The investment firm’s funding of the Tennessee-based startup builds on its portfolio of solutions that defend the nation’s cyberspace.
Gula Tech Adventures has led a $2 million seed round for Starseer, a cyber security startup that is developing tools to secure and govern enterprise AI systems.
Known for its deep focus on cybersecurity innovation, the investment firm is backing Starseer’s mission to bring transparency and compliance to artificial intelligence at a time when AI adoption and scrutiny is accelerating across regulated industries.
Founded by cybersecurity veterans Ron Gula and Cyndi Gula, Gula Tech Adventures has a strong mission: to close the growing technology and workforce gap in cybersecurity by investing in early-stage startups and nonprofits addressing the nation’s most pressing cyber threats.
With over 40 cybersecurity investments since 2017, including prominent names like Automox, Huntress, Cybrary, and Scythe, Gula Tech Adventures has cemented itself as a leader in funding the next generation of cyber defense platforms.
A Strategic Investment in AI Security
The investment in Starseer reflects Gula Tech’s forward-looking focus on the intersection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. As enterprises and governments race to adopt AI across high-stakes industries—finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and national defense—the threat surface has rapidly expanded.
New vectors such as prompt injection, model backdoors, and data poisoning introduce unprecedented risk, requiring new tools and frameworks for security and governance.
Starseer addresses these concerns head-on with a model-agnostic platform that provides visibility into AI behavior, eliminating the traditional “black box” and offering actionable tools for compliance, hardening, and secure deployment.
By making AI systems transparent and auditable, Starseer empowers both technical and non-technical teams to manage AI safely in environments where failure is not an option.
“The era of ‘trust us, the AI works’ is ending,” said Tim Schulz, CEO of Starseer. “Security leaders, regulators, and enterprise boards are demanding real transparency—and Gula Tech Adventures understands that better than anyone.”
A Mission-Aligned Partnership
The alignment between Starseer’s mission and Gula Tech’s investment philosophy is clear. Both organizations are deeply focused on the security, integrity, and responsible use of emerging technologies.
Gula Tech’s support will not only accelerate Starseer’s product development and team expansion but also help guide its growth in key markets, particularly where compliance and cybersecurity overlap.
Gula Tech’s previous investments include organizations such as:
- Huntress – Threat detection and response for small to mid-sized businesses
- Scythe – Adversarial emulation for testing enterprise defenses
- Cybrary – Cybersecurity workforce development
- Automox – Cloud-native patch management
The firm has a comprehensive approach to strengthening national cyber resilience, investing in cybersecurity-focused venture funds like DataTribe, Inner Loop Capital, and Forgepoint Capital, and supports nonprofit initiatives including Defending Digital Campaigns and voting.works.
Looking Ahead: Securing AI for Government and Enterprise
With its roots in cybersecurity and its eyes set on AI governance, Starseer is positioned to become a key player in safeguarding artificial intelligence systems at scale.
The new funding will be used to enhance its AI exposure management platform, grow its engineering and go-to-market teams, and expand into sectors with regulatory scrutiny and mission-critical needs.
As AI becomes increasingly central to enterprise operations and public services, investments like Gula Tech’s in Starseer underscore how AI security is now national security.
