The rise of autonomous AI agents—systems capable of reasoning, planning, and executing multi-step tasks without human oversight—has triggered a new arms race in cybersecurity. Overmind, a London-based startup founded by former MI5 engineer Amir Abouellail, has secured £2 million in pre-seed funding to develop what it describes as a dedicated security platform for these agentic AI systems, according to Tech Funding News. The funding round was led by Expeditions Fund, with participation from Techstars and a group of angel investors from the intelligence and cybersecurity sectors.
This investment reflects growing concern and opportunity among investors regarding a class of AI systems that are rapidly integrating into enterprise environments, outpacing the security frameworks designed to manage them. Agentic AI represents a significant departure from traditional chatbot-style large language models, as these systems exhibit genuine autonomy, enabling them to browse the web, write and execute code, and manage databases with minimal human intervention. Major companies, including Salesforce and Microsoft, are racing to deploy these agents across various sectors such as customer service and financial analysis.
However, this autonomy introduces unprecedented risks that conventional cybersecurity tools are ill-equipped to handle. Threats such as prompt injection attacks—where malicious inputs alter an agent’s behavior—data exfiltration, and unauthorized actions present new challenges. As highlighted by Tech Funding News, the attack surface is not merely a server or endpoint; it lies within the decision-making processes of these AI agents themselves.
Abouellail’s extensive experience at MI5 equips Overmind with a unique perspective on threat management. During his tenure, he gained insights into the strategies employed by sophisticated adversaries to exploit complex systems. This understanding is now being channeled into tackling the challenges posed by AI in the cybersecurity landscape. Overmind aims to build a platform that offers real-time monitoring, threat detection, and governance tailored specifically for agentic AI deployments. The platform will observe AI agents in production, tracking their reasoning chains and data interactions, and will intervene when actions deviate from established parameters. Essentially, it serves as a security operations center designed for autonomous software agents rather than human staff.
The fundamental challenge that Overmind and its competitors face is that agentic AI disrupts many of the underlying assumptions of traditional security architectures. Conventional security measures, such as firewalls and identity access management systems, were built for scenarios where humans initiate actions based on set instructions. In contrast, agentic AI operates in a complex gray area, making decisions dynamically, often in unpredictable ways. For instance, if a financial services firm employs an AI agent to automate compliance monitoring, a subtle manipulation through a prompt injection could lead to unauthorized changes in compliance records without any human approval, exposing the firm to regulatory risks.
As Overmind enters a rapidly evolving market, it does so at a time when the demand for AI security solutions is surging. The broader AI security sector has witnessed significant funding activity in 2025, as enterprises progress from AI experimentation to integrating it into critical workflows. Investors are increasingly aware that providing a security layer for AI systems is not only essential but represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. This urgency is further heightened by regulatory developments; the European Union’s AI Act, which began phased implementation in 2025, mandates transparency, human oversight, and risk management for high-risk AI systems.
While Overmind is not the only player in this emerging space, its distinct focus on agentic systems sets it apart from competitors. Startups and established firms are exploring various AI security approaches, from model-level testing to policy enforcement layers. Notably, Overmind targets the orchestration layer—the complex interactions between agents, tools, and data sources—where the most novel and least understood risks reside, a territory often overlooked by traditional security solutions.
Investor involvement from the intelligence and defense sectors underscores a broader awareness of the dual-use potential of agentic AI. Professionals in national security have quickly recognized that the capabilities of these autonomous systems can be both beneficial and a source of vulnerability. This connection lends credibility to Overmind with government and defense clients, a segment that is likely to be an early adopter of agentic AI security solutions.
The £2 million pre-seed round, while modest compared to some funding rounds in the current AI landscape, provides Overmind with sufficient resources to build a minimum viable product and establish initial partnerships. With the backing of Techstars, a well-regarded accelerator, Overmind has access to a global network that could facilitate growth. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the company will need to demonstrate that its platform can effectively manage and monitor agentic AI systems, addressing real-time demands while adapting to the evolving tactics of potential adversaries.
The rise of Overmind and similar startups highlights a critical issue in the realm of enterprise AI adoption. The ability of organizations to deploy autonomous AI systems safely will shape one of the defining technology challenges of the coming decade. Without adequate security measures, the promise of agentic AI risks being undermined by breaches and regulatory hurdles, eroding public trust. For Chief Information Security Officers and technology leaders, the message is clear: addressing the security challenges posed by agentic AI is not a distant concern but an immediate necessity.
See also
Anthropic’s Claims of AI-Driven Cyberattacks Raise Industry Skepticism
Anthropic Reports AI-Driven Cyberattack Linked to Chinese Espionage
Quantum Computing Threatens Current Cryptography, Experts Seek Solutions
Anthropic’s Claude AI exploited in significant cyber-espionage operation
AI Poisoning Attacks Surge 40%: Businesses Face Growing Cybersecurity Risks
