New Italian unicorn Exein rides the physical AI wave

Besides valuations, AI has also boosted attackers’ capabilities. According to Cuozzo, this is being facilitated by open-source models that can run without guardrails, and make it much easier and cheaper to target physical devices in novel ways.

Exein has already seen an increase in what Cuozzo calls “machine-speed attacks,” and intends to respond with a foundational model for Physical AI security. The company is currently training the model on machine data and telemetrics, and plans to have it ready in the first quarter of 2027.

In the meantime, Exein intends to use the fresh funding for M&As to complete its portfolio of products, and hire staff to accelerate its expansion in the U.S. and in the Asia Pacific, which currently drives half of its revenue. 

Cuozzo said being spread across three continents has been Exein’s main challenge so far. The breadth of its presence took some adjusting to, but it has borne fruit, he said, noting that the company is “growing 400% year on year.” 

While such growth numbers are often hard to maintain, Exein could get a hand from the European Union’s Cyber Resilience Act, whose reporting obligations kicked off last week. The Act will come into full force in December 2027, and requires manufacturers to “make sure all digital products are safe from cyber threats.”

Pictured from left to right: Gerardo Gagliardo, CFO & co-founder; Gianni Cuozzo, CEO & founder; Giovanni Alberto Falcione, CTO & co-founder.