Kikimora.io: Redefining Cybersecurity in an Era of Increasing Digital Threats

Recognized by Sifted as among the top 30 fastest-developing startups in Europe for 2023, Kikimora.io has more than doubled its revenue since receiving investment from IMPETUS Capital in 2022, now trusted by leading enterprises and critical infrastructure providers across multiple sectors.

Kikimora.io's journey exemplifies what's possible when deep technical expertise meets unwavering execution. The company's innovative approach to vulnerability management has earned its founder, Krasimir Kotsev, recognition among Bulgaria's Top 100 IT Leaders and a Forbes 30 Under 30 award for innovation in cybersecurity.

"The cybersecurity landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace," says Kotsev. "Our mission at Kikimora.io is simple—help businesses move from a reactive to a proactive security approach, where they can prevent attacks rather than respond to them. Seeing organizations cut through the noise and focus on real threats is what drives us forward every day."

The Kikimora Difference: Turning Chaos into Clarity

Cybersecurity isn't just about identifying vulnerabilities—it's about prioritizing them effectively. As digital attack surfaces expand with the rise of remote work, cloud computing, and AI-driven automation, security teams face an overwhelming flood of alerts. Most organizations are drowning in vulnerabilities, with traditional management tools often lacking effective prioritization, leaving teams reactive rather than proactive.

This is precisely why Kikimora.io exists. The platform enables security teams to:

• Identify and prioritize critical risks based on real-time threat intelligence, transforming raw vulnerability data into actionable intelligence. The Kikimora Smart Score —an AI-driven risk prioritization system—considers real-time exploitability, business impact, and security posture to help teams focus on what matters most.

• Reduce remediation time by 5X through context-based vulnerability intelligence that maps threats to their real-world impact, allowing teams to address the most exploitable vulnerabilities while optimizing resources.

• Continuously scan attack surfaces to provide daily updated security posture, helping organizations stay ahead of potential breaches through enhanced Attack Surface Management that identifies internet-facing vulnerabilities before threat actors can exploit them.

"We've designed Kikimora.io as a strategic enabler that allows businesses to prioritize, act, and stay ahead of attackers," explains Kotsev. "Unlike generic security tools that simply list vulnerabilities, our platform helps teams understand which vulnerabilities are actively exploited, how they impact business-critical assets, and how to fix them in the shortest possible time."

Responding to Today's Threat Landscape

The statistics tell a compelling story about the current cybersecurity crisis: 90% of breaches still exploit known vulnerabilities that organizations failed to patch. Meanwhile, security teams spend too much time on low-risk issues, leaving critical threats unaddressed. This happens despite increasing cybersecurity budgets and growing regulatory pressures from frameworks like NIS2, DORA, and GDPR.

Recent incidents like the Ghost ransomware attacks showcase how threat actors don't necessarily need zero-day vulnerabilities—they simply need to find overlooked security gaps. The Ghost ransomware has infiltrated key infrastructure, healthcare, government, and many other organizations by exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities in systems like Fortinet, ColdFusion, and Exchange.

Kikimora.io addresses these challenges by enabling teams to prioritize security like a business decision. The platform's automated vulnerability correlation maps CVEs to your environment and prioritizes fixes based on exploitability, helping security teams focus on what actually matters instead of drowning in alerts.

A Year of Growth, Innovation & Recognition

Throughout 2023, Kikimora.io has not only expanded its market presence but also elevated its technology with several key breakthroughs:

⚠️The launch of Kikimora Smart Risk Score provides organizations with a vulnerability prioritization mechanism that considers daily exploitability data and infrastructure security hardening, saving up to 50% of the time spent on vulnerability assessment.

🖥️Enhanced Attack Surface Management now performs daily scans for internet-facing vulnerabilities to proactively prevent breaches, with vulnerabilities tracked within the platform and automatically closed when resolved.

🕛Advanced Time-to-Resolve Management allows tenant administrators to define custom TTR for each client based on vulnerability impact, with automatic TTR assignment based on Kikimora Score thresholds and other parameters.

The company has also established strategic partnerships to expand its global footprint, including a collaboration with Cyen, a leading cybersecurity consultancy in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. This partnership extends Kikimora.io's reach across Europe, enabling organizations in the Benelux region to benefit from reliable cybersecurity solutions.

"Together, we'll help companies improve risk management, enhance security, and navigate the ever-changing landscape of regulatory compliance," said Iva Tasheva, one of Europe's leading cybersecurity experts and executive director of Cyen consulting company.

Building from Strong Foundations

Kikimora.io's remarkable growth stems from its clear focus on a critical industry need. When I first met Krasimir Kotsev and the Kikimora.io team, their deep technical expertise and ability to simplify complex cybersecurity challenges stood out. We saw a company that wasn't just keeping up with cybersecurity trends—it was defining them. Their ability to transform raw vulnerability data into actionable intelligence is game-changing. Cybersecurity is no longer just about having tools; it's about having the right insights.

In April 2022, IMPETUS lead Kikimora.io’s seed round with €150k and continued supporting the company through following rounds of financing. Since then, the company has more than doubled its revenue and expands into new markets, including the US, Western Europe and the Middle East.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Cybersecurity with Kikimora.io

As cyber threats continue to evolve, organizations must rethink how they manage vulnerabilities. Kikimora.io is positioned to lead this paradigm shift by combining intelligence, automation, and efficiency to help businesses stay ahead of attackers.

For the Kikimora.io team, this is just the beginning. The company continues to innovate with expanded hardening assessment templates, refined approved software list functionality, support for larger file uploads, and new reporting options that offer both executive and technical formats depending on client needs.

With the explosion of remote work, cloud computing, and AI-driven automation, attack surfaces will only grow larger and more complex. Companies that implement proactive, risk-based vulnerability management will be best positioned to protect their digital assets and build cyber resilience.

"The future of cybersecurity is not just about defense—it's about staying one step ahead," notes Kotsev. "Cybersecurity is my true passion, and it inspires me to continue forward. I encourage all entrepreneurs with ambition to develop something meaningful not to stop in front of limitations. If you have the motivation and desire to create something, just do it."

Kikimora.io serves clients across finance, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and other sectors where cybersecurity is not just an IT priority but a business survival strategy. For more information about how Kikimora.io can help your organization prioritize vulnerabilities effectively and strengthen your security posture, contact the team for a personalized demo today.