25% as they maximise server farm user density, and helps maximise revenue for these providers which underpin operations for millions of SMBs worldwide. Blackwall helps HSPs/MSPs increase margins by growing revenue through scalable, high-value security services that attract new customers and open additional, recurring income streams.
“Blackwall has only scratched the surface of the US and APAC opportunity” says Norman Fiore, General Partner, Dawn Capital.
Led by Dawn Capital, with participation from existing investors MMC, Blackwall’s Series B funding will be used to double headcount and accelerate growth as the company expands further into the U.S. and APAC, and strengthens global channel partnerships.
Nikita Rozenberg, Co-Founder & CEO, commented: “With Blackwall, we are taking our mission to the next level—delivering gold-standard infrastructure protection to SMBs that have traditionally been overlooked. This funding enables us to scale globally and continue innovating for the businesses that need it most.”
“It is rare to see a business targeting SMBs which has such a broad offer, of which each component is best of breed. Blackwall’s innovative technology provides exactly that,” Norman Fiore, General Partner, Dawn Capital commented. “Nik and Denis have devised a winning, channel-first strategy for their excellent product, and relentlessly executed on their bold vision. Blackwall has only scratched the surface of the expansive opportunity in North America and APAC, and we are confident that the company is uniquely positioned to transform how SMBs access advanced security solutions. We’re thrilled to be supporting the team as they further scale and pioneer a new approach to infrastructure protection.”
Mina Samaan, General Partner, MMC Ventures, said: “We have been impressed by Nik and Denis’s vision and execution from the start and we’re excited to back them again in this latest funding round. Blackwall’s approach—tackling malicious and useless traffic at the infrastructure layer—addresses a critical gap in the market, providing much-needed protection to hosting providers and smaller businesses. With the rise of AI-driven threats, Blackwall’s products have never been more essential, and we believe it will become a leading force protecting against bots and other digital threats.”
Blackwall also welcomes Norman Fiore, Co-Founder & GP at Dawn Capital, to its board, as well as Shamillah Bankiya, Principal at Dawn Capital. Roi Carthy, Co-Founder & CEO at Hudson Rock, will also join as Executive Chairman.
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Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/botguard-blackwall-raises-e45m-series-b/
