Prelude Security, an endpoint protection platform, has recently announced an investment of $16 million. This funding round was led by Brightmind Partners and includes contributions from existing backers such as Sequoia Capital and Insight Partners. With this latest infusion of capital, Prelude’s total funding now stands at an impressive $45 million.
The company plans to utilize this capital primarily to bring its innovative runtime memory protection technology to market, a solution designed to detect and neutralize malicious code during its execution. Additionally, the funding will enable Prelude to enhance platform compatibility and support, facilitating broader customer deployment.
In today’s digital landscape, security teams face a daunting challenge. Research indicates that approximately 75% of advanced cyberattacks now operate entirely in memory, meaning they do not leave traces on disk. This characteristic allows these attacks to bypass traditional file- and behavior-based detection methods that many endpoint security solutions rely upon, thereby exposing a critical vulnerability in existing defenses. Prelude’s announcement of runtime memory protection represents a paradigm shift in endpoint security.
This technology utilizes novel, hardware-level telemetry to monitor and detect out-of-context code execution, which executes entirely in user mode. This innovative approach is closely aligned with Microsoft’s Windows Resiliency Initiative, highlighting its relevance and importance in the current cybersecurity landscape.
Prelude’s existing capabilities in monitoring and validation offer customers vital support in ensuring effective coverage and proper configuration of endpoint security tools, such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software and antivirus programs. These features strengthen organizational resilience against commodity malware, which continues to pose significant threats. Building on these foundational capabilities, Prelude’s introduction of runtime memory protection through a user-mode agent adds an advanced and robust layer of defense against sophisticated attack methods employed by modern cybercriminals.
The tactics used by attackers have become increasingly sophisticated, often involving the exploitation of memory-resident techniques, process injection, and “living-off-the-land” methodologies to circumvent standard endpoint security measures. By focusing on critical actions that attackers must take—specifically, the execution of code—Prelude’s advanced technology enables organizations to significantly reduce response times in thwarting ransomware attacks and other hands-on-keyboard activities, offering a faster and more effective defense than traditional security tools currently available.
KEY QUOTES:
“As we’ve worked with existing customers to monitor and validate their existing endpoint defenses, we’ve seen first-hand how attackers increasingly live in-memory and evade traditional EDR platforms. This investment enables us to expand and commercialize our ability to detect adversaries at the moment it matters—execution.”
Spencer Thompson, CEO of Prelude Security
“The shift to in-memory attacks represents a fundamental evolution in the threat landscape that traditional endpoint solutions simply weren’t architected to address. Prelude’s hardware-level telemetry approach tackles the core problem—attackers must execute code, and that’s exactly where this technology intercepts them. This isn’t incremental innovation; it’s an architectural leap in endpoint security and we believe it’s time for the next generation of endpoint protection and we think this is the team to build it.”
Stephen Ward, general partner at Brightmind Partners
“The endpoint security industry has experienced two transformative waves—antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response—each catalyzed by technological innovation and evolving cyber threats. We’re now witnessing the emergence of a third wave, driven by AI advancement and the transition away from signature-based security models. Prelude is pioneering next-generation endpoint protection designed to counter AI-enabled adversaries, no matter their attack methodology.”
Bill Coughran from Sequoia Capital
