F5 said the deal is expected to close in its fourth-quarter fiscal year 2025, which concludes at the end of this month.
App security company F5 has announced today (11 September) its intention to acquire Irish-led US start-up CalypsoAI for $180m.
F5 hopes to integrate the start-up’s AI security capabilities – including real-time threat defence, red-teaming tests and data security – into its Application Delivery and Security Platform as part of its goal of creating the “most complete solution for securing AI inference”.
“AI is redefining enterprise architecture – and the attack surface companies must defend,” said F5 president and CEO, François Locoh-Donou. “Traditional firewalls and point solutions can’t keep up. The addition of CalypsoAI will give enterprises the confidence to innovate faster and better protect critical data as they rely on F5 to deliver and secure apps, APIs and AI models across their environment.”
As part of the deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions, F5 will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of CalypsoAI. The deal is expected to close in F5’s fourth-quarter fiscal year 2025, which concludes at the end of this month.
CalypsoAI, which was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Dublin and New York, is led by two Irishmen: CEO Donnchadh Casey and director and chief technology officer James White.
The start-up’s flagship product is its Inference Platform, which, according to CalpysoAI, provides companies real-time visibility and enforcement at decision-making points.
Earlier this year, the start-up secured $5m in funding after making it to the final round of cybersecurity innovation competition RSAC 2025 Innovation Sandbox after showcasing the platform. The company was named as a top-two finalist at the conclusion of the competition later that month.
According to the company, the platform continuously tests, observes and defends AI systems in both training and post-training environments, helping security leaders stay ahead of threats, meet governance requirements and scale AI responsibly.
“Enterprises want to move fast with AI while reducing the risk of data leaks, unsafe outputs or compliance failures,” said Casey. “Our customers rely on us to pressure test AI systems at scale, set inference layer guardrails that adapt as models change, and to gain visibility and auditability across their AI estate.
“F5 and CalypsoAI are more than the sum of their parts: high-performance application delivery and AI security that enable businesses to deliver innovation faster without increasing risk.”
CalypsoAI cemented its presence in Ireland in June 2023, when it opened a Dublin centre of excellence and announced plans to more than double its Ireland-based headcount.
In October 2024, the start-up announced plans to double its Ireland-based headcount again from 50 to 100 professionals.
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