The European Investment Bank (EIB) gave French cybersecurity company Gatewatcher €25 million to help it grow and fight cyber threats across Europe, the bank announced. This is the EIB’s biggest venture debt investment in cybersecurity so far. Gatewatcher makes software that uses AI to spot cyber attacks in real time across digital networks. The money will help the company develop better detection tools and expand internationally as cyber threats keep growing.
Gatewatcher has been around for 10 years and protects hundreds of organizations, including governments and critical infrastructure operators. The company is the only fully European vendor listed as a “Visionary” in Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for network detection and response. This puts it ahead of many bigger competitors in the global cybersecurity market.
EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle said cybersecurity is now a strategic part of Europe’s defense industry. He said having the ability to prevent cyberattacks and protect infrastructure is now essential for Europe’s security and economic competitiveness. The investment fits with the EIB’s new strategy to finance European security and defense companies.
Gatewatcher CEO Jacques de La Rivière called the investment a strong signal of trust from a major European institution. He said the funding will help the company keep innovating for clients and speed up the launch of its latest AI solution. The company wants to bring cutting-edge threat detection to the broadest possible market while helping build a strong European cybersecurity industry.
The deal comes just days after EU member states approved a plan to increase EIB financing to €100 billion in 2025, with 3.5% dedicated to European security and defense projects.
