Mobile security startup Seworks raises $8.2 million from SoftBank, Qualcomm, Samsung, others

Seworks, a mobile security startup that serves to protect apps from hacks, has raised $8.2 million in a Series A round from SoftBank Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Samsung Ventures, Smilegate Investment, and Wonik Investment Partners.

Founded out of San Francisco in 2013 by a “globally famous” team of white-hat hackers, Seworks’ main customer-facing brand is actually AppSolid, a product that developers use to scan and diagnose any vulnerabilities within their apps and to monitor the security status in real time. It’s designed to protect apps from decompiling, tampering, being duplicated, and more, and it promises binary protection once the app has been finished, saving the developer from having to carry out separate coding to bolster the security.

Launched globally back in March, Seworks now claims to have clients across the U.S., Europe, and Asia in a number of industries, such as commerce and games, but it didn’t divulge any names.

Prior to its Series A, Seworks had raised a $2 million seed round from Qualcomm and SoftBank, among others, and the company will use its latest cash influx to “accelerate global sales and marketing activities,” according to a company statement.

“Our team understands both perspectives of attackers and defenders,” said Min Pyo Hong, founder and CEO. “That’s why we are able to provide such an advanced mobile app security solution for developers. We are constantly researching new hacking attacks so we can come up with creative and effective ways to block them.”

The funding actually encompasses two tranches —  including a previously unannounced $3 million chunk last year from Softbank Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, and Samsung Ventures, with Smilegate Investment and Wonik Investment Partners joining the fray recently to close the round off.

Meanwhile, you can check out the company’s demo video, which outlines how the product works.