French startup Riot has just landed a hefty $30 million in its Series B funding round, a major milestone for the company. This comes after they hit $10 million in yearly revenue in 2024. Known for its innovative approach to cybersecurity, Riot started by teaching employees how to spot phishing emails. Now, they’re stepping up their game to help employees tighten their digital defenses even more.

The funding was led by Left Lane Capital, with support from existing backers like Y Combinator, Base10, and FundersClub. This injection of cash has bumped Riot’s valuation to over $170 million.

Riot’s journey began with simulated phishing campaigns—sending fake emails to employees to test their vigilance. Over time, they’ve expanded their toolkit, introducing a friendly AI chatbot named Albert that helps employees learn cybersecurity best practices via Slack and Microsoft Teams.

With clients like L’Occitane, Deel, and Le Monde, Riot now reaches one million employees across 1,500 companies. That’s a huge leap from the 100,000 employees they worked with just a couple of years ago.

Despite these efforts, cyber threats keep growing. Take the recent Change Healthcare breach, which exposed data for 190 million Americans. It all started with an employee reusing a password—a common yet risky habit.

To tackle such vulnerabilities, Riot is launching a new platform called Employee Security Posture Management. Think of it as a central hub for monitoring and improving employee security practices. The platform will give each employee a “karma score,” reflecting their digital safety habits. It’ll also nudge them to make small but impactful changes, like enabling multi-factor authentication or tightening privacy settings.

Riot’s vision doesn’t stop there. They’re aiming to become the go-to source for all things employee security, even considering ventures into tools like antivirus software and password managers.

With this fresh funding, Riot plans to open new offices globally and grow its client base to develop even more advanced cybersecurity solutions. The goal? Make life harder for hackers, one employee at a time.