TLDR: Maro, a cognitive security platform company, has successfully raised $4.3 million in seed funding from Downing Capital Group. This investment will fuel team growth, product development, and go-to-market strategies for their platform, which aims to proactively manage human risk in cybersecurity, including social engineering, insider threats, human error, and ungoverned AI usage.
NEW YORK – Maro, a pioneering cognitive security platform, announced on July 24, 2025, the successful closure of a $4.3 million seed funding round led by Downing Capital Group. This significant investment is earmarked to accelerate team expansion, enhance product development, and execute a robust go-to-market strategy for Maro’s innovative platform.
Maro’s platform is designed to empower security leaders by proactively addressing human risk, a critical and often overlooked vulnerability in cybersecurity. The company’s solution focuses on mitigating threats stemming from social engineering, insider threats, human error, and the increasingly prevalent issue of ungoverned AI usage within organizations. According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), breaches involving a human element account for a staggering 60% of incidents, underscoring the urgent need for solutions like Maro’s.
The platform distinguishes itself by dynamically intervening in real-time to prevent cognitive risks from escalating into security or compliance incidents. It provides security teams with immediate visibility into workforce behaviors and intentions, reinforcing secure practices in the workflow through use-case-level policy enforcement. This approach moves beyond traditional annual training or rigid policies, integrating security guidance directly into the browser where most work occurs.
Jesse Downing, CEO at Downing Capital Group, commented on the investment, stating, ‘When stress levels are high and attackers use that opportunity to manipulate your workforce into taking risky actions, Maro protects how people think, decide, and act.’ He further highlighted the founding team’s expertise: ‘Maro’s founding team has deep cybersecurity experience solving human-focused problems, working together across three companies, including several with successful exits.’
Maro was founded in late 2024 by Jadon Montero, Gwen Betts, and Jen Andre, a seasoned cybersecurity founder team boasting over 40 years of combined experience in building and scaling category-defining security companies. Jadon Montero, Maro’s CEO, is recognized for his extensive experience in designing and bringing innovative security solutions to market, including SOAR and EASM.
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The company has already engaged with over 50 CISOs and CIOs across various sectors, including fintech, healthcare, and retail, who have identified ungoverned AI use, insider threats, and social engineering as their top concerns. Maro aims to provide a solution that reduces human risk without impeding workflow, bringing security directly into the flow of everyday decisions.
