The INPACE initiative is set to unveil its innovative concept of Virtual Fairs, marking a new chapter in event experiences.
INPACE Virtual Fair is designed to connect mature European and Indo-Pacific innovations (technologies and products) with Indo-Pacific and European markets, and beyond, through an immersive 3D environment.
Key focus areas: Trustworthy AI, semiconductors & advanced chip technologies, secure IoT & infrastructure protection, digital identities & trust systems, 6G networks & communication infrastructure.
Today, we are excited to highlight DefendSphere, a startup featured in our Virtual Fair, which is reshaping how organisations approach cybersecurity and compliance.
DefendSphere
The service identifies vulnerabilities, assesses risks, and monitors compliance with major standards, including GDPR, NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, and SOC 2, by reducing compliance preparation time from months to days and lowering audit costs by up to 70%
For most small and mid-sized businesses, staying compliant with today’s fast-changing cybersecurity regulations is a losing battle. Even large corporations with dedicated teams struggle to keep up with frameworks like GDPR, DORA, and NIS2. That reality inspired DefendSphere, a new AI-driven cybersecurity compliance SaaS founded by a team of industry professionals.
“Even major banks were finding it hard to stay compliant — smaller businesses had no chance,” says Aleksandr Abalakin, co-founder of DefendSphere. “We wanted to make compliance something that happens automatically, not a painful annual process.”
The idea for DefendSphere emerged when a group of cybersecurity and fintech professionals set out to rethink how small and medium-sized businesses protect their data.
Led by Dmitrii Sakhapov, CEO and certified LAC ISO 27001 specialist with extensive fintech experience, the founding team built the company around a vision of practical, standards-driven cybersecurity.
Later, co-founder Aleksandr Abalakin went on to win a national Cybersecurity Startup Hackathon, validating the team’s approach and helping bring DefendSphere to a wider audience.
The third co-founder, a former Director of Cybersecurity, now leads the platform’s architecture and cybersecurity methodology.
A Continuous, Automated Approach to Compliance
Instead of relying on manual audits, companies and consultants using DefendSphere connect their systems and vendor data directly to the platform. The service then maps vulnerabilities, scores risks, and tracks compliance with major standards, including GDPR, NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, and SOC 2.
Most clients confirm that they see results within the first month. The platform identifies compliance gaps, delivers recommendations, and automates ongoing monitoring — cutting compliance preparation time from months to days and reducing audit costs by up to 70%.
“DefendSphere doesn’t just check boxes,” Abalakin says. “It gives businesses a real-time understanding of their security posture and helps them make decisions based on data, not guesswork.”
Early Traction and Use Cases
The startup is already running pilots across fintech, IT, and professional services. One European fintech customer said DefendSphere helped them link technical vulnerabilities to legal risks — a first for their team. Another client, a music platform recovering from a DDoS attack, credits the system with identifying “previously unnoticed risks” and helping them “rebuild confidence in their protection.”
Beyond individual companies, DefendSphere also extends protection to vendor ecosystems. Its AI monitors supply chains to ensure that partners and third parties maintain compliance, acting as what the founders describe as a “trust engine” across networks.
Scaling Toward a Global Market
Built on a cloud-native, multi-tenant architecture, DefendSphere’s infrastructure can support thousands of concurrent users while maintaining full data isolation and encryption in GDPR-compliant European data centers.
The company is now seeking to raise funding to expand its AI capabilities, strengthen infrastructure, and accelerate market growth in Europe and the U.S., where frameworks like SOC 2 and HIPAA are driving adoption.
DefendSphere’s team is also pursuing partnerships with cybersecurity alliances, compliance consultancies, and institutional investors to scale its platform responsibly. The goal: make AI-powered compliance automation a standard for businesses that lack the in-house expertise to keep up.
A Growing Market for AI-Powered Trust
Cybersecurity compliance automation is becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in enterprise SaaS (Software as a Service), as governments tighten enforcement and regulators expand oversight to include supply chains.
DefendSphere’s founders believe their timing is right. “We’re combining compliance, automation, and AI in a space that’s exploding,” says Abalakin. “Our vision is to make trust verifiable — and to make compliance effortless.”
About DefendSphere
DefendSphere is an AI-driven cybersecurity compliance platform that helps organisations automate governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) processes. The SaaS platform integrates attack surface intelligence and third-party monitoring to help businesses secure smarter and comply faster.
Contact: Aleksandr Abalakin, [email protected].
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