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Square8 buys Switzerland's Korix to secure its AI workers

What's the deal? Square8Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired the technology and team of KorixDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Swiss cybersecurity company based in Canton Schwyz, in a transaction with undisclosed terms. Korix provides phishing simulations, security-awareness training and exposure scans. Square8 builds a platform for creating AI workers that read emails, open documents and act in company systems.

Why now? The deal lands just weeks after Square8 launched its AI-worker platform. As AI agents take on more tasks, they face the same threats as humans — including prompt injection, which tricks models into breaking security rules.

What's the endgame? Korix's technology will be folded into Square8, with the stated aim of making every AI worker more secure. That means restricted access to authorised systems only, human approval for sensitive actions, and a reviewable audit trail. Data is processed in Switzerland and the EU.

The hire: The four-person Korix team — Gabi Yoon, Fabio Vettiger, Janos Kreissl and Ravi Mishra — will join Square8. Kora, the Korix AI cybersecurity agent, becomes Square8's AI worker for security, carrying over what the team has learned about real attacks.

"Once you give AI the ability to act outside isolated environments, just like humans, they are prone to the same attack vectors — including phishing attacks," said Philippe Sahli, chief executive officer and cofounder of Square8.

The signal: The purchase fits a wider 2026 rush to build security into enterprise AI agents, with CrowdStrike buying Fiddler AI and Dreadnode, and Palo Alto Networks acquiring Koi. Square8's move is small and focused, repurposing human-centred tools to guard autonomous software; its payoff hinges on how well that translation works.

Read more: startupticker.ch

Image credit: Welcome to Switzerland backstage!

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