Founder of the Week: Peter Garraghan

• CEO and co-founder of Mindgard
• As an internationally recognised expert in AI security, Peter  is a Professor of Computer Science at Lancaster University
• Mindgard allows companies to secure their AI systems from new threats that traditional application security tools don’t have the ability to address.

Tell Us About Yourself and Mindgard

I’m Peter Garraghan, and I’m the CEO and CTO of Mindgard. I’m also a Professor of Computer Science at Lancaster University and fellow of the UK Engineering Physical Sciences and Research Council (EPSRC), so you could say I’m at home on both sides of the business-academic divide in AI.

I’ve spent the last decade researching how AI and machine learning are transforming modern computing and cybersecurity. Mindgard is the real-world product of this research. It’s an enterprise-ready solution that businesses use to test the security of their AI, merging cutting-edge expertise and research with business applications.

What Inspired You To Start Mindgard? What Problem Were You Trying to Solve?

Like I said, I’m both a founder and an academic, but the academic part came first. While researching AI at Lancaster University, it became increasingly evident to me that the conventional application security methods were completely insufficient to cover AI’s massive attack surface.

I started with research and development (R&D), forming a team within my department to build the first security tools for AI models. This was a multi-year process, undertaken by a team of brilliant scientists and engineers. Eventually, we translated this R&D into a real-world solution that businesses could use. 

What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge So Far? How did you overcome it?

One challenge we’re always facing is that Mindgard is run by a team of scientific experts who have dedicated years of research to studying AI, but the business leaders and investors who rely on us are experts in other things. Education precedes adoption in AI cybersecurity, and we’re continually demystifying AI risks and proactive security measures for our existing and potential clients.

This is further complicated by the fact that AI is constantly and quickly evolving, so our messaging about everything from theoretical risks to real-world vulnerabilities has to keep up. 

Can You Describe A Pivotal Moment That Significantly Shaped the Direction of Mindgard?

At the end of 2024, we secured an $8 million seed funding round led by Boston-based .406 Ventures. It was an emphatic vote of confidence in both Mindgard’s trajectory and the growing criticality of AI security. This capital will accelerate our roadmap: expanding our PhD-led team, advancing R&D, and continuing product development to stay ahead of evolving AI threats.

Crucially, it also enables us to establish a stronger presence in the United States as a key strategic market where AI adoption is surging and demand for robust security solutions is rapidly intensifying.

How Do You Define Success? 

For Your Business: Success for us would mean doing more of what we’re already doing for more businesses in more places, and ultimately becoming the go-to platform for enterprise AI security. We’re currently helping some of the world’s best-known brands red team their AI applications, and ideally, we’ll keep doing that. Recognition is never unwelcome either.

Our Offensive Security and AI Red Teaming solution was recently recognised as a recommended tool in the OWASP LLM and Generative AI Security Solutions Landscape Guide 2025, and industry acknowledgement like this is one way we know we’re moving in the right direction.

For Yourself As A Founder: My role at Mindgard – and the company itself, really – has always straddled the worlds of enterprise-facing startup and research. Early on, I struggled to balance my research with building an enterprise-facing startup. It was a steep learning curve. Figuring out and finding the time to refine our value proposition, secure funding, and align with market needs took a lot of trial and error. My idea of individual success is very much connected to finding the right balance between these two worlds. I’m as much an academic as I am a startup leader. Those things feed each other, and there’s also push and pull between them. 

What Advice Would You Give To Someone Thinking About Launching Their Own Startup?

Recognise your strengths and weaknesses, and use strong partnerships to fill the gaps your weaknesses create. You can be a once-in-a-lifetime technology genius, but you won’t get anywhere without someone who has complementary business and marketing acumen. To that end, even the most groundbreaking technology must address a real problem or need. Don’t innovate for its own sake. Only innovate with a mindset of attacking and solving a specific problem. My other essential advice is never to underestimate the value of time. Some to-do lists are endless, so learn how to prioritise fast and early.

What’s Next for Mindgard? Any Exciting Developments We Should Watch Out For?

We’re prioritising expanding into the US market to establish a stronger global presence and better support our growing customer base. There are additional product releases on the horizon, including going broader and deeper with the set of attacks we offer, and features that will help our customers scale their use of our solution.

We’re also actively recruiting top cybersecurity talent to fuel this growth and building strategic partnerships with leading technology providers and consultancies to extend our reach. These collaborations will enable us to integrate our AI security solutions into more enterprise environments.

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Founder’s Five with Peter Garraghan 

Get to know Peter Garraghan with our quick “Founder’s Five”.

1. Favourite Business Tool?

As both CEO and CTO at Mindgard, and still an active professor, I juggle a wide range of priorities. One tool that’s essential for me is a personal Trello board. Every key task goes there, ranked by how critical it is to our current business goals. It is a simple way to stay on top of what absolutely must get done, what is nice to have, and what can be dropped altogether.

2. One Lesson You Learned the Hard Way?

Time is the one thing you cannot get more of. Early on with Mindgard, I underestimated just how much time would be needed to refine our product, align with the market, and fundraise, especially while still holding an academic post. Founders quickly learn that being busy is not the same as being effective. Prioritising ruthlessly is a survival skill.

3. One Future Trend You’re Watching?

In terms of AI security, the bigger shift I am watching is how the industry begins to treat AI security as non-negotiable. We are going to see more public incidents that drive home the point: AI, like any software, must be secure before it is deployed. And as awareness grows among developers and security teams, so will expectations for what proper AI security actually looks like.

4. One Quote You Live By?

Life is far too versatile to be lived by a single quote.

5. One Book Or Podcast You Recommend?

I enjoy classical books. Don Quixote is a great representation of having an innovative structure on storytelling, that is adopted by all subsequent novels.

Want to be featured as TechRound’s Founder of the Week? Know someone who deserves to be recognised as a founder making waves in the startup landscape? Find out more about this weekly feature and how to get involved here.