Outdated security awareness methods leave people and companies vulnerable to evolving cyber threats
The rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape presents an urgent challenge for businesses, as over 90% of cyberattacks can be traced back to human error, often leading to significant financial losses and lasting damage to brand reputation.
With the rise of AI-powered cyber threats, traditional security measures have become increasingly obsolete. Many organisations continue to rely on outdated practices, such as manual training, fragmented tools, and reactive incident response, leaving them exposed to a new generation of attacks.
As cybersecurity threats grow in both frequency and sophistication, business leaders face mounting pressure to implement robust security frameworks that meet emerging regulations like the EU’s Network and Information Security 2 Directive (NIS 2). To stay ahead, companies must adopt more proactive approaches, prioritising real-time monitoring and reporting to safeguard their data, protect their reputation, and ensure compliance in a rapidly shifting environment.
Fortyx: A new approach to cybersecurity
Fortyx is developing a fundamentally different approach to cybersecurity based on proactive real-time interventions to avoid human error and prevent attacks.
Through Xander, its AI cybersecurity assistant, Fortyx is able to monitor threats in real-time, proactively advising the user to mitigate the risk of attacks. Primarily aimed at phishing and data-loss protection, Xander tracks screens to advise the user on their behaviour, and deploys microlearning strategies to improve employee understanding and awareness of cybersecurity risks. At the company level, Fortyx’s cloud platform provides user behaviour analytics, allowing businesses to better understand their security posture and risk exposure down to a granular level.
Fortyx is here to redefine cybersecurity, using AI to remove complexity and making cybersecurity seamless for end-users and companies alike.
Exceptional Founders with deep cybersecurity expertise
Parvez Alam Kazi (CEO) and Tom Giligan (CTO) are a co-founding team with an incredible founder-product fit. From the start of the Residency, they have been laser-focused on leveraging their deep expertise to provide a new cybersecurity solution.
Parvez is no stranger to building high-stakes, high-impact systems. From developing financial data infrastructure at Morgan Stanley to spearheading cybersecurity initiatives at Domin, a $100M hardware scaleup, he’s been responsible for security challenges and compliance at the highest level. With a Master’s in AI from the University of Edinburgh and leadership roles across data science, product, and engineering, Parvez has a rare mix of technical depth and startup execution. His previous experience of building and scaling multiple AI products from 0-1, raising $2.8M in grant funding, and leading high-performing teams makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead Fortyx.
Tom is an experienced cybersecurity architect with deep technical expertise in building enterprise-scale security solutions. After earning his Master’s in Electronics and Computer Science from UCL, he worked at Cisco before joining G Research, where he led efforts to counter insider threats after a major IP theft attempt. Throughout his career, Tom has been responsible for building SIEM solutions as well as security frameworks covering 2FA, encryption, and data classification. With a strong track record of leading security teams across the UK and US, Tom is focused on building solutions that balance protection with usability, ensuring businesses remain secure without slowing them down.
Investment Thesis:
From our first meeting with the Fortyx team, it was clear that Parvez Alam Kazi and Tom Giligan brought a rare combination of deep domain expertise and a strong drive to transform cybersecurity. Their unique perspectives, shaped by years of hands-on experience, allow them to understand the nuanced challenges modern enterprises face in securing their systems.
What stood out even more was the remarkable pace of their execution. In a short period, they conducted over 150 customer interviews, secured data partnerships with leading universities, and onboarded prominent SMBs as design partners. This rapid progress not only validated their market fit but also attracted industry-leading advisers and pilot customers who recognised Fortyx’s Xander as both innovative and immediately impactful.
The need for a new approach to cybersecurity has never been more urgent. With global cybersecurity spending projected to exceed $200 billion by 2025 and regulatory frameworks like the EU’s NIS2 directive creating new compliance pressures, businesses require adaptive, human-centric solutions. Advances in AI, such as locally enabled open-source LLMs and next-generation devices with Neural Processing Units, position Fortyx to deliver real-time, personalised user protection at scale.
We are proud to back Fortyx as they redefine how companies approach cybersecurity and are excited to support their journey in building the future of intelligent, human-first cyber protection.
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