Echo secures $15 million to cut software vulnerability risks

Echo has raised $15 million in seed funding to advance its approach to managing vulnerabilities in software infrastructure.

The Seed round was led by Notable Capital and Hyperwise Ventures, supported by SVCI. Echo's focus is on delivering container base images that are free from vulnerabilities, with artificial intelligence agents deployed to maintain their security on an ongoing basis. The company aims to address the growing challenges in vulnerability management by targeting the foundations of enterprise software, rather than remediation after the fact.

Recent research referenced by Echo highlights a 34% increase in vulnerability exploitation and a 61% rise in discovered software vulnerabilities year-over-year, signalling both the growing scale of the issue and the need for solutions that address the underlying causes. Echo's method involves AI-driven processes to analyse, rebuild, and continuously patch open source container images, producing secure versions that replicate the functionality of the original but with fewer potential risks.

Reducing remediation time

The company reports that its technology has enabled a reduction in vulnerability remediation time from the industry average of up to 120 days to just 24 hours. This is intended to significantly shorten the window in which organisations are exposed to security threats, all while reducing the manual burden typically placed on engineering teams.

"Echo was born out of a broken system. Having worked directly with Fortune 500 companies, major banks, and other enterprises on vulnerability management, we've understood that today's tools all encounter the same challenge: As AI accelerates the volume of issues in cloud-native environments, businesses are spending millions on tools that chase and prioritise vulnerabilities rather than solve the root of the problem," said Eilon Elhadad, Co-Founder and CEO of Echo.

"Our CVE-free base images enable companies to build applications with a completely clean foundation - and via our AI agents, we make sure they stay that way. We've reduced the typical vulnerability remediation time from a current industry average of up to 120 days, to just 24 hours – a transformative turnaround for enterprises that's reflected in customers' existing scanners and CNAPP platforms."

Elhadad and Co-Founder Eylam Milner previously co-founded Argon, a company acquired by Aqua Security for $100 million in 2021, and they bring this background to Echo's solutions in container and cloud security.

Industry context

Estimates put the vulnerability management market at $17 billion annually, with Echo aiming to help clients save on both direct and indirect costs through its approach.

"Vulnerability management is a $17 billion industry. By offering secure-by-design infrastructure, the industry could unlock billions annually – not to mention the downstream cost savings of preventing potential breaches. This is what Echo is championing; a solution that allows businesses the luxury of not thinking about how to manage or mitigate vulnerabilities." said Oren Yunger, Managing Partner at Notable Capital. "We are delighted to support Echo as they grow and continue to innovate in the cloud security space."

Echo's product is already being used by companies such as UiPath, where it has contributed to immediate reductions in the workload required to patch software vulnerabilities.

"Echo's product is a game changer for us. The vulnerability-free container base images have immediately cut our patching workload, saving us significant time and money," said Scott Roberts, CISO of UiPath.

"A recent survey found that 75% of developers spend more than 17 hours per-week on security related tasks, representing a staggering waste of resources and lost opportunities. Echo's solution eliminates the need for labor-intensive vulnerability remediation, solving the problem at its source before our engineering teams have to try and deal with it."

FedRAMP compliance facilitation

Echo's system also aims to support organisations in meeting compliance requirements, including facilitating a faster pathway to Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) accreditation. This is accomplished by using Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-validated images, which are designed to be compatible with existing enterprise environments without the need for major operational changes.

According to company statements, the funding will be applied to support the next phase of Echo's growth, building on existing implementations and aiming to further embed its tech within enterprise-scale clients and cloud-based businesses.