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Horizon3 secures $40M to expand its pen testing platform on August 8, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Cybersecurity funding is falling after enjoying impressive heights in the last few years. According to Crunchbase, VC financing for security declined to just over $1.6 billion in Q2 2023, marking a 63% drop compared to the same quarter last year — when startups landed nearly $4.3 billion.
But that’s not to suggest deals have dried up entirely.
Enter Horizon3, a startup providing a platform designed to improve the effectiveness of organizations’ cybersecurity solutions. Horizon3 today announced that it raised $40 million in a Series C round led by Craft Ventures with participation from Signal Fire and Okta Ventures. Bringing the company’s total raised to $78.5 million, the round will be put toward R&D, expanding Horizon’s channel presence and growing its team of engineers, CEO Snehal Antani says.
Horizon3 was founded in 2019 by a team of former U.S. Special Ops cyber operators, entrepreneurs and cybersecurity practitioners including Antani. Previously, Antani was the CTO at Splunk and a team leader within the U.S. Military’s Joint Special Operations Command, which studies special operations requirements and techniques.
According to Antani, Horizon3’s founding team sought to build a solution that could solve the common security problems faced by enterprise organizations, namely the ineffective security tools, false positives and lead times in hiring consultants for security assessments and manual testing.
“Our thesis is using the attacker’s perspective to cut through the noise and help organizations find and fix exploitable attack vectors,” Antani told TechCrunch in an email interview. “We deliver this by enabling continuous, autonomous testing and other operations to identify proven attack paths and weaknesses in our users’ networks. We aim to deliver the best-in-class autonomous security risk management platform that provides accurate risk insights and actionable recommendations for technical users, decision-makers and auditors.”
Horizon3’s software attempts to continuously find, fix and verify exploitable attack surfaces by revealing attack paths, showing how possible weaknesses might impact the organization, prioritize and detail fixes teams should make and verify that those fixes are effective.
The platform has hundreds of exploit modules that can find and “safely” exploit specific weaknesses in networks, Antani explained. IT teams can use these modules to proactively fix security issues within their infrastructure, while security teams can tap them to tune third-party security tools, assess software supply chain risks and gain strategic insights.
The platform — a self-service software-as-a-service solution in the truest sense — requires no additional hardware or software to maintain.
“On its own, Horizon3 pivots through a user’s network, chaining weaknesses together just as an attacker would — and then safely exploits them,” he added. “The platform uncovers blind spots in organizations’ security posture that go beyond known exploits and patchable vulnerabilities, such as easily compromised credentials, exposed data, misconfigurations, poor security controls and weak policies. Weaknesses are prioritized based on their impact to the organization so users know immediately what they should fix first — and guidance on how to do it most efficiently.”
Horizon3 competes against Strike Security, Cobalt.io and HackerOne among others in a penetration testing tool market that could be worth as much as $2.7 billion in 2027, according to Markets and Markets.
Antani asserts that Horizon3 has seen great uptake, though, with a customer base that recently eclipsed 300 organizations, including several government agencies. He anticipates that as more regulatory actions take place and new security guidelines and recommendations that support autonomous penetration testing approach, the demand for Horizon3’s solutions will grow.
“Since the cyber threat landscape continues to expand, so will Horizon3’s revenue and customer base grow as well,” Antani said. “Organizations are beginning to reconsider legacy approaches to security assessments and
penetration testing, and instead, are adopting autonomous pentesting at a considerable rate.”
Cybersecurity funding is falling after enjoying impressive heights in the last few years. According to Crunchbase, VC financing for security declined to just over $1.6 billion in Q2 2023, marking a 63% drop compared to the same quarter last year — when startups landed nearly $4.3 billion. But that’s not to suggest deals have dried
President Donald Trump says the United States might one day get rid of federal income tax because of money the government collects from tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs are extra taxes the U.S. puts on products that come from other countries.
What Trump Is Saying
Trump has said that tariff money could become so large that it might allow the government to cut income taxes “almost completely.” He has also talked about possibly phasing out income tax over the next few years if tariff money keeps going up.
How Taxes Work Now
Right now, the federal government gets much more money from income taxes than from tariffs. Income taxes bring in trillions of dollars each year, while tariffs bring in only a small part of that total. Because of this gap, experts say tariffs would need to grow by many times to replace income tax money.
Questions From Experts
Many economists and tax experts doubt that tariffs alone could pay for the whole federal budget. They warn that very high tariffs could make many imported goods more expensive for shoppers in the United States. This could hit lower- and middle‑income families hardest, because they spend a big share of their money on everyday items.
What Congress Must Do
The president can change some tariffs, but only Congress can change or end the federal income tax. That means any real plan to remove income tax would need new laws passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. So far, there is no detailed law or full budget plan on this idea.
What It Means Right Now
For now, Trump’s comments are a proposal, not a change in the law. People and businesses still have to pay federal income tax under the current rules. The debate over using tariffs instead of income taxes is likely to continue among lawmakers, experts, and voters.
Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to declassify all government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose death in 2019 continues to fuel controversy and speculation.
The order, signed Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, instructs the FBI, Department of Justice, and intelligence agencies to release documents detailing Epstein’s network, finances, and alleged connections to high-profile figures. Trump described the move as “a step toward transparency and public trust,” promising that no names would be shielded from scrutiny.
“This information belongs to the American people,” Trump said in a televised statement. “For too long, powerful interests have tried to bury the truth. That ends now.”
U.S. intelligence officials confirmed that preparations for the release are already underway. According to sources familiar with the process, the first batch of documents is expected to be made public within the next 30 days, with additional releases scheduled over several months.
Reactions poured in across the political spectrum. Supporters praised the decision as a bold act of accountability, while critics alleged it was politically motivated, timed to draw attention during a volatile election season. Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, emphasized caution, warning that some records could expose private victims or ongoing legal matters.
The Epstein case, which implicated figures in politics, business, and entertainment, remains one of the most talked-about scandals of the past decade. Epstein’s connections to influential individuals—including politicians, royals, and executives—have long sparked speculation about the extent of his operations and who may have been involved.
Former federal prosecutor Lauren Fields said the release could mark a turning point in public discourse surrounding government transparency. “Regardless of political stance, this declassification has the potential to reshape how Americans view power and accountability,” Fields noted.
Officials say redactions may still occur to protect sensitive intelligence or personal information, but the intent is a near-complete disclosure. For years, critics of the government’s handling of Epstein’s case have accused agencies of concealing evidence or shielding elites from exposure. Trump’s order promises to change that narrative.
As anticipation builds, journalists, legal analysts, and online commentators are preparing for what could be one of the most consequential information releases in recent history.
What Happened at the United Nations
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, defending Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. As he spoke, more than 100 delegates from over 50 countries stood up and left the chamber—a rare and significant diplomatic walkout. Outside the UN, thousands of protesters gathered to voice opposition to Netanyahu’s policies and call for accountability, including some who labeled him a war criminal. The protest included activists from Palestinian and Jewish groups, along with international allies.
Why Did Delegates and Protesters Walk Out?
The walkouts and protests were a response to Israel’s continued offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in widespread destruction and a significant humanitarian crisis. Many countries and individuals have accused Israel of excessive use of force, and some international prosecutors have suggested Netanyahu should face investigation by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, including claims that starvation was used as a weapon against civilians. At the same time, a record number of nations—over 150—recently recognized the State of Palestine, leaving the United States as the only permanent UN Security Council member not to join them.
International Reaction and Significance
The diplomatic walkouts and street protests demonstrate increasing global concern over the situation in Gaza and growing support for Palestinian statehood. Several world leaders, including Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, showed visible solidarity with protesters. Petro called for international intervention and, controversially, for US troops not to follow orders he viewed as supporting ongoing conflict. The US later revoked Petro’s visa over his role in the protests, which he argued was evidence of a declining respect for international law.
Why Is This News Important?
The Gaza conflict is one of the world’s most contentious and closely-watched issues. It has drawn strong feelings and differing opinions from governments, activists, and ordinary people worldwide. The United Nations, as an international organization focused on peace and human rights, is a key arena for these debates. The events surrounding Netanyahu’s speech show that many nations and voices are urging new action—from recognition of Palestinian rights to calls for sanctions against Israel—while discussion and disagreement over the best path forward continue.
This episode at the UN highlights how international diplomacy, public protests, and official policy are all intersecting in real time as the search for solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains urgent and unresolved.
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