In a bold move to address escalating cybersecurity concerns, the startup Kusari is developing a cutting-edge software supply chain security platform grounded in open-source technology. Founded in 2022 by a trio of industry experts, Kusari aims to illuminate and safeguard the often opaque software supply chain, which encompasses the components, libraries, and processes integral to software development and deployment.
Recent surveys highlight the urgency of such an initiative: 88% of companies identify software supply chain security as a significant enterprise-wide risk, and a marked increase in supply chain breaches has been observed over the past year. Kusari's founders, Tim Miller, Michael Lieberman, and Parth Patel, bring a wealth of experience from the financial services and defence sectors to this endeavour.
Kusari's innovative approach has already garnered significant support, securing $8 million in funding from investors like J2 Ventures, Glasswing Ventures, and Unusual Ventures. This financial boost will accelerate the development of Kusari's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and expand the startup's team.
The Kusari platform, described as a "GPS for navigating supply chain issues," is designed to empower chief information security officers and DevOps teams. It provides clarity on the software risks organizations face and offers automated solutions to address them. By leveraging the open-source project Guac, Kusari can identify the most-used components in a software supply chain, detect risky dependencies, and trace the origins of exploits.
What sets Kusari apart in the competitive supply chain security solutions landscape is its open-source plus SaaS business model. The company plans to introduce a ChatGPT-like chatbot for interacting with Guac, further enhancing the user experience.
Looking forward, Kusari is focusing on building a lean, expert-driven team to ensure the swift rollout of its platform, targeting a release later this year. Despite some challenges posed by the current economic slowdown, Kusari's unique proposition and commitment to leveraging the latest open-source technology position it as a formidable player in the realm of software supply chain security.