Cybersecurity startup Kontext has raised $4 million to expand a runtime security platform built for AI agents. The round was led by 42CAP, with participation from a16z CSX and HTGF.
Kontext was founded by Jens Ernstberger and Michel Osswald, who bring backgrounds in secure computing, applied cryptography and AI systems. The company's software sits between AI agents and the tools or systems those agents interact with, evaluating each requested action in real time against security policies and risk signals — factoring in the agent's identity, the action requested, the target resource and the assigned task.
The stated problem: an agent can be properly authenticated and using an approved tool, yet still take an action nobody authorized. As agents move from producing text to operating software directly — writing code, accessing files, using company credentials — Kontext argues organizations need a control point at the moment of action, not just at login.
Teams can first run Kontext in observe mode to see how agents behave and how policies would apply without interrupting workflows. Once enforcement is turned on, the platform can block unauthorized actions before execution and keep an auditable record of each decision.
The new funding will go toward expanding the engineering team and continuing development of the runtime enforcement platform to support customers deploying agents with more autonomy.