Zepo Intelligence, a human-centric cybersecurity startup focused on defending employees against AI-powered manipulation, has raised a $15 million seed round backed by European investors Kibo Ventures, eCAPITAL, and TIN Capital.
The company said the funding will be used to expand headcount and scale its proprietary platform internationally as security teams grapple with increasingly sophisticated social engineering attacks enabled by generative AI, including deepfakes, voice fraud, multi-channel impersonation, and highly personalized phishing.
Zepo positions its approach as “agentic social intelligence for workspace security,” aiming to bridge what it describes as a growing gap between traditional defenses—such as email filters and periodic awareness training—and the reality of modern, multi-vector attacks that target people across the channels where they work. In its announcement, the company cited the World Economic Forum as reporting a sharp increase in social engineering activity since the release of ChatGPT, alongside large-scale financial losses tied to these attacks in 2024.
Zepo’s platform is designed to help organizations both test and harden their teams against these threats. The company said customers can run realistic simulations that mirror AI-driven tactics—including deepfake scenarios, phone calls, cross-platform messages, and tailored phishing—then measure risk signals, identify vulnerable behaviors, and deliver training that adapts to each employee’s patterns. Beyond simulations, Zepo says it incorporates real-time threat detection intended to surface potential manipulation as it happens, helping organizations intervene before an interaction leads to credential theft, fraudulent payments, or data exposure.
Kibo Ventures, eCAPITAL, and TIN Capital said the investment thesis centers on the human layer becoming the primary battleground for attackers as AI improves the speed, scale, and believability of deception. The backers described Zepo’s product as combining strong security depth with usability, a mix they see as critical for adoption in large enterprises.
Zepo said it has built a distributed footprint spanning New York, Madrid, Tel Aviv, and Mexico City. The company was founded by two Spanish engineers and serial entrepreneurs, and it said it has earned early recognition through industry programs and ecosystem partnerships, including being named by Google among a cohort of innovative cybersecurity and AI startups and participating in a cybersecurity accelerator supported by major technology and security companies.
With the new capital, Zepo said it is launching an aggressive hiring push with an emphasis on data engineering and AI talent. The company also pointed to strong commercial momentum, stating it has achieved 5x year-over-year revenue growth and is already working with multiple global enterprises. Over the next 18 months, Zepo plans to expand operations across Europe and the U.S. as it seeks to broaden adoption of its human risk management and real-time detection capabilities.
KEY QUOTES:
“Artificial Intelligence has turned social engineering into one of the biggest challenges organizations face today. As attackers have exploited generative AI and moved to multi-vector personalized attacks on employees, traditional cybersecurity – focused on isolated training tools and email filters – no longer provides the necessary protection. Zepo responds to this gap by leading Agentic Social Intelligence for Workspace Security.”
“The most serious security failures today don’t begin with systems. They begin with people. Organizations need defenses that understand human behavior in real time, not incident reports after the damage is done. Zepo’s platform goes beyond training and simulations by combining human risk management with live threat detection… protection must show up in the moment… Just before a message turns into a transfer, a credential leak, or a breach.”
Antonio Muñoz, CEO and Co-founder, Zepo Intelligence
“While many companies secure their systems with cybersecurity solutions, the primary risk lies in the cyberattacks targeting their thousands of employees. These AI-driven attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and frequent, thus the need for tools like those offered by Zepo.”
Javier Torremocha, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Kibo Ventures
“Cybersecurity has been a core investment focus for eCAPITAL for many years. We have consistently backed companies that address critical security challenges with strong technology and visionary teams. Zepo Intelligence stands out through its intelligence-driven approach and its clear understanding of how modern threats evolve.”
Dirk Seewald, Managing Partner, eCAPITAL
“Looking at the rapidly evolving threats it is still the Human Factor that is one of the biggest challenges. That’s why Zepo is ‘spot on’ and particularly interesting in light of the rise of AI.”
Michael Lucassen, Managing Partner, TIN Capital
“AI is the core of our platform. For engineers looking to develop their careers at the frontier of AI and cybersecurity, Zepo offers the ideal environment to build technology with global impact.”
Enrique Holgado, CPTO and Co-founder, Zepo Intelligence
