German computer vision and cybersecurity startup TrustNXT, a spin-off of image processing specialist Basler AG, announced today they have secured €1.6 million in pre-Seed financing.
Participating in the round were early-stage funds D11Z.Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). The capital will be used to scale a DeepTech solution that protects images and videos in security-critical B2B applications from AI-based manipulation and cyberattacks, a fast-growing market with enormous relevance for industry, insurers and public safety.
Ariane Scheer-Danielsson, Co-founder and managing director at TrustNXT said: “In a world where AI can generate deceptively real images in seconds, trust and data integrity are crucial. Without them, digital business models are threatened. Our mission is to secure this integrity for companies.”
Founded in 2024, TrustNXT is developing a software platform for comprehensive manipulation protection for visual data. It combines cryptography, computer vision and patented trust technology to ensure the authenticity of image and video data. This looks to prevent manipulation effectively and provides for reliability at every step.
TrustNXT’s insurance solution addresses manipulated damage photos and enables the complete automation of claims and underwriting processes – without any human review. Insurers can allegedly prevent image fraud, shorten processing times and make their processes cost-efficient and scalable.
The founding team combines technical expertise in visual data processing with skills in technology, business and marketing.
Patrick Schmitt, Principal at D11Z.Ventures added: “We are excited about the cryptography technology used by TrustNXT. It generates a technically unique fingerprint of the sensor data at the point of origin of a medium. It is irrevocably linked to the medium – a physical, tamper-proof evidence. This prevents manipulation and proves the origin of digital content beyond doubt.
“In the current race between AI-manipulated media and AI that recognises such manipulation, TrustNXT renders this duel obsolete. TrustNXT’s technology will restore trust in digital media for the long term.”
TrustNXT plans to use the capital to expand its technology, particularly for tamper-proof real-time protection of video data in industrial applications. The first pilot projects in industry are planned for 2026.
In the medium term, the company plans to tap into additional vertical markets.
Tizian Hoppen, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF said: “Trust is the foundation of a functioning economy. Today, important decisions are based on digital media such as photos and videos. TrustNXT has impressed us with its digital trust technology, which is based on years of DeepTech research.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/09/hamburgs-trustnxt-bags-e1-6-million-to-combat-ai-manipulation-of-images-and-videos/
