The startup world continues to evolve rapidly, and 2025 is proving to be a pivotal year for innovative ventures. One of the most exciting developments in startup news is WiseBee’s recent success in raising €2.1 million in pre-seed funding. This AI-powered cybersecurity startup is making waves with its autonomous cyber defense platform tailored specifically for mid-market companies. But WiseBee’s story isn't just about funding; it's a roadmap filled with valuable insights for entrepreneurs and innovators.
In this article, we will cover WiseBee’s key milestones and explore lessons like systematic ideation, grant applications, avoiding common pitfalls, and leveraging creative tools like PlayPal, the AI co-founder.
Key Highlights of WiseBee’s Success
WiseBee, a US-Bulgarian startup, specializes in autonomous cyber defense for mid-sized organizations such as fintech, healthcare, banking, and government bodies. They aim to solve the cybersecurity challenges of companies that are vulnerable to enterprise-level attacks but lack the resources and budgets for industrial-grade solutions. Some insights into their success:
Statistics and Funding Details
- Raised €2.1M in pre-seed funding in 2025.
- Funding round led by Frontline Ventures and BrightCap Ventures.
- Targets mid-market organizations (200–2,000 employees) with AI-enabled proactive threat remediation.
Differentiators
WiseBee’s platform doesn’t just alert users to cyber risks, it actively manages risks autonomously using intelligent agents. The startup reduces response times drastically from several days to mere hours with minimal in-house effort from security teams.
Expansion Plans
This funding will help WiseBee enhance its platform, build integrations, expand its European presence, and strengthen its AI security capabilities further.
Lessons for Entrepreneurs: Turning Ideas into Funded Startups
WiseBee’s success offers entrepreneurs several lessons on launching and scaling innovative businesses. Here’s a step-by-step guide inspired by their journey:
Step 1: Solving Real Problems
WiseBee identified a major gap, mid-sized businesses struggling with cyber threats, and developed a unique solution. Entrepreneurs should focus on finding problems worth solving. Tools like the SANDBOX startup simulator can help validate these problems systematically.
Step 2: Securing Grants and Investments
Startups often face challenges accessing funding. The F/MS AI Grant Finder and Application Writer is a powerful tool that helps entrepreneurs discover EU grants tailored to their needs and generates draft applications. WiseBee benefited from investor insights to align its product with market demands, a similar strategy can be employed by startups navigating grant options.
Step 3: Assembling a Team and Support System
Key to WiseBee’s success was its seasoned co-founders, who brought extensive experience from previous ventures. If you’re a first-time entrepreneur, consider leveraging creative platforms like AI Startup Lawyer, which helps with legal agreements, shareholder negotiations, and contract clarity.
Step 4: Validating Early Traction
WiseBee rolled out pilots in fintech and government entities before scaling. Entrepreneurs can explore how their ideas resonate with target audiences using PlayPal, an AI co-founder that assists with ideation inside the SANDBOX ecosystem. Check it out here.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Entrepreneurs often face pitfalls when launching startups. Here are three mistakes to avoid:
Mistake 1: Ignoring Validation
WiseBee prioritized validating its solution with active pilots. Failing to validate before scaling can lead to wasted resources. Use Block 0 in the SANDBOX simulator to focus on validating your problem before moving forward with your idea.
Mistake 2: Neglecting Regulations
Cybersecurity startups like WiseBee often cater to regulated sectors (e.g., healthcare, finance). Startups must ensure complete compliance with industry standards. WiseBee addresses compliance head-on with its agentic mitigation system, and platforms like AI Startup Lawyer can help you navigate such legal complexities.
Mistake 3: Rushing Expansion
WiseBee took calculated steps to roll out pilots before investing heavily in expansion. Similarly, startups need to grow methodically, ensuring product-market fit before scaling.
Deep Insights: Why Mid-Market Startups Are Thriving
The mid-market focus is emerging as a lucrative niche for startups. Companies in this space often experience enterprise-level challenges but lack big-budget resources for solutions. WiseBee’s approach addresses this perfectly by offering autonomous solutions that reduce cybersecurity overhead. Other examples of mid-market strategies include Fe/male Switch’s Startup Residency Program in Malta, which attracts startups globally with streamlined immigration and funding opportunities.
PlayPal: Your AI-Co-Founder for Startup Success
Building a startup is hard, but new tools like PlayPal provide entrepreneurs with much-needed support. Designed by Fe/male Switch, PlayPal acts as an intelligent assistant throughout the startup journey. Here are its standout features:
- Problem Validation: Helps refine your problem statement with actionable feedback.
- Personalized Guidance: Offers tailored advice based on your startup progress.
- Creative Ideas: Suggests innovative approaches to challenges using AI insights.
Whether you’re tackling legal issues or expanding your product into new markets, PlayPal is the AI-powered friend every founder needs. Explore PlayPal’s features here.
Conclusion
WiseBee’s story is just one example of the incredible transformation happening in the startup landscape in 2025. Funding opportunities and AI-enabled tools like F/MS AI Grant Finder and PlayPal are empowering entrepreneurs to focus on solving meaningful problems.
If you’re aspiring to launch your own startup, follow WiseBee’s example: validate your ideas, build a strong team, embrace AI technologies, and seek expert guidance. The future belongs to creators who dare to innovate, be one of them!
Want to learn more about thriving as a startup founder in 2025? Check out exclusive insights from Fe/male Switch and their SANDBOX simulator here.
FAQ
1. What does WiseBee specialize in?
WiseBee is an AI-powered cybersecurity startup focusing on autonomous cyber defense for mid-sized organizations. Its platform uses intelligent agents to detect and mitigate risks proactively and autonomously, reducing response times drastically. Explore WiseBee
2. How much funding did WiseBee raise in 2025?
WiseBee secured €2.1 million in pre-seed funding to expand its platform, team, and market presence. Read more
3. Who led WiseBee's funding round?
The funding round was led by Frontline Ventures and BrightCap Ventures, along with participation from additional US-based firms and angel investors. Explore Frontline Ventures | Learn about BrightCap Ventures
4. Who are WiseBee’s target customers?
WiseBee targets mid-sized organizations (200–2,000 employees) in regulated industries like fintech, healthcare, and government, addressing their need for scalable, enterprise-grade cybersecurity solutions. Explore EU-Startups' report
5. What differentiates WiseBee from other cybersecurity solutions?
WiseBee’s platform is proactive and autonomous, providing 24/7 detection, alerting, and automatic remediation of cyber threats, which minimizes the effort required by security teams. Learn about WiseBee's platform
6. What regions is WiseBee focusing on for expansion?
WiseBee is piloting its cybersecurity platform in Central and Eastern Europe, the UK, the DACH region, and the US West Coast, with plans for broader European and North American expansion. Read about their rollout
7. What lessons can entrepreneurs learn from WiseBee's success?
Key lessons include systematically validating your problem, leveraging grants and investments, building a seasoned team, and scaling methodically with validated traction. Discover startup lessons
8. Who are WiseBee's founders, and what is their background?
WiseBee was co-founded by Stoyan Stoyanov, former Head of Product at SecurityScorecard, and Taha Kazi, an experienced data engineer with Amazon and Deloitte. Their expertise in cybersecurity and AI drives the company. Find out about WiseBee’s team
9. How does WiseBee help regulated industries like fintech or healthcare?
WiseBee ensures compliance with industry regulations by providing cybersecurity tailored to mid-sized companies in regulated sectors, enabling them to stay resilient against attacks without heavy resource investment. Explore WiseBee's use cases
10. What tools can startups use to follow WiseBee’s example?
Entrepreneurs can use tools like the SANDBOX startup simulator for validation, the F/MS AI Grant Finder for securing funding, and platforms like PlayPal for collaborative ideation and problem-solving. Check out the SANDBOX simulator | Discover PlayPal
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch. The Fe/male Switch team is located in several countries, including the Netherlands and Malta.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 3,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
