IoT search engine Censys gets $35 million – and a new CEO – TechCrunch

Censysa search engine for Internet of Things devices and Internet assets, secured $35 million in Series B funding and a new CEO.

The Internet security startup, based in Michigan tech hub Ann Arbor, which began as an open-source research project at the University of Michigan seven years ago, claims to provide a “comprehensive database” of all Internet-connected devices with the aim of helping organizations locate poorly protected assets. Censys’ attack surface management platform continuously discovers and monitors companies’ Internet assets, identifying security issues and preventing oversights from becoming vulnerabilities by ensuring assets are protected on the go. integrating with existing security solutions.

The company’s Series B investment, which comes after the startup secured $15.5 million in Series A funding in August 2020, was led by Intel Capital. Censys tells TechCrunch that the funds will be used to accelerate the company’s R&D, engineering, product and sales operations, particularly in Western Europe.

Additionally, Censys named Brad Brooks, former CEO of OneLogin, as its new CEO. Brooks, a tech industry veteran who has worked with DocuSign, Juniper Networks and Microsoft for the past 25 years, replaces interim chief executive Lorne Groe, who returns to his role as chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Brooks tells TechCrunch he’s been recruited to help lead the company through its next phase of growth, which he says will likely include another round of funding in the next nine to 12 months. “With this cycle, we go from the start-up stage to the growth stage,” he says.

The startup is already growing rapidly; Brooks tells TechCrunch it’s seeing triple-digit revenue growth year over year and continues to add big-name clients including FireEye, Google and the US Department of Homeland Security.

“The company is currently in the classic situation of hyper-growth. The biggest issue facing the company right now is its speed of growth,” he says, adding that this has been driven by organizations’ shift to remote and hybrid working models and their accelerated adoption of cloud services.

“The thing about the cloud is that it’s not getting simpler, it’s getting more complex. As you put more users and more stuff on there, each is a chance of misconfiguration,” he said. “Having something constantly watching your surroundings is becoming more and more critical, and that’s what’s driving that growth right now.”