Certiv Raises $4.2 Million to Secure AI Agents
Certiv, a Seattle-based startup, has announced it raised $4.2 million in a pre-seed funding round. The company specializes in providing complete visibility and control for AI agents within enterprises, aiming to discover, understand, and safeguard every AI action across organizations. This funding round was led by Aviso Ventures, with participation from Founders Co-op and Fortson.
Founders and Executive Team
Certiv was co-founded by Daniel Morris, who serves as the Chief AI Officer, Jason Needham, the CEO, and Paul Allen, the CTO. Jason Needham underscored the importance of Certiv's mission, stating, "Traditional security tools were built for human-driven software. Certiv sits in front of agent execution, understands why decisions are made, and governs what agents are allowed to do."
Funding Round Details
The pre-seed round was spearheaded by Aviso Ventures, a venture capital firm known for investing in innovative technology solutions. Founders Co-op and Fortson also contributed to the round, emphasizing the strategic interest in Certiv's approach to AI security.
Addressing AI Security Challenges
Certiv has developed a platform that acts as a "runtime assurance layer" for AI agents. This platform is designed to help organizations monitor, evaluate, and control AI-driven workflows. It provides real-time interception and governance of AI actions, aiming to prevent potentially harmful actions before they occur. The system is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux environments, and is particularly focused on securing tools like Claude Code, OpenClaw, GitHub Copilot Workspace, and OpenAI Codex.
Strategic Use of Funds
The newly acquired funds will be utilized to expand Certiv's engineering team and support early enterprise deployments of their platform. This expansion aims to address the growing risks associated with AI systems that can autonomously execute tasks such as coding, accessing files, and interacting with sensitive enterprise systems.
The Need for New Security Measures
As AI agents become increasingly integrated into enterprise operations, traditional security systems are often inadequate for managing non-deterministic AI behaviors. Andrew Peterson from Aviso Ventures commented on this shift, saying, "AI agents represent one of the most important technology shifts in decades. Because they are non-deterministic, enterprises need new controls to govern these autonomous systems. Certiv brings deep expertise across AI, security, and infrastructure to secure agents from the ground up, starting with the employee workstation."
Certiv's innovative approach aims to bridge the gap in existing security measures, providing enterprises with the tools necessary to safely harness the power of AI technologies.