Austria’s former chancellor Sebastian Kurz has raised$ 100 million for his Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity startup, Dream, the company said on Monday.
That amount increases the company’s pricing to$ 1.1 billion “officially making Fantasy a unicorn”, the company announced.
Kurz founded the company in 2023 with two companions. A unicorn company is a privately-owned start-up firm valued at more than$ 1 billion that is not listed on a stock market.
Dream is dedicated to using artificial intelligence ( AI ) to protect the crucial infrastructure of governments and businesses. It has about 150 employees working at its Israeli office as well as its branches in Vienna and Abu Dhabi.
The new funding is intended to promote growth, especially in the US and South America.
Many nations are faced with the difficult task of defending themselves against an ever-increasing number of extremely complex problems using antiquated systems of their own, Kurz said in a press release.
The “best attackers in the world” are developing AI-based solutions for his business, he continued.
Kurz resigned as head of a coalition of Austria’s conservative People’s Party ( ÖVP ) and the Greens in 2021 amid corruption investigations by the public prosecutor’s office. The 38-year-old denies the claims.
Shortly after, he even stepped down as ÖVP president and left politics entirely.
In Austria, there is rumor about whether Kurz will transfer to the social scene. It is believed that his political chances won’t be hampered by his success as an investor.