Collaboration type: Long-term
Timeframe: 2024-2025
Vertical: Cybersecurity
Startup HQ: Boston, USA (formerly London, UK)
About Mindgard
Mindgard is a leading AI security company born out of more than a decade of research at Lancaster University. With headquarters in Boston and London, the team focuses on helping enterprises secure their AI models, agents, and applications across the full AI lifecycle. Since its founding in 2022, Mindgard has grown from the university’s AI Security Lab into a trusted partner for security teams looking to deploy AI safely. The company has been recognised for its innovation, including winning the Cyber Innovation Prize at Infosecurity Europe 2024, and continues to strengthen its position through expert leadership and one of the most advanced AI security teams in the field.
Objectives
Black Unicorn PR (BUPR) began its partnership with Mindgard in January 2024, with the following core PR objectives:
- Raise brand awareness among VCs and potential investors to support upcoming fundraising efforts.
- Establish the founders’ credibility and visibility as thought leaders in the emerging AI security sector.
- Educate enterprise security decision-makers on AI security as a distinct domain with urgent and unique challenges.
- Position Mindgard as a leading voice in UK deeptech and innovation, with strong ties to academic research through its roots as a Lancaster University spin-out.
Results overview
Over the past 20 months, we’ve helped to raise Mindgard’s public profile, cemented its positioning as an AI security pioneer, and strategically supported its fundraising, media visibility, and market education goals, all during a time of intense media noise around the topic, increasing competition, and limited commercial maturity.
Key numbers (as of September 30, 2025)
✅ 300+ media articles featuring Mindgard
✅ Estimated reach: 864 million monthly unique visitors (UMV).
✅Coverage across 150+ media titles, including top-tier tech, cyber, business, and startup media globally.
Context and strategic approach
Given the media saturation driven by the rapid influx of AI security startups, and the dominance of well-funded US players like HiddenLayer, Protect AI, or Robust Intelligence, Mindgard faced the challenge of standing out in an overcrowded and fast-moving space.
Compounding this was Mindgard’s early-stage status, with no paying customers at the time we began. Rather than over-index on product promotion, we took a strategic thought leadership approach, positioning CEO and co-founder Dr. Peter Garraghan as a credible, technical, and authoritative voice in AI security.
Another key factor shaping our strategy was the perception gap surrounding the very concept of AI security. Both business leaders and journalists were initially skeptical, often viewing it as a vague or overhyped term—without fully understanding the unique vulnerabilities and serious risks involved. Our efforts focused heavily on education: articulating the problem space clearly, reframing narratives, and helping to shift perception of AI security from a niche technical issue to a critical component of enterprise risk management.
Leveraging Peter’s academic expertise, research background, and sharp commentary on the future of AI safety, we built a strong, high-quality media presence that reinforced both Mindgard’s vision and Peter’s leadership in shaping this emerging field.
Milestones & Media Highlights
Thought leadership & executive visibility
Mindgard’s CEO Dr. Peter Garraghan became a recognised voice in AI security through sustained media presence:
- Contributed articles in tech and cybersecurity outlets, including AI Business, Cyber Defence Magazine , betanews, Help Net Security, TechRadar, Security Boulevard, IT Pro Today, SC Media UK.
- Podcast appearances including: tech.eu, The Next Web , The Cyber Wire, EM360tech, Tech Talks, Pursuit of Scrappiness, Risk Management Show, ITSP Magazine, MES Computing
- Interviews in startup and trade media: Verdict (UK), Maddyness UK, Cyber Security Startups, Unite.AI, 4iMag, Safety Detectives, AI Tech Park, Pulse 2.0, BankInfoSecurity, UKTN, TechRound, Entrepreneur Magazine
- Expert commentary featured top tier business, tech and cybersecurity media titles: The Guardian ,Forbes, CSO Online (as well 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ), SC Magazine UK, Silicon UK, The Register, The Stack (1, 2), AIThority etc.
- Speaker slots at startup events secured by BUPR: Tech.eu (2025)
Product-related PR:
- Launch of the AI Security Lab (Feb 2024)
- Launch of GenAI Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tool (Mar 2024)
Fundraising support:
- PR support for Mindgard’s $8M funding round (Dec 2024) with secured TechCrunch exclusive coverage
Research and survey results
Reputable cybersecurity media pickup of Mindgard’s research results, e.g.:
- CSO: Security researchers circumvent Microsoft Azure AI Content Safety
- Help Net Security: Why security teams cannot rely solely on AI guardrails
- BankInfoSecurity: Jailbreakers Use Invisible Characters to Beat AI Guardrails
Additionally, Mindgard’s topical Shadow AI survey, conducted during RSAC’25, was covered by SC Media UK, MES Computing , TechFinitive, Help Net Security, Computing and more.
Additional support provided:
- Award nominations: applications submitted (and won!) for key industry awards, including SC Awards Europe, CyberScoop50, Global Infosec Awards, and more
- Event comms support: intros to journalists / media briefings at major cybersecurity events such as RSAC, Black Hat Europe, and Black Hat USA
- Startup listicles: Mindgard was included in Sifted’s list of “11 AI Startups to Watch, According to Investors,” listed in TechRound Cybersecurity40 (UK) and awarded the title of UK’s Most Innovative Cyber SME for 2024 (Infosecurity Magazine), London’s 100 best start-ups by Entrepreneur
- Tool / vendors listicles: As of September 2025, Mindgard has been featured in multiple roundups of top AI pentesting and red-teaming tools, with mentions in Security Boulevard, Martechspot, The Cube Research, Cyber Security News
Mindgard now stands as a widely recognised UK deeptech success story with international media reach and a growing presence in enterprise and government security conversations. The co-founder and CEO, Peter Garraghan, is a recognised thought leader in the security for AI space.
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