Protect AI Funding History
Protect AI develops security tools for the machine learning supply chain, including model scanning, dependency inspection and runtime protection. Palo Alto Networks acquired the company and integrated it into Prisma AIRS.
Company Overview
Protect AI
Protect AI Funding Timeline
Series B
US$60 million
At the time of the round, Protect AI was selling tools to secure machine learning and AI systems and had acquired Laiyer AI and SydeLabs earlier that year.
Led by Evolution Equity Partners. Participation included StepStone Group, Samsung Venture Investment, Acrew Capital, Boldstart Ventures, Salesforce Ventures.
Source · geekwire.com ↗Series A
US$35 million
Protect AI said the proceeds would help expand its AI security product suite.
Led by Evolution Equity Partners.
Source · geekwire.com ↗Seed
US$13.5 million
Protect AI came out of stealth with a tool to scan machine-learning notebooks for security issues.
Led by Acrew Capital, Boldstart Ventures.
Source · geekwire.com ↗Acquisition
Reported US$500M-1.1B (sources vary)
Palo Alto Networks planned to bring Protect AI into Prisma AIRS, its platform for scanning models, assessing risk and securing AI systems in production.
Led by Palo Alto Networks.
Source · geekwire.com ↗
Protect AI Founding Team
Ian Swanson, Daryan Dehghanpisheh, and Badar Ahmed co-founded Protect AI. The founding team brought experience from AWS and DataScience.com to securing the software and infrastructure used to build and run machine learning systems.
Protect AI Company Development
Model Scanning Joins Prisma AIRS
ModelScan addressed a narrow supply-chain problem: inspecting model files for unsafe content before use. Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of Protect AI in July 2025 and incorporated its technology into Prisma AIRS, bringing that upstream check into a wider AI security portfolio.
Protect AI Competitive Landscape
Securing the Artifact Before Deployment
Model scanning starts before an application receives any prompts. It addresses a different risk from the prompt-injection controls sold by Prompt Security, which inspect how a deployed AI application interacts with its users and inputs.
