Cybersecurity threats are accelerating, prompting organizations to shift from reactive defenses to proactive vulnerability management. Operating from Dubai and San Francisco, Horizon3.ai reported a 102% year-over-year increase in annual recurring revenue (ARR) for its FY2026 reporting period. The growth is driven by heavy enterprise and Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) adoption of its flagship product, NodeZero, an autonomous AI pentesting platform.
Quick Facts
- 102% year-over-year ARR growth achieved globally.
- 125% net dollar retention across customer base.
- 70% of clients serviced via security partners.
Scaling Autonomous Security Through MSSPs
A major driver of Horizon3.ai’s expansion is its strategic channel partnerships. Approximately 70% of the company’s customers are currently serviced through MSSPs. These partners use NodeZero to provide continuous validation services, which subsequently opens the door for higher-margin offerings like threat hunting, SOC optimization, and remediation.
“MSSPs play a critical role, especially in international markets where local relationships and trust matter,” said Snehal Antani, CEO and Co-Founder of Horizon3.ai.
Antani noted that this channel-heavy approach enables global scaling while giving partners the tools to build sustainable, high-value service portfolios.
Addressing the Middle East Cybersecurity Environment
The necessity for continuous pentesting is particularly urgent in the Middle East and Africa, where rapid digital operations meet complex geopolitical realities.
“Cybersecurity has never been more critical, fuelled by the rapid evolution of AI and an increasingly volatile geopolitical environment,” noted Tamer Odeh, Middle East and Africa Regional Lead at Horizon3.ai.
Odeh emphasized that organizations must adopt proactive measures to protect their IT infrastructure. The primary challenge for defenders is identifying which vulnerabilities are genuinely exploitable and executing targeted actions that yield the highest impact.
Autonomous Execution in Production Environments
Rather than relying on simulated environments, NodeZero operates by executing real-world, production-safe pentests. The platform has autonomously completed over 225,000 assessments across diverse sectors, including healthcare, financial services, defense, and manufacturing.
NodeZero functions by chaining multi-domain attack paths. It identifies exploitable weaknesses across web applications, cloud environments, Active Directory, and identity systems that standard manual approaches frequently miss.
“The future isn’t humans reacting to AI-driven attacks. It’s AI fighting AI, with humans directing by exception,” Antani added.
The company’s growth aligns with increasing global cyber activity, including recent advisories from Horizon3.ai regarding nation-state threats targeting critical infrastructure. By deploying machine-speed defense mechanisms, organizations can actively disrupt attack paths before adversaries execute their campaigns.
About Horizon3.ai
Headquartered in San Francisco with operations in Dubai, Horizon3.ai develops an AI-native proactive security platform designed to continuously verify and harden enterprise defenses. Founded by former U.S. Special Operations members and industry veterans, the company serves four of the Fortune 10, global financial institutions, and the U.S. Defense Industrial Base.
Source: Zawya
