BMW i Ventures has made an investment in Via Science, Inc. (VIA) to strengthen data protection in its products, according to a company announcement.
Kasper Sage, managing partner of BMW i Ventures, highlighted the growing importance of securing data as software-defined vehicles, robots, and edge devices become more prevalent. “Securing data flows between sensors, onboard systems, agents, and external networks is more critical than ever,” Sage said in a press release. “VIA is paving the way for real-time communication across trusted systems and more resilient mobility solutions.”
BMW emphasized that traditional cybersecurity companies typically focus on network segmentation and passwords, which may overlook vulnerabilities in data access and trust mechanisms. In contrast, VIA offers mission-specific security solutions with a decentralized architecture that separates data protection from storage and transport, ensuring secure access and privacy for authorized users.
Colin Gounden, co-founder and CEO of VIA, explained that decentralized, passwordless Web3 solutions are increasingly necessary for securing data transfers across various systems, teams, external partners, machines, and AI agents. “This funding will accelerate the adoption of our technology platform in enterprise environments,” he added.
The investment is part of VIA’s oversubscribed Series B funding round, which raised $28 million. VIA’s Web3 data protection solutions aim to ensure that all transactions are verified, protected, and auditable, regardless of where the data resides.
Kate Ravanis, co-founder and COO of VIA, noted that their quantum-secure, passwordless solutions can be deployed quickly in demanding environments, with continuous checks for vulnerabilities across their entire software stack.
This move follows BMW’s previous statements on data privacy and security. In September 2023, the company responded to a report from the Mozilla Foundation that identified vehicles as a significant risk to consumer data privacy. The report found that OEMs, including BMW, could collect a wide range of personal data, but also noted that BMW was one of the better-performing brands in terms of data privacy. BMW stated that it provides customers with comprehensive data privacy notices and offers options to manage and delete personal information, including the ability to opt out of targeted advertising.
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