CyberUpgrade

High-Level Overview

CyberUpgrade is a Lithuanian cybersecurity startup offering a proactive ICT security and cyber compliance automation platform that converts theoretical "paper security" into practical business resilience.[1][3][4] It automates up to 95% of security and compliance tasks, including vendor management, risk assessment, auditing, and personnel management, using proprietary tools like CoreGuardian and AI-powered CoPilot, while supporting frameworks such as DORA, NIS2, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR.[1][4][5] The platform serves SMBs, midmarket teams, MSPs, financial institutions, fintechs, healthcare providers, and scale-ups, solving the problem of manual compliance burdens and cyber risks through features like vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, employee training, and integrations with over 80 services (e.g., Google Workspace, AWS, Salesforce).[1][2][5] With ~€3.15M in funding and rapid growth to 45,000 paid customers by 2024, CyberUpgrade demonstrates strong momentum, though it rebranded to Copla in 2025 to emphasize its AI-native approach.[2][5][6]

Origin Story

Founded in 2018 (per some records) or 2023 (per others) in Vilnius, Lithuania (with an address in Elektrėnai), CyberUpgrade emerged from the need to simplify cybersecurity for organizations lacking in-house expertise.[1][2][5] CEO Aurimas Bakas, a seasoned figure in the space, leads the company, which started as a digital security plugin suite and patch management API before pivoting to a full-stack security-as-a-service SaaS platform in 2021.[2][6] Key milestones include seed funding and a threat-detection beta in 2019, AWS partnerships and international expansion in 2020, AI assistant "UpLink" launch in 2023, €650k pre-seed in February 2024, and €2.5M seed in 2025 from investors like Superhero Capital, Specialist VC, NGL Ventures, and angels including Pipedrive's former CEO.[2][4][5][6] Early traction focused on automating audits via Slack/Teams-integrated "copilot" tools, humanizing the mission to deliver Fortune 500-level protection without large teams.[6] The 2025 rebrand to Copla marked a strategic shift toward fully autonomous, AI-driven compliance.[5]

Core Differentiators

• AI-Powered Automation: CoreGuardian and CoPilot (or UpLink) enable real-time governance, explainable AI for audits, and zero-human-intervention goals, automating 95% of tasks like evidence collection and risk evaluations—outpacing competitors like Vanta in EU-centric, fractional CISO services.[1][5][6]
• Modular, Hybrid Platform: Combines user management, risk monitoring, workflow automations, and 80+ integrations (e.g., Microsoft 365, GitHub, Stripe) with SAML/SCIM support for seamless deployment across cloud infrastructures.[2]
• Compliance Breadth and Accessibility: Supports 30+ frameworks (DORA, NIS2, SOC 2) with vulnerability scanning, pentesting, and training, tailored for SMBs/MSPs via subscription SaaS, turning complex regs into simple, scalable resilience.[1][4][5]
• Developer and User Experience: Open API, pre-built connectors, and marketplace for modular services ensure speed, ease, and productivity gains, with strong growth via MSP certifications and 45,000 customers.[2]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

CyberUpgrade rides the wave of escalating cyber threats, regulatory pressures (e.g., NIS2, DORA), and AI-driven digital transformation, where SMBs and scale-ups face audit overload without CISO teams.[1][5][6] Timing is ideal amid 2025's emphasis on trustable automation and decentralized SaaS, as EU data sovereignty and global compliance demands intensify—positioning it favorably in defense, finance, health, and industrial sectors.[1][2] Market forces like rising attacks and AI adoption favor its pivot to autonomous tools, influencing the ecosystem by democratizing enterprise-grade security, enabling MSPs to scale services, and fostering AI-native compliance standards that reduce human error across Europe and beyond.[5][6]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

CyberUpgrade (now Copla) is poised for expansion as an AI compliance leader, targeting full autonomy in governance and broader compliance management while scaling globally via partnerships and its €3.15M war chest.[5][6] Trends like AI orchestration, real-time threat detection, and EU regs will propel growth, potentially evolving its influence toward a comprehensive deep-tech platform for regulated industries. This builds on its origins, transforming "paper security" into a scalable shield against tomorrow's threats.[1][6]