COGNNA lands $9.2M Series A to expand its ai-driven security platform. Ibrahim Alshamrani and Ziyad Alshehri, COGNNA Co-Founders Saudi cybersecurity startup COGNNA has raised $9.2 million in Series A funding to scale its AI-led security operations platform. The round was led by Impact46, co-led by BNVT Capital, and joined by Vision Ventures and tali ventures. The announcement came during Black Hat MEA 2025 in Riyadh. The raise follows COGNNA's $2.25 million seed round closed in November 2023, also led by Impact46 with participation from Vision Ventures, Faith Capital and other investors. COGNNA, founded by CEO Ibrahim AlShamrani and CTO Ziyad AlSheri, is building an AI-driven security operations platform that automates detection, prediction and response. The company describes its system as an "agentic SOC" that aims to anticipate attacks before they disrupt organisations. COGNNA says its Nexus platform delivers faster threat detection, lower security operations costs and enterprise deployment in under 30 minutes. "This funding represents more than capital. It is a validation of our vision to protect the digital future of humanity," AlShamrani said. AlSheri added that the company is focused on shifting cybersecurity from reactive defence to "intelligent prevention," accelerating R&D in AI automation and global expansion. Investors say the startup stands out for its technical depth in a market that has been dominated by global players. Impact46 managing partner Basmah Alsinaidi said, "COGNNA is one of the few teams in the region pushing real technical depth in cybersecurity. Their work with agentic AI gives enterprises something they have been asking for: clarity, speed and reliability in moments where it matters most." Vision Ventures CEO and founding partner Kais Al Essa said COGNNA's platform reflects "years of hands-on experience" solving real security problems in the Gulf. "They understand the gaps that organisations in our region deal with and have been building their platform around real operational needs, not theoretical ones. We believe they can grow from strong regional capability into a company that competes confidently on the global stage." The Series A round will support global expansion, hiring across engineering and SOC operations, and further development of COGNNA's AI-led SecOps platform. The company is one of the fastest-moving security startups in Saudi Arabia as demand for intelligent, scalable cybersecurity accelerates across the region.

COGNNA secures $9.2 million Series A to accelerate global expansion. * Saudi Arabia-based cybersecurity startup COGNNA raised $9.2 million in a Series A round led by Impact46, co-led by BNVT Capital, with participation from Vision Ventures and Tali Ventures. * Founded in 2022 by Ibrahim Alshamrani and Ziyad Alshehri, COGNNA utilises AI and advanced data analysis to detect threats in customers' systems and networks. * With the new funding, the company plans major investments in product development, sales expansion, operations, and team growth, alongside advancing its AI capabilities and scaling its Agentic SOC platform. * In 2023, COGNNA closed its Seed round at $2.25 million, led by IMPACT46, with participation from Vision Ventures, Faith Capital, and other investors. COGNNA, the Saudi AI-led cybersecurity company, announced today that it has raised $9.2 million in a Series A funding round led by Impact46, co-led by BNVT Capital, with participation from Vision Ventures and Tali Ventures. Founded in 2022 by Ibrahim Alshamrani, COGNNA provides proactive, scalable, and cost-effective cybersecurity operations for enterprises and SMEs. Its platform combines advanced AI automation with expert human oversight to help organisations simplify compliance, strengthen resilience, and scale security in line with business growth. The new funding will accelerate COGNNA's global expansion, support major investments in product development, sales growth, operations, and team hiring, and enhance the company's AI capabilities. COGNNA aims to scale its Agentic SOC platform - designed to anticipate and defend against threats in real time rather than simply react to them. "Through our AI-led platform, we are building an Agentic SOC that doesn't just respond to threats - it anticipates them," said Ziyad AlSheri, CTO of COGNNA. "This funding allows us to accelerate our R&D in AI and automation, scale globally, and continue delivering security that learns, adapts, and protects in real time." COGNNA will allocate the investment across four key areas: * Product Development - advancing AI automation and enhancing platform scalability. * Sales and Marketing - strengthening market presence across MENA and entering global markets. * Team Expansion - growing engineering and SOC operations teams to meet rising demand. * Operations - building infrastructure to support global scalability and operational resilience. With increasing cyber threats and rising demand for intelligent cybersecurity, COGNNA is positioning itself as a global player delivering high-impact, AI-led protection across markets.