Lupin & Holmes Secures €5.4M for Offensive Cybersecurity

Paris-based cybersecurity innovator Lupin & Holmes has secured a substantial €5.4 million (approx. $5.9 million) pre-seed funding round, signaling strong investor confidence in its novel approach to digital defense. The capital infusion was jointly led by prominent early-stage venture firms 20VC, with partner Alexandre Dewez, and Seedcamp, represented by partner Carlos Eduardo Espinal. Additional backing came from Kima Ventures, Purple Ventures, and a distinguished group of angel investors, including the founders of established cybersecurity players like Wiz, Hugging Face, and GitGuardian.

Founded in 2023, Lupin & Holmes is developing a sophisticated platform named Depi. This technology moves beyond conventional vulnerability scanning by focusing on mapping potential attack paths within complex software ecosystems. Instead of merely cataloging individual security weaknesses, Depi reconstructs how multiple, seemingly minor flaws can be chained together to grant attackers access. This strategic focus addresses a critical gap in current security postures, which often overlook how vulnerabilities in upstream components like open-source libraries or interconnected build processes can create significant risks.

The company's genesis is deeply rooted in the offensive security world. CEO Roni Carta, a remarkable 23-year-old, established a formidable reputation as a top-tier bug bounty hunter before launching Lupin & Holmes. His impressive track record includes earning nearly $800,000 in bug bounty rewards from tech giants such as Google, Amazon, and Netflix, and being recognized twice as Google's "Most Valuable Hacker." This hands-on experience with real-world exploitation tactics directly shapes the company's product development philosophy.

Lupin & Holmes differentiates itself by adopting an attacker's mindset, prioritizing exploitation logic over traditional compliance frameworks. The Depi platform aims to visualize the actual routes an intruder might take, recognizing that the true risk of a vulnerability is contingent on its context within the broader system architecture and its interaction with other components. This perspective is particularly valuable in today's intricate digital environments where isolated vulnerability alerts often fail to capture the full picture of potential threats.

The startup has already garnered significant market validation, boasting several Fortune 500 companies among its early clientele. Notably, it also serves Ledger, the French cryptocurrency hardware wallet manufacturer, demonstrating the platform's applicability across diverse and security-sensitive industries. This early traction with major enterprises underscores the market's demand for more proactive and exploitation-aware cybersecurity solutions.

The newly acquired €5.4 million will fuel Lupin & Holmes' growth, primarily by expanding its engineering team with approximately ten new hires. A significant portion of the funds will also be directed towards intensifying research and development efforts to further enhance the Depi platform's capabilities in attack path analysis and offensive security simulation. The company intends to solidify its position as a leader in understanding and mitigating complex cyber threats.

The cybersecurity sector continues its rapid expansion, driven by escalating digital threats and the increasing complexity of IT infrastructures. Lupin & Holmes' unique blend of offensive security expertise and advanced vulnerability mapping positions it advantageously within this dynamic market, attracting substantial investment from leading European venture capital firms.