NetBird lands €8.5 million Series A to expand open-source network security
NetBird, a Berlin-based open-source network security platform, said it has raised a €8.5 million (about $10 million) Series A round as it looks to scale operations, grow headcount, and accelerate development of its core product.
The company described the funding as a catalyst for broader adoption of its software, which aims to simplify secure network access for distributed teams and modern infrastructure. NetBird did not disclose investor names or a post-money valuation in its announcement.
Why open-source network security is attracting capital
Security teams are facing a familiar problem in a new form: workforces and workloads are increasingly distributed across cloud providers, regions, and devices, while legacy perimeter-based models have continued to erode. In response, organizations have been adopting approaches such as Zero Trust, secure access, and software-defined networking to manage who and what can connect to internal resources.
NetBird positions its platform as an open-source alternative that can help companies build and manage secure private networks without relying solely on traditional VPN architectures. Open-source tooling can appeal to engineering-led organizations that want transparency, flexibility, and the ability to self-host or customize deployments—particularly when security and compliance requirements vary by industry.
How NetBird plans to use the funds
In its statement, NetBird said the new capital will be used to:
- Scale its operations as demand increases
- Hire across key functions, including engineering and go-to-market roles
- Establish stronger foundations for growth, including product and organizational expansion
While the company did not provide a detailed hiring target or timeline, early-stage Series A rounds of this size are typically used to move beyond initial product-market fit toward repeatable growth—investing in product hardening, customer support, and commercial distribution.
Market context: secure connectivity for cloud and remote work
Over the past several years, the market for secure connectivity has become more crowded as enterprises seek simpler ways to connect employees, contractors, and services across hybrid environments. Vendors in secure access service edge (SASE), identity and access management, and cloud networking have expanded their offerings, while open-source projects have also gained momentum among developers.
NetBird is entering this landscape with an emphasis on open-source and developer-centric adoption. For many companies, the appeal of open-source security infrastructure is not only cost, but also control: the ability to audit code, reduce vendor lock-in, and tailor deployments to specific network topologies.
What remains unknown
The announcement did not include details on revenue, customer count, investor participation, or specific product milestones tied to the funding. Those metrics typically help the market gauge how quickly a company is scaling and whether it is expanding beyond early adopters.
Still, the round signals continued investor interest in infrastructure and security tools that align with modern development practices. As teams standardize on cloud-native architectures and remote collaboration, demand for secure, manageable connectivity is expected to remain strong.
What to watch next
In the coming months, observers will likely look for signs of how NetBird converts the new funding into execution. Key indicators may include new enterprise features, expanded integrations, clearer packaging for self-hosted versus managed offerings, and evidence of growing adoption beyond the developer community.
For now, NetBird is betting that an open-source approach to secure networking can win share in a market where simplicity, trust, and operational control are increasingly valuable.
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