SaaS and AI solution augments human cybersecurity teams and enhances the scope and effectiveness of their operations.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, July 31, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) today announced that Virginia Venture Partners (VVP), VIPC’s venture capital program, has invested in McLean, Virginia-based Bricklayer AI Inc. Bricklayer AI adds autonomous AI specialists to security teams that complement and work alongside human experts to run smarter, faster, and more effective security operations.

Organizations are overwhelmed with system security staff shortages and the problem is only getting worse. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in an environment where cyber attacks are on the rise. This workforce deficit increases to 4 million on a global scale. Recognizing a unique opportunity, Bricklayer AI developed a generative AI solution that allows organizations to add talent to their security teams without the need to hire or train.

Bricklayer’s AI Specialists operate autonomously 24/7 to investigate security alerts, perform vulnerability assessments and audits, report on threat intel, and more. These specialists can make decisions and perform actions based on their environment, user feedback, and experiences, thereby constantly augmenting their capacity and expertise. With the support of AI Specialists automating workflows, human security professionals can focus on decision making instead of busy work.

“Bricklayer AI is targeting a new and extremely large global market opportunity, and we are positioned to be at the forefront,” said Adam Vincent, Bricklayer AI Founder and CEO. “We have a first-of-its-kind, market-ready product that will enhance the scale, strength, and success of security team operations. Cyber adversaries are leveraging AI to increase the effectiveness of their attacks, and it’s time someone harnesses the same capabilities to defend IT systems.”

The integrative solution brings autonomous AI Specialists and human experts into a single collaborative and effective security team. It has the benefit of reducing human errors while having high data and processing capabilities, including accelerating the alert management process from nearly an hour to under five minutes.

“Virginia is a national leader in cybersecurity and boasts a robust cyber ecosystem of startups, talent, and customers,” said Joe Benevento, VIPC President and CEO. “VIPC is delighted to support a talented entrepreneur/founder and successfully close on an equity investment in Bricklayer AI, as it leverages AI to help solve for a critical industry need that results in enhanced industry cybersecurity capabilities.”

“Bricklayer AI is led by a proven founder and market leader ready to fundamentally change the approach to building cybersecurity teams and managing cybersecurity processes,” said Tom Weithman, VIPC Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of Virginia Venture Partners. “We enthusiastically welcome the company and its impressive team into the VVP portfolio.”

VIPC’s investment in Bricklayer AI draws upon funds made available through the U.S. Treasury’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) Equity / Venture Capital Program. Joining VIPC in this latest venture round were Georgia-based Sovereign’s Capital, D.C.-based BlueWing Ventures, D.C.-based Singh Capital Partners, Pennsylvania-based Dreamit Ventures, Virginia-based Blu Venture Investors, and cybersecurity industry leaders.

Steven Chen, Partner at Blu Ventures commented, “Blu Ventures is excited to partner with VIPC and leading investors to support a proven and successful entrepreneur, Adam Vincent. Bricklayer is at the cutting edge of using AI to improve the efficiency and efficacy of security operations. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver their product to the market.”

About Bricklayer AI
Bricklayer AI is the first AI cybersecurity solution that enables autonomous AI specialists to work alongside human experts, to run a smarter, faster, and more effective security operations team. With Bricklayer AI, multiple independent AIs collaborate and use AI tools to accomplish complex cybersecurity procedures, all controlled using natural language. AI Security Analysts, AI Threat Intelligence Analysts, and AI Incident Responders add speed, augment and accelerate security teams' capabilities in order to stay ahead of today's most sophisticated AI-enabled threats. Learn more at www.bricklayer.ai.

About Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
Connecting innovators with opportunities. VIPC operates as the nonprofit corporation on behalf of the Virginia Innovation Partnership Authority (VIPA). VIPA / VIPC is Virginia’s designated authority for leading innovation and economic development in the Commonwealth of Virginia through research, commercialization, and technology advancement; entrepreneurship, startup, and venture capital growth; and regional ecosystem, tech hub, and industry sector expansion. As part of its operations, VIPC manages internal investment funds which make direct equity investments in early stage / growth startup companies and venture capital fund managers, provides research commercialization grants to universities and entrepreneurs, and offers resource and funding support for entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation networks, and public-private partnerships at local, state, federal levels.

VIPC’s programs include: Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Development | Regional Innovation Fund (RIF) | Smart Communities | The Virginia Smart Community Testbed | The Virginia Unmanned Systems Center | Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Alliance (VAAMA) | The Public Safety Innovation Center (PSIC) | Federal Funding Assistance Program (FFAP) for SBIR & STTR | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement.

For more information, please visit www.VIPC.org. Explore the latest news from VIPC and images from VIPC-supported stakeholder events. Follow VIPC on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.

About Virginia Venture Partners (VVP)
Virginia Venture Partners (VVP) is the equity investment program of VIPC that makes direct equity investments in Virginia-based startups with a high potential for achieving rapid growth and generating a significant economic return for entrepreneurs, co-investors, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Since its inception in 2005, Virginia Venture Partners has deployed $51.7 million in capital across more than 305 portfolio companies. For more information about VVP, visit www.VIPC.org.

Angela Costello, Vice President of Communications
Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)
angela.costello@VirginiaIPC.org
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