Exclusive: Corma raises $60 million from Sequoia for AI trained to defend against cyberattacks

Corma, an artificial intelligence startup, has secured $60 million in seed funding from Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Coatue to develop AI models specifically for defensive cybersecurity. Founded in 2025 and headquartered in Tel Aviv and San Francisco, Corma emerged from stealth today to address the growing threat of powerful AI models being used for harmful cyberattacks.

The startup's CEO, Alon Pluda, drew inspiration for the company's name, "Corma," from The Lord of the Rings, where "corma" translates to "ring" in Elvish. Pluda likens Corma's product to the all-powerful ring, but in this case, it is designed to protect against advanced cyber threats rather than enable them.

Unlike popular AI models like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, which are trained to carry out cybersecurity attacks, Corma focuses on building defensive models that specialize in qualities unrelated to coding. These include analyzing logs, audits, and identifying critical issues in large datasets. According to Pluda, Corma's approach is essential in the current landscape, as most cyberattacks are executed at superhuman speed, making traditional human-driven defense processes ineffective.

Corma's AI model has reportedly reduced threat response times by 94% in organizations that have adopted it. This rapid response capability is crucial, as recent events, such as OpenAI's models attacking Hugging Face, demonstrate the fast pace at which AI cyberattacks are becoming prevalent. By leveraging agentic AI and frontier AI research, Corma aims to provide companies with an intelligent defense layer against increasingly autonomous and scalable cyber threats.

Funding from the $60 million investment will be used to further scale Corma's AI models, expand training data, and grow its team. The company is focused on recruiting top talent in defensive security, AI, and research to continue advancing its model and stay ahead of emerging cyber threats.

Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, emphasized the urgency of developing new cybersecurity approaches in light of the growing sophistication of AI-enabled attacks. He highlighted the potential consequences for critical infrastructure, healthcare systems, and essential services if these threats are not effectively addressed. The partnership between Corma, Sequoia, Khosla Ventures, and Coatue aims to equip organizations with the necessary tools to combat AI-driven cyberattacks at scale.