In today’s digital landscape, where 95% of security breaches stem from human error, traditional cybersecurity training no longer cuts it. The cost of a typical data breach has climbed to an eye-watering $4.88 million in 2024, pushing businesses to seek smarter, faster solutions. Pistachio, an AI-powered cybersecurity awareness platform, is stepping up to meet this urgent need with a bold new approach: fully automated, personalised training.
Now, the Oslo-based startup has landed $7 million in fresh Series A funding. Led by European venture capital firm Walter Ventures, the round also drew participation from Idékapital, Angel Invest, MP Pensjon, and J12 Ventures. This builds on Pistachio’s earlier €3.25 million raise in 2023, signalling growing investor confidence in its vision.
The new capital injection will supercharge Pistachio’s expansion plans across Europe and North America. As part of this next phase, the company is setting up a new office in Valencia, deepening its global reach. Key additions to the board include Atanas Mukov from Walter Ventures and Remo Mahler from Angel Invest, further strengthening strategic leadership as Pistachio scales.
Reinventing Cybersecurity Awareness with AI
Founded in 2019 under the name CYBR by cybersecurity expert Joe Jones and co-founders Mohammed Awais Aziz and Jaan Kitchuk, the company rebranded as Pistachio in late 2023. Today, under the leadership of Jones and CTO Zack Korman, Pistachio has evolved into the world’s first fully autonomous cybersecurity training platform.
Unlike traditional systems that require manual oversight, Pistachio operates seamlessly in the background. It delivers realistic, personalised attack simulations and security scenarios straight to employees’ inboxes, Microsoft Teams, or Slack. By continuously analysing user behaviour and learning patterns, the platform tailors its training, boosting employees’ threat recognition skills in real time.
This intelligent, automated model not only keeps staff engaged but dramatically reduces the human errors that often lead to breaches. With 600+ organisations already on board—including Scotland’s University of St Andrews and The Riskpoint Group—Pistachio now reaches users in 99 countries and has a physical footprint in 16.
Accelerating Toward a Smarter Security Culture
The latest funding round marks a major milestone for Pistachio. In the past year, the company’s attack simulation rate soared past two million annually, while annual recurring revenue quadrupled between 2023 and 2024. This strong momentum fuels its mission to set a new global benchmark for cybersecurity awareness.
Joe Jones, CEO and co-founder of Pistachio, underscored the urgent need for change. He explained that with AI making phishing and social engineering attacks easier and cheaper than ever, outdated training methods are leaving organisations dangerously exposed. Pistachio’s data shows that 40% of users fall for at least one of the first 15 phishing simulations they encounter—a clear sign that traditional approaches aren’t enough.
“Employees are still the biggest security vulnerability. Pistachio was created to replace ineffective, static training with something dynamic, intelligent, and truly engaging. This funding allows us to bring our smarter solution to even more companies worldwide,” Jones said.
Backing this vision, Atanas Mukov from Walter Ventures added, “We see a huge opportunity to make security awareness more intelligent and engaging. Pistachio is leading this shift, and we’re thrilled to support their mission to build safer enterprises.”
As cybersecurity risks continue to rise, Pistachio’s fully automated, AI-powered platform could be exactly what enterprises need to close the human vulnerability gap—and stay protected in a fast-changing digital world.
