Eindhoven-based Securely lets AI take over web application security

Most security solutions respond to problems after they occur. Securely, a cybersecurity company from Eindhoven, aims to break that pattern with an AI platform that continuously analyses web applications, identifies risks and executes interventions automatically, without waiting for a human administrator.

The company was founded in 2019 and focuses on organisations that want to secure their web applications while also needing to demonstrate compliance with a range of regulations. Investor TIN Capital saw potential early on: at the end of 2019, Securely closed an early-stage funding round. The Eindhoven team is small, around five people, placing the company in a phase where the technology is still under active development.

Behind Securely are two founders with complementary backgrounds. Nick de Bruijn built and supported more than fifty startups through his former venture studio Lifely. Ruben van Vreeland has been taking computers apart since the age of nine and works as an ethical hacker and adviser to application security teams. That combination, product experience and deep technical expertise, defines the company's approach.

What the AI actually does

The core of the platform is an AI system trained on a customer's specific environment. This sets it apart from generic security tools that operate on fixed rules or general attack patterns. By learning what an application normally looks like, the system can detect anomalies that would remain invisible to a standard scanner.

When the system flags a potential risk, it also explains why it reached that conclusion. This is relevant for security teams that must account for their decisions to internal auditors or external regulators: an AI that issues an alert without any reasoning is of limited use in that context.

Where a confirmed vulnerability is identified, the platform can automatically execute a remediation action. How far that automation extends, and which actions always require human approval, cannot be determined in detail from the available source material. What Securely describes publicly is that the AI continuously adapts to changes in the application and its environment, and delivers a monthly cyber report.

Compliance as a second pillar

In addition to actively defending against attacks, Securely helps organisations demonstrate continuous compliance with regulations. The platform supports standards such as NEN 7510 and NEN 7513, which apply to information security in healthcare, ISAE 4302 for assurance reporting, and the European NIS2 directive, which requires organisations in critical sectors to have their cyber resilience in order.

For many companies, security and compliance are two separate processes: the security team handles attacks, while the compliance department produces reports. Securely positions itself at the intersection of the two, with a platform that addresses both simultaneously. Whether and to what extent this works in a fully automated way in practice cannot be fully assessed on the basis of publicly available information.

Securely's sector focus includes healthcare and education, two domains where sensitive personal data is processed and where regulatory pressure has increased in recent years, partly due to the implementation of NIS2 across EU member states.

Eindhoven as a base of operations

Securely operates out of Eindhoven, a city that has grown in recent years into one of the most densely developed tech clusters outside the Randstad. The presence of companies such as ASML, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and a growing number of deeptech startups makes Noord-Brabant attractive for technology companies seeking to be close to engineering-oriented talent.

For a cybersecurity company that relies heavily on AI development and application expertise, that environment is relevant. Ethical hackers, software developers and data scientists are present in the region, though competition for that talent is intense.

With a team of around five people and an early VC round completed, Securely is in a phase familiar to the Dutch startup scene: the technology exists, the first customers are on board, but the step change in scale has yet to be made. The broader European shift towards stricter cybersecurity legislation, NIS2 came into force in the Netherlands in October 2024, is simultaneously creating a market that grows larger as organisations are required to take their obligations more seriously. For a small company operating precisely at the intersection of technical security and compliance, that context offers opportunities, but it is also drawing in larger players.