StealthMole, Asia’s Dark Web Watchdog, Nets USD $7 Million in Funding
StealthMole, Asia’s rising startup for dark web data intelligence, has bagged US$7 million in a Series A funding round led by Korea Investment Partners (KIP) and joined by Hibiscus Fund (a multinational joint venture between RHL Ventures, Penjana Kapital, and KB Investment) and Smilegate Investment. StealthMole will be using this fresh injection of funds to strengthen its global expansion efforts, as well as further develop its technology use cases for various sectors.
Home to some of the world’s largest digital economies, the accelerated digital transformation gripping Asia-Pacific (APAC) has increased its vulnerability to sophisticated cybercrime attacks. Additionally, the cost of defending against cyber threats is expected to double in the next three years, reaching upwards of US$23 trillion by 2027.
Founded in response to these growing cybersecurity needs, StealthMole is an AI-enabled digital investigation and threat monitoring platform focused on detecting and mitigating cybercrime within the Asian region. The company is helmed by Louis Hur, an enterprise IT security specialist who previously founded a South Korean cybersecurity firm; and Simon Choi, a leading threat investigator and former adjunct professor who has extensive experience with South Korea’s national police and intelligence services.
“StealthMole came about from a critical market gap I encountered while working in cybersecurity and white-hat hacking: a severe lack of data points and information networks specifically within Asia. At the same time, data leaks, anonymised transactions, and all manner of cybercrimes were spiking — both due to malicious intent and human error. To better understand digital threats, it’s crucial for law enforcement, intelligence agencies, corporate security teams, and cybersecurity experts to analyse regional contexts and their impact on illicit activities,” shares Louis Hur, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of StealthMole.
StealthMole’s technology traces criminals using 255 billion analysed data points from the dark web, deep web, and various hidden sources while leveraging advanced AI. Simon Choi, Chief Technology Officer of StealthMole, who has observed hacking activities and data theft increasingly targeting companies, sees huge potential also in the B2B sector to improve cyber incident response and prevention with StealthMole’s technology. Having established a strong foundation in the B2G market, the Series A funding round is expected to further diversify its capabilities to fulfil emerging cybersecurity demands from the enterprise sector.
Kim Min-Q, Managing Director at KIP, says: “As organisations across the world continue to digitise, cybercrimes will not only become more rampant but also more advanced. StealthMole has shown tremendous agility in this regard, aggressively growing its AI and machine learning capabilities for seamless investigation by building correlations across multiple data sources from the dark web itself to insulated platforms like Telegram. We feel strongly about the impact StealthMole will have in making the world a better place.”
“This investment reflects our confidence in StealthMole’s vision for continued success, particularly in uncovering emerging cyber threats across Southeast Asia and positioning themselves as global leaders originating from Asia,” adds Steven Hong, Principal at KB Investment.
The agency’s success is largely attributed to its team of white-hat hackers, cyber threat analysts, digital forensics experts, and open-source intelligence (OSINT) specialists — who all have extensive individual careers in cybersecurity.
“The StealthMole team comprises highly recognised security specialists within the industry, and this expertise is something we appreciate as long-time catalysts of tech startup expansion. Smilegate Investment is excited to support its continued international growth, especially as it branches out into more commercial uses. For example, South Korea is one of the world’s premier gaming hubs, and would appreciate safer gaming experiences and greater protection of creators’ intellectual property,” adds Park Jung-In, Senior Vice President of Smilegate Investment.
