Hardshell advances its AI data-security platform

Security starts with the data

Hardshell announced pre-seed financing to support engineering and customer growth. Its focus includes healthcare, defense, and other industries handling sensitive information.

Its approach focuses on protecting the proprietary and sensitive datasets used to train AI models. By addressing risks in the data itself, Hardshell aims to complement approaches centered on testing or monitoring models after they are built.

Experience behind the approach

Hardshell was founded by Hunter Moore and Andrew Schoka, who met while teaching at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering. Their backgrounds span AI research, engineering, and military cyber operations.

The company was founded in 2025 and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Its announcement describes a focus on organizations whose data security and regulatory requirements can complicate AI adoption.

Read Hardshell’s original release for the complete funding announcement and the founders’ explanation of the problem they are working to solve.