Last week, I had a blast hanging out in Ghent with the awesome team at Aikido Security, one of our fastest-growing portfolio companies.

Willem Delbare, Roeland Delrue and Felix Garriau, along with the whole Aikido team, aren’t just changing the game in cybersecurity—they’re rewriting the rules. Visiting their office and chatting with the team, you can practically feel the adrenaline and excitement in the air. It’s venture magic in action when talent, strategy and execution all align.

It is like martial art…

Seed investing. How we built conviction.

When we first met Willem and Roeland back in 2023, we were immediately drawn to their vision, their incredible product velocity, and their obsession with customer centricity. Even though they had only a handful of customers at the time, it was clear they were building something the security market desperately needed.

Aikido’s goal—to declutter cybersecurity and make it accessible to a new segment of the market—perfectly aligned with our passion for products that transform customer experiences from meh to wow.

Fast forward 18 months: the vision remains intact and the product and technology surface have expanded significantly also thanks to AI. And the growth has been spectacular. Aikido has skyrocketed from zero to several million in ARR (soon to hit eight figures), with thousands of happy customers.

I’m always blown away by the killer execution of the founders we back and incredibly grateful to them. We had a strong hunch that Aikido had outlier potential, so these stellar results aren’t exactly a shock. But what really surprised me? The direction they took with their branding—unexpected and absolutely awesome.

Awesome Branding: No bulls*ht security for developers.

Who said staying safe online had to be all doom and gloom? Cybersecurity jargon can be a headache, but Aikido gets it—and they’re here to change that. They’ve ditched the complicated lingo for something everyone can grasp, making top-notch security as simple as your morning coffee. Here are the latest hits:

• "OnlyScans" campaign for April Fool's Day—pure genius: https://onlyscans.dev/

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• 'Aikido 64' campaign. Mixing humour with a dash of retro gaming, Aikido's way of making cybersecurity playful:

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• The “32b reason to check out Aikido” post on the occasion of Wiz M&A news:

By blending a powerful 10x product with cheeky marketing and value for money, Aikido is leading the charge in democratising cybersecurity and making it accessible. Kudos to the entire team, and a special shout-out to Madeline Lawrence, the Chief Brand Officer. Her boldness to innovate and sharp wit have truly set a new standard.

Wrap up

Aikido (合気道) combines Ai (harmony), Ki (energy), and Do (way)... in venture language it translates into: AI 😭, Velocity, and Execution. The fun is the twist.

I look forward to my next visit in Ghent for more insights, growth adrenaline and ...swags.

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