The Ukrainian Centre for Counteracting Disinformation needed to see the whole board. It was early 2023, and the agency was tracking thousands of Russian narratives across social media, news sites, and messaging apps. The task was to connect those information operations to emerging cyberattacks and physical sabotage before they escalated. The tool they implemented came from a local startup, Osavul, founded less than a year earlier by two adtech entrepreneurs who had never planned to work in security [Euronews, September 2024].
That initial deployment became the wedge for a company now selling to governments in 10 countries, including NATO members [Tech.eu, October 2026]. In October 2026, Osavul closed a Series A round of approximately $9 million, led by 33N Ventures, bringing its total disclosed funding to roughly $13 million [Tech.eu, October 2026] [Kyiv Post, October 2026]. The bet is that a single AI platform can fuse signals from the cognitive, cyber, and physical domains into a unified threat warning.
From Adtech Algorithms to Threat Detection
The founders, Dmytro Plieshakov and Dmytro Bilash, built their first company, Captain Growth, on algorithms designed to optimize marketing spend. They sold that AI marketing startup to Israeli adtech firm Perion for up to $3.75 million [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. After their earn-outs, they were digital nomads, not security experts. The pivot came from a direct request for support from Ukrainian government bodies after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 [Euronews, September 2024].
Their background proved unexpectedly relevant. Detecting coordinated inauthentic behavior online, they argue, uses similar pattern-recognition techniques as identifying bot-driven ad fraud. The core shift was applying that analytical muscle to a different dataset: open-source and restricted-access intelligence across social media, news, and messaging platforms to spot disinformation campaigns, bot networks, and signs of hostile intent [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
The Three-Domain Intelligence Suite
Osavul's product is not a simple media monitor. The company describes its platform as a hybrid-threat intelligence suite that analyzes hundreds of millions of signals across three interconnected domains: cognitive, cyber, and physical [Osavul Named a Front-Runner in Gartner's Disinformation..., 2026]. The goal is to see how threat actors combine narrative manipulation, cyber intrusions, and kinetic actions.
The platform offers several solutions, including Nebula for OSINT, Echo for narrative analysis, and Janus for threat detection [Osavul's Solutions | Information Security AI-driven Intelligence Suite, 2026]. It automatically detects Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior (CIB) and aims to connect information operations with related cyber or physical threats before they reach a critical stage [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. For a government customer, the output is a fused assessment of hybrid risk, moving beyond isolated reports from separate intelligence silos.
Funding a Wartime Startup to a Global Scale
Osavul's capital history tracks its evolution from a local tool to an international SaaS business. Early backing came from Ukrainian venture fund SMRK, which led a $1 million seed round in May 2023 [The Recursive, May 2023]. German VC 42CAP led a $3 million round in September 2024, with participation from u.ventures and SMRK, signaling a broader European investor interest [Euronews, September 2024]. The recent Series A, led by 33N Ventures with participation from Balnord, G+D Ventures, and 42CAP, provides the war chest for expansion [Tech.eu, October 2026].
May 2023 Seed | 1 | M USD
Sep 2024 Seed | 3 | M USD
Oct 2026 Series A | 9 | M USD
The company is hiring for roles like Forward Deployed Engineer and Account Manager, indicating a push to embed its technology with new clients and grow its commercial operations [Forward Deployed Engineer Job | Join Osavul Now, 2026].
The Credibility of a Live Fire Exercise
Osavul's most compelling traction signal is not just a customer count, but where those customers are. Serving the Ukrainian security apparatus during an active, large-scale hybrid war provides a relentless real-world testing ground. The software's algorithms are refined against some of the most sophisticated state-backed disinformation and cyber campaigns in the world. This creates a tangible product moat: proven efficacy under extreme conditions.
The company's reported move into 10 government markets, including NATO countries, suggests this proof-of-concept is resonating beyond its origin [Tech.eu, October 2026]. It has also been involved in projects funded by the European Union and NATO [Euronews, September 2024]. For defense and critical infrastructure buyers skeptical of vendor claims, a deployment history rooted in active conflict carries significant weight.
Navigating a Crowded and Sensitive Market
The path forward is not without friction. The competitive landscape includes firms like Blackbird.AI, which also analyzes media for narrative threats. Osavul's differentiation rests on explicitly fusing information operations with cyber-physical intelligence, a broader and more technically complex claim.
Key challenges the company must navigate include:
- Sales cycles. Selling to governments and defense organizations involves long, complex procurement processes and intense scrutiny of data sovereignty and security.
- Feature scope. Maintaining deep, best-in-class capabilities across three distinct threat domains (cognitive, cyber, physical) requires continuous R&D investment and risks spreading engineering resources thin.
- Market perception. As a Ukrainian company, its origin is a strength for credibility but could also be misperceived as a regional specialist rather than a global platform.
The Series A capital from 33N Ventures, a firm focused on cybersecurity and deep tech, is a vote of confidence in the technical roadmap. The participation of G+D Ventures, the corporate venture arm of security technology giant Giesecke+Devrient, hints at potential strategic partnerships in secure infrastructure [Tech.eu, October 2026].
The Next Twelve Months
The immediate mandate is clear: convert the Series A proceeds into hardened enterprise deployments. The company will be measured on its ability to land flagship contracts with major NATO governments and critical national infrastructure operators. Another milestone to watch is whether it can expand its buyer base beyond the public sector into large, risk-sensitive private corporations in finance, energy, and telecommunications.
Osavul's founding team sold their last startup for a multi-million dollar exit. Their current venture, born from a wartime necessity, is aiming for a different scale of outcome. With over $13 million in backing from funds like 42CAP and 33N Ventures, and a product tested in the most demanding environment imaginable, the question is whether the market for fused hybrid-threat intelligence is ready to buy what they've built.
Sources
- [Euronews, September 2024] Battling the echo chamber: Osavul’s fight against Russian disinformation | https://www.euronews.com/2024/09/15/battling-the-echo-chamber-osavuls-fight-against-russian-disinformation
- [The Recursive, May 2023] War-Born Ukrainian AI Startup OSavul Raises $1M to Combat Disinformation | https://therecursive.com/war-born-ukrainian-ai-startup-osavul-raises-1m-to-to-combat-disinformation/
- [Tech.eu, October 2026] Hostile threat warning startup Osavul raises €8.5M | https://tech.eu/2026/10/01/hostile-threat-warning-startup-osavul-raises-8-5m/
- [Kyiv Post, October 2026] Ukrainian Startup Osavul Raises $10 Million to Expand… | https://www.kyivpost.com/post/85961
- [Osavul Named a Front-Runner in Gartner's Disinformation..., 2026] Osavul Named a Front-Runner in Gartner's Disinformation Report
- [Osavul's Solutions | Information Security AI-driven Intelligence Suite, 2026] Osavul's Solutions | Information Security AI-driven Intelligence Suite
- [Forward Deployed Engineer Job | Join Osavul Now, 2026] Forward Deployed Engineer Job | Join Osavul Now | https://www.osavul.cloud/careers-osavul/forward-deployed-engineer