Cylance raises $120 million to grow its AI-powered cybersecurity platform globally

Cylance, a cybersecurity startup that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to combat online attacks, has raised $120 million in a series E round of funding led by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, with participation from other unnamed investors. Founded in 2012 by Stuart McClure, an entrepreneur who sold an Internet security firm to McAfee for $86 million in 2004, Cylance is an endpoint protection platform designed to thwart malware, ransomware, and other forms of advanced threats using AI. Its suite of algorithm-based security protocols essentially inspect networks for weaknesses and shuts them down if any are detected. Cylance claims in excess of 4,000 customers, and said that it has revenues of $130 million for the 2018 fiscal year, representing a year-on-year growth of 90 percent. Prior to now, Cylance had raised around $177 million, including a $100 million tranche two years ago, and with another $120 million in the bank it said that it plans to double down on its global expansion efforts, with a particular focus on Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific, and extend its product range.