Virtru secures $50 million investment to advance data-centric security standards

Virtru, a Washington, D.C.-based data security company that developed technology now used by U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, has raised $50 million in funding as organizations seek new ways to protect sensitive information in an era of artificial intelligence adoption.

The Series D round, led by investment firm ICONIQ with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Foundry, and The Chertoff Group, doubles the company’s valuation to $500 million. The funding reflects growing demand for data protection solutions that can secure information as it moves between organizations and systems.

Virtru’s technology centers on the Trusted Data Format (TDF), an open standard that embeds security controls directly into data files rather than relying on traditional perimeter defenses. The approach, which the company refers to as “microsecurity,” allows data to move across the internet with extra protections, regardless of where it goes.

The TDF standard was developed by Virtru co-founder Will Ackerly during his tenure at the National Security Agency. It has since been adopted as the data protection standard for national defense and intelligence missions across the United States and allied nations, according to the company.

More than 6,000 organizations now use Virtru’s platform, including major financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, and Equifax, as well as technology companies like Salesforce and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The funding comes as organizations grapple with new security challenges posed by AI systems, which can process and analyze vast amounts of data across different platforms and boundaries. 

Current data security approaches typically fall into two categories: internal controls that protect data within an organization’s systems, and external sharing tools that often sacrifice security for convenience. Virtru’s approach attempts to bridge this gap by embedding security directly into data files themselves.

“The evolution toward data security platforms that combine granular policy controls with real-time protection represents a fundamental shift in how organizations must approach data-centric security,” said Andrew Bales, senior principal analyst at Gartner. “The market is clearly moving toward solutions that provide persistent protection that travels with the data itself.”

The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate global adoption of the TDF standard, expand protection for AI and analytics workflows, and scale solutions for defense and critical infrastructure customers.

“This is a pivotal moment not just for Virtru, but for global security architecture,” said John Ackerly, CEO and co-founder of the company. “From day one, Virtru’s mission has been to unlock the full value of data by ensuring it remains under your control, everywhere it travels. AI represents a seismic shift in business workflows, dramatically amplifying the need for precise, data-centric security that moves seamlessly with data across all boundaries. This funding is a seminal moment as we continue to scale Virtru and make TDF the open platform of choice for data-centric security.”