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§ Private Profile · Chicago, IL, USA
Network Perception is a technology company.
Network Perception delivers a proactive network visibility platform tailored for Operational Technology (OT) environments. This non-invasive solution continuously assesses security risks, identifies high-risk configurations, and ensures compliance. It provides deep insight into network segmentation and access paths, assuring vital industrial assets.
The company was founded by David Nicol, Edmond Rogers, Mouna Bamba, Robin Berthier, and William Sanders, with Robin Berthier as CEO. Its origins trace to a Department of Energy-funded research project. Founders identified a critical need for intuitive network access visibility to fortify national infrastructure security, which prompted their specialized platform's development.
Operators of critical infrastructure leverage Network Perception's product to maintain secure and resilient OT networks. The company's vision centers on empowering these organizations with continuous security assurance for their most vital operational assets. This methodology safeguards industrial control systems, ensuring uninterrupted, safe functioning against evolving cyber threats.
Network Perception has raised $15.7M across 2 funding rounds.
Network Perception has raised $15.7M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Network Perception is a cybersecurity technology company specializing in operational technology (OT) network visualization and risk assessment. Its flagship product, NP-View, is a lightweight, non-invasive platform that automatically maps network topologies, verifies segmentation, identifies misconfigurations, and ensures compliance without agents, sensors, or internet connectivity[1][2][3][6]. The company serves critical infrastructure sectors including utilities, oil & gas, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, and financial services, solving the problem of invisible network risks in OT environments where outdated diagrams and accidental connections between critical and non-critical zones expose assets to breaches[1][2][4]. Launched in 2014 from University of Illinois research, it achieved rapid growth—doubling customers annually, expanding to over 100 clients across North America, Europe, and Australia, and securing $2.73 million in seed funding—before its acquisition by Dragos in October 2024, enhancing industrial cyber defense[2][4][6].
Network Perception emerged from government-funded research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, founded in 2014 (with operations scaling from 2015) by a team of cybersecurity experts focused on critical infrastructure protection[2][4][5]. Co-founder and CEO Robin Berthier, alongside the research team, developed the idea to address OT network blind spots, where even experts struggle with complex configurations and compliance in industrial control systems[1][5]. Early traction came from products like NP-View (desktop/server modes for static analysis) and NP-Live (real-time mapping), which visualized traffic flows between trusted (OT) and untrusted (IT) zones[3][4]. Pivotal moments included relocating from Champaign to Chicago in 2017, growing from part-time researchers to over 20 employees (and up to 85 per some reports), and riding post-Colonial Pipeline attack demand in 2021, culminating in the 2024 Dragos acquisition to integrate NP-View into broader OT threat platforms[4][5][6].
Network Perception stands out in OT cybersecurity through these key strengths:
Network Perception rides the surging demand for OT cybersecurity amid rising nation-state and ransomware threats to critical infrastructure, as seen in incidents like Colonial Pipeline, where poor segmentation enabled devastating impacts[4]. Its timing aligns with regulatory pressures (e.g., NERC-CIP audits) and the IT/OT convergence, where legacy industrial networks lack visibility against sophisticated attacks[1][6]. Market forces like expanding ICS exposure, supply chain vulnerabilities, and zero-trust mandates favor its non-invasive approach, differentiating from agent-heavy competitors like Nozomi or ExtraHop[2][6]. Post-acquisition, it influences the ecosystem by embedding segmentation analysis into Dragos' platform, standardizing defensible architectures across electric, oil & gas, and manufacturing, while NP-View remains standalone to broaden adoption[6].
With Dragos integration, Network Perception's tech will power dual-layer OT defenses—combining configuration modeling with traffic monitoring—positioning it for explosive growth in a $10B+ industrial cybersecurity market amid escalating threats[6]. Trends like AI-driven ICS attacks, stricter global regs, and hybrid IT/OT environments will amplify demand for its verification tools, potentially expanding to new sectors via Dragos' reach. Its influence may evolve from niche visualizer to core component in enterprise platforms, enabling proactive resiliency at scale. This acquisition cements Network Perception's legacy: transforming OT blind spots into transparent, compliant fortresses, much like its founding mission to safeguard mission-critical assets.
Network Perception has raised $15.7M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $13.0M Series A in April 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2022 | $13M Series A | The Westly Group | Benchmark, Energize Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, H.I.G. Capital, Colin Bryant, NewView Capital, Energy Foundry, Okapi Venture Capital, SaaS Ventures, Serra Ventures | Announced |
| Dec 14, 2020 | $2.7M Seed | Energy Foundry, Jeff Bocan, ROB Schultz | Early Light Ventures, Illinois Ventures, SaaS Ventures, Service Provider Capital | Announced |
Network Perception has raised $15.7M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Network Perception's investors include The Westly Group, Benchmark, Energize Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, H.I.G. Capital, Colin Bryant, NewView Capital, Energy Foundry, Okapi Venture Capital, SaaS Ventures, Serra Ventures, Jeff Bocan.