DeNexus

Operational technology (OT) systems have always been built for resilience, ensuring operations never stop. However, decades ago, that goal was always fortifying against physical bad actors rather than cyber threats. Originally built to operate in isolation, factory systems were never meant to face the internet, support remote access, or withstand relentless cyber threats.

Now, as these legacy systems become increasingly integrated and networked, they face exposure that their original designers never anticipated. The result is a growing challenge: industrial cyber risk, a threat that conventional IT security can’t solve.

Six years ago, Jose M Seara, CEO and founder of DeNexus, was on the receiving end of these very risks.

“I was running a company with OT infrastructures that were exposed to industrial cyber risks and grew frustrated by the absence of effective cyber risk management tools to measure, manage, and mitigate that risk,” says Seara. “That pain point became the foundation for DeNexus’ creation.”

Since its inception, DeNexus has helped Global 1000 companies reduce their cyber risk through DeRISK™. This is an evidence-based, full-stack cyber risk quantification platform that translates cyber threats into financial terms, enabling end-to-end risk management for industrial organizations. It gives them clear visibility into their facilities' cyber exposure and quantifies both the likelihood and economic impact of potential incidents. The platform also enables them to prioritize mitigation efforts based on ROI and business goals efficiently.

Cyber Risk Quantified. Decisions Backed By Data

For industrial companies, effective cyber risk management hinges on making the right call—whether to avoid, mitigate, transfer, or accept each risk. But prioritizing the right actions requires clarity, not guesswork. DeNexus delivers that clarity through data, powered by DeRISK^™.

Most platforms spread themselves too thin, but DeRISK^™ is purpose-built for industrial OT infrastructures to untangle the complex, interdependent risks unique to industrial systems.

That focus fuels clarity. DeNexus gathers high-fidelity data directly from its customers’ OT networks to understand network topology, devices, vulnerabilities, and existing cybersecurity controls. Leveraging this data, the platform runs advanced simulations to model how threat actors could exploit those environments, quantifying the likelihood of attacks that result in real-world loss events, not just breaches, but tangible operational or financial impact.

With clarity comes precision. While most cyber risk platforms offer a one-size-fits-all score, DeNexus quantifies risk where it matters by building financial impact models tailored to the realities of power generation (including generation, transmission, and distribution), manufacturing, AI-driven data centers, and critical transportation hubs like airports. The company also enables the insurance industry to understand risks better and help develop customized insurance products for industrial cyber risk, pricing them accurately.

In these industries, cyber risk is a low-frequency, high-impact threat—rare but potentially catastrophic— requiring a strategic mix of mitigation and risk transfer.

“We help facility owners understand efficient mitigation and transfer options by showing how their risk evolves and simulating different strategies for financial efficiency,” says Seara.

Quantifying And Managing Cyber Risk Across Manufacturing Facilities

That need for visibility and financial clarity is precisely what led one global manufacturer to DeNexus.

A global industrial manufacturer struggled with limited visibility and financial understanding of cyber risks in its OT environments. Despite standard cybersecurity investments, leadership lacked quantified loss estimates, making it challenging to justify budgets, communicate with executives and insurers, or prioritize vulnerabilities.

To overcome this, they deployed the DeRISK^™ platform at two major facilities. One in the U.S. ($400M revenue) and one in Europe ($200M revenue). The platform ingested real-time OT telemetry and ran Bayesian/MCMC simulations to quantify Annual Expected Loss (AEL), Value-at-Risk (VaR), pinpoint top loss drivers (ransomware, phishing, OT vulnerability exploits), model mitigation measures, and align risk profiles with insurance and compliance needs.

Post-deployment, the U.S. site saw AEL rise from $609,000 to $1.4 million and 99-year VaR from $32 million to $76 million, revealing hidden exposure. The European site achieved an eight percent reduction in AEL and a 28 percent drop in 1-in-20-year VaR, proving that targeted detection upgrades deliver a measurable financial benefit. Overall, DeRISK™ enabled the company to transform risk into profit centers, prioritize high ROI cybersecurity investments, and improve executive and insurer alignment.

Turning risk into clear financial insight takes more than technology; it requires top-tier talent.

Building With The Right People

DeNexus has built its structure around the people who drive its mission, operating from three main hubs that bring together talent, expertise, and execution. In Boston, the company houses its corporate operations along with go-to-market teams, including presales and customer success. Its technology hub is in Madrid, where a strong team of software engineers, AI and machine learning engineers, data scientists, and data engineers work on advancing DeRISK^™.

Since the platform revolves around moving and analyzing data using advanced analytics and AI, this depth of talent in Madrid is critical to the company’s capabilities. Meanwhile, DeNexus taps into London’s status as a global insurance hub, stationing a dedicated team there to work closely with insurers on innovative risk transfer solutions.

Such a world-class team spanning the globe positions DeNexus on the cusp of its next growth chapter.

Gearing Up For The Next Leap

Over the next 18 to 24 months, the company will expand into new industry verticals, adding oil and gas and building automation to the four sectors it currently serves. At the same time, it is developing new products tailored to the (re)insurance industry, building technology to address the massive aggregation of risks that reinsurers need to manage.

From a business standpoint, DeNexus is shifting from its early-stage startup phase into a more robust, scaling organization. Backed by corporate and financial investors and following its Series A in August 2024, the company is now deploying that capital to grow in line with its Series A to Series B trajectory, setting the stage for its next financing round next year.

This momentum reflects the company’s DNA: a founder-driven drive to rewrite how industrial firms manage cyber risk. What started as one leader’s search for answers has become the world’s only purpose-built platform for quantifying cyber risk in OT environments. By transforming unseen industrial threats into clear financial insights, DeNexus empowers companies to take control, manage and transfer risk with confidence, and build resilience in an increasingly connected and unpredictable world.