Intent-aware endpoint security company Ent on Tuesday emerged from stealth mode with $100 million in seed funding to build a new layer of workspace security that interprets user and agent behavior before risky actions are finalized.
The funding round was led by Decibel, with Sequoia, Crosspoint Capital, Craft Ventures, Shield Capital, Felicis, and In-Q-Tel also investing. The investment will be used to expand engineering and go-to-market operations while accelerating the development of Ent technology.
The San Francisco-based enterprise was established by cybersecurity veterans Elias Manousos and Brandon Dixon. The co-founders previously created RiskIQ, which Microsoft acquired, and subsequently contributed to the launch of Microsoft Security Copilot.
According to Ent, its core platform addresses limitations in traditional endpoint detection and response tools, which typically log and respond to malicious events only after they have occurred.
The company noted that modern enterprise risks frequently resemble legitimate work activities, especially as autonomous AI agents increasingly execute automated workflows across corporate environments.
To counteract these threats, Ent deploys a lightweight software agent that introduces real-time AI reasoning directly to the endpoint device.
The technology continuously evaluates the behavioral patterns of both human users and agents at the moment of operation, enforcing custom corporate policies and triggering automated interventions before an incident occurs.
Ent works with the customer’s existing security stack, aiming to extend EDR, SIEM, SOAR, and IAM solutions.
“Security has been stuck in a reactive loop for over a decade, but AI-powered attacks require new thinking,” said Manousos, who serves as Ent’s CEO. “AI is changing both how people work and how quickly attackers can act. What once took days now happens in seconds. By the time traditional security systems detect a problem, it is too late. We believe the future of security lies in understanding intent in real time across people and AI agents and stopping risk before it becomes an incident.”
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