SESAME IT RAISES €10M TO STRENGTHEN ITS ANCHOR IN OIV AND LARGE COMPANIES IN EUROPE

Paris March 30, 2023 - The publisher of one of the only four NDR tools qualified by ANSSI, announces that it is accelerating its development based on a fundraising of 10 million euros from French investors recognized for their commitment in digital sovereignty: the 115K fund of La Banque Postale and La Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations), alongside the two historic investors, BNP Paris Développement and Astorya VC.

Since 2013, the French Military Programming Law has regulated the cybersecurity of OIVs, Operators of Vital Importance, that is to say organizations identified by the State as having activities essential to the survival of the nation. This cybersecurity is based in particular on cyber threat detection tools which rely on the analysis of network flows, commonly called NDR (Network Detection & Response).

To equip OIVs, these NDRs must be qualified by ANSSI, the National Agency for Information Systems Security. This qualification certifies the compliance of the solution with the regulatory, technical and security requirements promoted by ANSSI by providing a guarantee of product robustness, the competence of the service provider, and the solution provider's commitment to respecting criteria. of confidence.

To date, only 4 NDR solutions have been qualified by ANSSI, including that of Sesame it, called Jizô NDR, which required 4 years of R&D.

“The analysis of network flows is today an essential part of the cyber defense arsenal of any company, OIV or not. Indeed, network flows being tamper-proof, rich and complete, they offer a total vision of the slightest malicious activity within information systems. The analysis of network flows also allows the anticipation of the threat, which makes Jizô one of the most effective tools in the detection of any cyber malware, and an essential building block in any good cybersecurity strategy” explains Audrey Amédro, founder and CEO of Sesame it.

If Sesame it's Jizô NDR solution is recommended and qualified by ANSSI to protect OIVs, it can better protect all other organizations, both public and private. Sesame it already has around ten clients, including large administrations and private players, and has recorded more than 10 million euros in orders in 2022.

“Sesame it quickly convinced us by the quality and innovation of its detection and analysis technologies, one of the rare NDR solutions to be qualified by ANSSI, and by its ability to present from its launch a commercial acceleration rarely seen on the market. Its offering fully responds to the cyber emergency faced by public and private actors,” explains François Charbonnier, Investment Director of Caisse des Dépôts.

RELYING ON ANSSI QUALIFICATION TO DEVELOP IN EUROPE AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

The amounts raised will be invested along 3 strategic axes.

The first is commercial development in Europe. Indeed, the European directive NIS 2, published on December 27, 2022 in the Official Journal of the European Union, will come into force in France in the second half of 2024, at the latest. It will require thousands of entities, administrations of all sizes and companies ranging from SMEs to CAC40 groups, to implement cyber protection means adapted to the increasingly numerous threats. Benefiting from ANSSI qualification and recognition of cybersecurity quality made in Europe, Sesame it has all the assets in hand to ensure its rapid development in Europe.

The second axis is the strengthening of teams dedicated to supporting its customers and partners.

The third concerns Sesame it's objective to remain at the cutting edge of technology in a sector where the threat evolves very quickly and the attacker groups are very innovative. For example, complement the deep learning analysis capabilities of behavioral deviances, and further innovate via its Threat Intelligence service.

“By investing in Sesame it, we are participating in the development of cutting-edge technology serving the protection of large companies, particularly French and European, and Operators of Vital Importance (OVI), including many financial institutions. This investment is also consistent with our desire to develop a cybersecurity and cyberdefense theme within our 115K fund and responds to the challenges of digital sovereignty that we defend and support with conviction within La Banque Postale and the large public bancassurance division. confirms Olivier Lévy-Barouch President of 115K and Deputy General Manager Finance and Strategy of the La Banque Postale group.

PROVIDE SECURITY MANAGERS WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION IN REAL TIME

In addition to its recognized technical qualities, its performance and its level of security validated by ANSSI, the Jizô NDR solution from Sesame it benefits from two major advantages: transparency and ease of use. Once installed in strategic locations in the information system, Jizô makes it possible to track down cybercriminals by detecting all kinds of computer attacks and intrusions. The complex structure of Jizô, combining a series of detection engines, supported by powerful Machine Learning algorithms, makes it possible to detect abnormal behavior and alert security managers in real time. They can then react quickly and make the right decisions based on the right information.

As the cyber threat is constantly evolving, Sesame it has a team of 6 analysts covering 50 countries and speaking 9 languages ​​to transform intelligence into ready-to-use detection sets for Jizô. As soon as a new threat, a new vulnerability, has been identified, they can translate it into network language and provide a detection scenario within 24 hours.

“Step by step, on solid foundations, the founders of Sesame it have built an exceptional technological platform and achieved the milestones (qualification, large-scale commercialization) to become one of the most promising young companies in cybersecurity. BNP Paribas Développement is happy to support the team since 2020 and as part of this new funding round, alongside a pool of qualified investors,” says Nicolas Tymen of BNP Paribas Développement.

For this operation, Sesame it was supported by the investment bank Ryder & Davis.

About Sesame it

Founded in 2017 by Audrey Amédro and Jérôme Gouy, Sesame it supports French and European organizations in the deployment of their cyber defense strategy, with Jizô NDR, its solution for detecting cyber threats in network flows. The latter has been qualified by ANSSI since 2021. Barely a year after the start of the marketing of its Jizô NDR solution, Sesame it has reached profitability and announces a positive EBITDA of almost one million euros. Based in Paris, the company now has 40 employees and has already convinced elite profiles to join them to support its growth.