# Stairwell

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/stairwell  
**Vertical:** Cybersecurity  
**Subcategory:** Threat Intelligence  
**Tier:** 2  
**Website:** stairwell.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

Stairwell raised $69.5M ($45M Series B); AI threat detection with Inception and Stairwell Core products; backed by Accel, Sequoia; founded by Google VirusTotal creator.

## Company Overview

Stairwell is a cybersecurity company that builds automated threat detection and response technology designed to identify sophisticated attackers that evade traditional defenses. Founded in 2019 by Mike Wiacek, the creator of Google's VirusTotal threat intelligence platform, Stairwell brings a novel approach to malware detection: instead of relying on known signatures or behavioral rules, the platform continuously reassesses files against an evolving understanding of attacker techniques.

The company's flagship product, Inception, provides organizations with a private environment to collect, store, and continuously analyze executable files and binaries. Stairwell Core, launched in late 2024, offers precision detection with complete data privacy — allowing organizations to privately inventory their executables and receive high-fidelity threat intelligence without exposing sensitive data to third parties. This architecture is particularly valuable for government, defense, and critical infrastructure customers who cannot share file samples with external vendors.

Stairwell has raised $69.5 million across three rounds, including a $45 million Series B backed by Accel, Sequoia Capital, Gradient Ventures, and S32, with angel investors including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. In 2025, the company appointed Emmy Linder as CEO to drive its next phase of AI-powered security innovation. Stairwell's approach addresses the fundamental limitation of traditional threat intelligence — the inability to catch attackers using novel, previously unseen techniques.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does Stairwell do?
Stairwell builds automated threat detection and response technology that continuously reassesses files and executables to identify sophisticated malware and attacker techniques that evade traditional signature-based defenses.

### What is Stairwell Inception?
Inception is Stairwell's flagship product — a private platform where organizations can collect, store, and continuously reassess executable files and binaries. It builds a living inventory of an organization's software and detects malicious files that other tools miss.

### What is Stairwell Core?
Stairwell Core, launched in December 2024, is a precision detection product that allows organizations to privately collect and continuously analyze executables with complete data privacy, enabling high-fidelity threat intelligence without exposing sensitive file data to external parties.

### Who founded Stairwell?
Stairwell was founded in 2019 by Mike Wiacek, who previously created VirusTotal at Google — one of the world's most widely used threat intelligence platforms. The founding team brings deep expertise in malware analysis and large-scale security data.

### How much has Stairwell raised?
Stairwell has raised $69.5 million across three rounds: a $4.5M seed, a $20M Series A, and a $45M Series B. Investors include Accel, Sequoia Capital, Gradient Ventures, and S32, with angel investors including Eric Schmidt.

### Who is Stairwell's CEO?
In July 2025, Stairwell appointed Emmy Linder as CEO to lead the company's next phase of growth and advance its AI-driven security platform.

### What makes Stairwell different from traditional threat intelligence?
Traditional threat intelligence relies on known malware signatures and behavioral rules, which sophisticated attackers can evade. Stairwell continuously reassesses files using an evolving understanding of attacker techniques, catching novel threats that signature-based systems miss.

### Who are Stairwell's target customers?
Stairwell targets enterprises and government organizations facing advanced persistent threats, particularly those in regulated industries — defense, critical infrastructure, financial services, and healthcare — where data privacy prevents sharing file samples with external vendors.

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*