Originally published on Technical.ly by Kaela Roeder

---

Washington DC-based cybersecurity startup Helmet Security has emerged from stealth with a $9 million seed funding round. The company focuses on securing autonomous AI deployments by managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers—connections that allow large language models to access enterprise software systems.

The Funding

The seed round was led by SYN Ventures and WhiteRabbit Ventures. The funds will be allocated for R&D and team expansion, particularly engineering and customer management roles. Helmet Security currently employs 3 people with plans to expand to 10.

The Problem

As enterprises deploy agentic AI systems, they risk accidentally granting excessive permissions.

“One of the scariest things for a security practitioner is to not know what’s going on,” said Fred Kneip, CEO and Co-Founder of Helmet Security.

The Solution

Helmet Security provides continuous monitoring and management of AI agent permissions, helping companies implement appropriate guardrails while enabling developer innovation.

The platform integrates seamlessly with existing EDR tools and API connections in an enterprise’s stack for discovery and blocking of unauthorized MCP connections.

Market Traction

Helmet Security currently serves approximately 10 customers, with 30 additional clients onboarding within the coming months. The customer base includes a mix of commercial firms and government agencies.

---

Read the full article on Technical.ly