NetBird secures Series A to scale open-source Zero Trust networking
Berlin-based cybersecurity company NetBird has raised $10 million in Series A funding as it looks to accelerate global growth and push deeper into a market long dominated by traditional virtual private network providers such as Fortinet and Sophos. The company positions its platform as an open-source, community-driven alternative built around Zero Trust principles—an approach that has gained urgency as hybrid work, cloud adoption, and distributed infrastructure challenge perimeter-based security models.
The funding will be used to expand go-to-market efforts, strengthen product development, and support broader adoption among teams seeking to modernize secure access. While the company did not disclose valuation or detailed investor participation in the announcement, the round underscores continued interest in security tools that reduce complexity and replace legacy network assumptions with identity- and policy-based access controls.
Why legacy VPNs are under pressure
For years, VPNs have served as the default method for connecting employees and devices to corporate networks. But as organizations moved applications to cloud platforms and adopted software-as-a-service tools, the idea of placing users “inside” a trusted network perimeter increasingly looked outdated. Security teams also point to operational friction: VPNs can be difficult to maintain, require careful configuration, and often introduce performance bottlenecks—especially for globally distributed workforces.
In parallel, the security industry has shifted toward Zero Trust, a framework built on the assumption that no user or device should be inherently trusted simply because it is connected to a network. Instead, access decisions are continuously evaluated using identity, device posture, and granular policies. In practice, this means limiting lateral movement, reducing the blast radius of compromised credentials, and tightening access to only the resources a user needs.
NetBird is betting that this shift creates an opening to replace the traditional VPN stack with a simpler, more transparent model—one that can be deployed quickly and audited openly.
Open-source, community-driven security
NetBird emphasizes its open-source roots as a differentiator in a sector where many enterprise networking tools remain closed and proprietary. Open-source security products can appeal to engineering-led organizations that want visibility into how critical access software works, as well as the ability to validate claims, review code, and contribute improvements.
The company describes its approach as “community-driven,” reflecting a wider trend in infrastructure and security where developer adoption precedes enterprise rollout. In those models, a product gains credibility through real-world usage, documentation, integrations, and peer recommendations—before formal sales cycles expand adoption across larger organizations.
Open-source also plays a role in trust and flexibility. For teams with strict compliance requirements or bespoke networking needs, the ability to inspect and adapt software can reduce procurement friction and shorten time-to-deployment. That said, open-source does not automatically guarantee security; it still requires disciplined maintenance, robust release processes, and clear operational guidance for customers.
Replacing VPNs with Zero Trust networking
NetBird frames its product as a modern secure access layer rather than a classic VPN tunnel. The goal is to provide controlled connectivity for users, devices, and services without relying on a broad network-level trust model. This approach aligns with how many organizations now operate: apps are spread across cloud providers, on-prem environments, and multiple regions, and employees connect from a wide range of devices and networks.
By focusing on Zero Trust access, the company aims to help teams reduce exposure while preserving usability—an important consideration given that security tools that slow down workflows are often bypassed. A successful VPN replacement must balance strong policy enforcement with straightforward onboarding and minimal disruption.
Competitive landscape: incumbents and new entrants
The market for secure access is crowded. Established security vendors such as Fortinet and Sophos have long offered VPN and firewall products and increasingly market broader secure access capabilities. At the same time, newer providers are pushing software-defined, identity-centric access solutions, often packaged under categories like Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE).
NetBird is competing by leaning into open-source adoption and positioning itself as a pragmatic replacement for “legacy VPNs.” The company’s challenge will be converting technical interest into durable enterprise deployments—where requirements include centralized management, compliance features, support guarantees, and predictable performance at scale.
What the funding signals
Raising a $10 million Series A suggests investors see room for further disruption in secure access, particularly for teams that want a lighter-weight alternative to complex appliance-driven deployments. The round also indicates that open-source security remains investable when paired with a clear enterprise path—typically through hosted offerings, premium features, or support and management layers that meet corporate needs.
For NetBird, the next phase will likely focus on scaling distribution beyond early adopters, deepening integrations, and proving reliability in larger, more regulated environments. If the company can maintain community momentum while meeting enterprise expectations, it may carve out a meaningful share of a market actively searching for modern replacements to traditional VPNs.
Outlook
The broader trajectory is clear: as organizations continue to decentralize infrastructure and adopt cloud-first architectures, the security perimeter is becoming less about networks and more about identities, policies, and continuous verification. NetBird is positioning its open-source Zero Trust approach as a direct response to that reality. With fresh capital and an expanding global ambition, the company is now tasked with turning its VPN-replacement narrative into sustained enterprise adoption.
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