Participated · Seed · Feb 2026

Founded in 2025 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, Hardshell provides data-layer security for artificial intelligence systems, focusing on protecting proprietary and regulated datasets before models are trained. Unlike many AI security tools that monitor models post-deployment, Hardshell stops threats at the source, preventing corrupted or exposed data from creating downstream vulnerabilities. The platform is aimed at high-trust sectors such as healthcare and defense, where data privacy and regulatory compliance are critical hurdles to AI adoption. Co-founders Hunter Moore (CTO) and Andrew Schoka (CEO) leverage extensive backgrounds in defense, cybersecurity, and AI research to build the product. The company has participated in accelerator programs including the Batten Institute i.Lab Incubator, Starburst National Landing Launchpad, Lighthouse Network, and the 434 Accelerator. Fresh capital will support expanded engineering efforts and go-to-market activities to grow its customer base. No operating metrics such as revenue or user counts were disclosed in the article.