A cybersecurity company that combats AI deepfakes called GetReal Security has closed a $17.5 million Series A funding round.
The round was led by global early-stage cybersecurity and AI investment firm Forgepoint Capital with participation from Ballistic Ventures, Evolution Equity, and K2 Access Fund as well as strategic investors In-Q-Tel (IQT), Cisco Investments and Capital One Ventures.
GetReal says it “specializes in the detection and mitigation of malicious generative AI threats” including deepfakes and impersonation attacks.
Its technology is used by “multinational corporations, financial institutions, media organizations, government agencies, and social media companies”.
The company’s funding round arrives amid growing concerns about deepfake technologies in the music industry, including potential misuse for scams and personal exploitation.
Just last week, a group of 10 music industry bodies including the RIAA, The NMPA; NSAI; AI2M and others published their submission to the Office of Science and Technology Policy with a number of suggestions for the Trump administration’s AI Action Plan.
One of those suggestions was for the government to improve protections for voice and likeness. The industry bodies voiced their support for the NO FAKES Act, a bipartisan bill designed to protect individuals’ voice and likeness rights against unauthorized AI replication.
“While unauthorized AI voice and likeness cloning has had a great impact on the creative community, the use of AI technologies to these ends has broader personal safety and national security implications,” the orgs noted in the submission.
GetReal says in its funding announcement that “the proliferation and general adoption of AI have introduced both opportunities and challenges for enterprises, including the ease with which AI-generated content can be used for both legitimate and illegitimate purposes”.
The company says that it offers a “complete set of solutions designed to help organizations effectively manage risk and mitigate threats from these new types of AI-fueled attacks”.
GetReal says that the new capital will fuel its “R&D, product development, and go-to-market operations as the company addresses the rapidly evolving threat environment associated with generative AI and digital content”.
Joining the company’s board of directors are Forgepoint Capital Co-Founder and Managing Director Alberto Yépez and GetReal Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer Dr. Hany Farid, described as “preeminent digital forensics expert in the field”.
“We’ve reached a pivotal moment. AI-generated content is on the verge of dominating the digital landscape and bad actors are already exploiting these advancements.”
Ted Schlein, GetReal / Ballistic Ventures
“Developments in foundation models and generative AI have evolved the attack surface well beyond traditional networks and infrastructures, opening up new vulnerabilities in protecting the modern digital enterprise,” said Yépez.
“This means that the verification and authentication of digital content – whether text, images, audio, or video – is a critical new frontier of enterprise risk management as organizations have become prime targets for manipulation and exploitation.
“What sets the GetReal team apart is their combination of world-class digital forensics and deep cyber domain expertise. The team is uniquely positioned to address this challenge and equip enterprises to defend against this new attack vector.”
Ted Schlein, Chairman and Co-Founder of GetReal and Co-Founder and General Partner of Ballistic Ventures, added: “We’ve reached a pivotal moment. AI-generated content is on the verge of dominating the digital landscape and bad actors are already exploiting these advancements.
“The need for solutions that can quickly and accurately verify and authenticate digital media has never been more critical. We’re happy to welcome these new investors to our syndicate, and we look forward to working together to protect enterprises and governments from the growing threats posed by AI-driven deception.”
“When people can’t trust what they see, hear, or read, it will challenge every organization’s ability to execute. GetReal’s mission is to tackle this challenge head-on, and I’m proud to be working alongside this talented team to combat it.”
Matt Moynahan, GetReal
Matt Moynahan, CEO of GetReal, said: “As we’ve seen so many times before in the cybersecurity industry, when sophisticated tools become easily accessible, adversaries will strike. This time will be no different.
“When people can’t trust what they see, hear, or read, it will challenge every organization’s ability to execute. GetReal’s mission is to tackle this challenge head-on, and I’m proud to be working alongside this talented team to combat it.”
Farid added: “I’m heartened that these quality investors understand the profound implications that unchecked malicious generative AI can have on the greater good and are joining our cause to build GetReal into a transformative cybersecurity company.
“I’ve dedicated my career to advancing digital forensics techniques and advising on cases where manipulated content has dire real-world consequences. Our solution set is a significant step forward in our mission to create best-in-class content verification and authentication capabilities to navigate an era where synthetic content is increasingly indistinguishable from reality.”
Music Business Worldwide