Kigen secures £10m to shore up device lifecycle security with GSMA‑certified eSIMs
This article covers Kigen, a cybersecurity startup, which has closed a growth funding round of £10m in growth debt from Salica Investments to accelerate expansion across the UK, EU and US. The funding aims to help manufacturers and enterprises meet rising cybersecurity demands and tighter regulation by supporting secure connectivity and lifecycle security for connected products.
Kigen, a cybersecurity startup, has closed a growth funding round of £10 million in the form of growth debt from Salica Investments to accelerate expansion across the UK, EU and US as enterprises and manufacturers confront rising cybersecurity demands and stricter regulation. The deal underlines demand for secure connectivity solutions as connected products move into critical infrastructure.
Why it matters
The funding comes at a moment of intensifying regulatory pressure. Frameworks such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act and evolving NIST guidance raise expectations around secure-by-design products, vulnerability handling and coordinated reporting. For manufacturers and enterprises embedding connectivity into long-lived devices, the ability to demonstrate lifecycle security, patching and auditability is increasingly a compliance and procurement issue.
For the wider market, the deal also highlights how startups are using debt instruments to finance international growth without immediate equity dilution.
Inside the product
Kigen offers GSMA-certified eSIMs and remote SIM provisioning security solutions for consumer, M2M and IoT use cases. Its platform provides device manufacturers and enterprises with OS licensing, management tools and professional services delivered increasingly via a SaaS model and usage-based access.
Key technical capabilities include secure connectivity architecture, scalable security patching and updates, and access to more than 200 terrestrial and satellite networks — features aimed at organisations that must show long-term maintainability and audit trails for connected products.
Who are the investors?
Salica Investments is the sole backer in the transaction. The firm’s investment is structured as growth debt to support Kigen’s next phase of market expansion. The deal marks Salica’s first investment in Cambridge’s Silicon Fen.
In the announcement, Usman Ali, Partner at Salica Investments, said:
Kigen is the kind of category-defining business we look to back. The team has built a highly differentiated platform at the intersection of connectivity and cyber security, with strong relevance for manufacturers and enterprises navigating a more demanding regulatory and operational environment. We are delighted to support Kigen as it scales across critical sectors and international markets.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Vincent Korstanje, CEO, said:
We are excited to join the high-calibre portfolio of companies backed by Salica. This investment allows us to accelerate our next phase of growth with confidence. Our customers are looking for practical ways to strengthen cyber resilience, simplify regulatory readiness, and manage secure connectivity over the long term. This funding helps us move faster to support them with trusted, future-ready solutions.
Kigen began life as a spin-out from Arm and has operated independently since 2020. The company maintains offices in Cambridge, Belfast and Noida, India.
The bigger picture
As regulatory regimes tighten and connected devices touch critical operations, demand for demonstrable lifecycle security is rising across Europe and the US. Kigen’s offering targets that gap by combining eSIM provisioning, device lifecycle management and connectivity reach into one stack. For UK and European startups in the cybersecurity and IoT space, the transaction underlines two trends: increasing appetite for security-focused infrastructure, and the use of growth-oriented debt to scale into international markets.
The deal also signals continued investment attention on companies based in Silicon Fen and other UK tech hubs as they commercialise connectivity and cybersecurity technology for regulated industries.
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