Kontext raises €3.5 million for AI agent security platform

Munich-based cybersecurity startup Kontext has raised €3.5 million ($4 million) in a financing round led by 42CAP, with participation from a16z CSX and High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF). The company, founded by Jens Ernstberger and Michel Osswald, intends to use the capital to expand its engineering team and advance its security platform for autonomous AI agents.

Kontext provides runtime authorization infrastructure designed to address vulnerabilities in autonomous AI systems. While traditional identity and access management systems control general access permissions, Kontext evaluates specific actions in real time before they are executed. The software sits between AI agents and the tools or systems they access, checking planned actions against security policies, risk signals, and the specific task at hand.

This approach aims to prevent scenarios where an authenticated agent with valid credentials performs an unauthorized action, such as a coding agent transferring source code to an external service. The platform offers an observation mode, allowing companies to monitor AI agent behavior and potential risks before transitioning to active enforcement of security rules.