From Arsène Lupin To Upstream Security: How Roni Carta Turned A Teenage Hacking Obsession Into Depi

2026-05-22 · Source: The French Tech Journal · Field: Technology & Digital — Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Entrepreneurship & Start-ups · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

Roni Carta, a 24-year-old bug bounty hunter from Grenoble, has successfully raised a \$5.9 million pre-seed funding round for his cybersecurity company, Depi. Co-led by 20VC and Seedcamp, with additional investment from Purple, Kima Ventures, and founders of Wiz, Hugging Face, and GitGuardian, Depi aims to proactively identify supply chain attacks. Carta, who was inspired by the fictional Arsène Lupin at age 13 to pursue computer security, is now transitioning Depi from its former identity as the research lab Lupin & Holmes into a product-focused entity. The company's mission is to detect vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, and Carta plans to relocate Depi's operations from Grenoble to San Francisco. This significant investment underscores growing confidence in Depi's approach to upstream security.

Key takeaway

For entrepreneurs building a cybersecurity startup, Roni Carta's journey with Depi demonstrates that deep personal passion and a clear vision for addressing critical threats like supply chain attacks can attract substantial early-stage investment. You should focus on articulating your unique value proposition and how your solution proactively tackles emerging security challenges. This approach, even when evolving from a research-focused origin, can resonate strongly with investors like 20VC and Seedcamp, securing the capital needed for growth and market expansion.

Key insights

A teenage hacking obsession can evolve into a venture-backed cybersecurity startup focused on supply chain attack prevention.

Principles

• Early passion can drive entrepreneurial success.
• Rebranding clarifies product identity from research.

In practice

• Pursue deep personal interests in technology.
• Consider rebranding to differentiate product from research.

Topics

• Cybersecurity
• Supply Chain Security
• Startup Funding
• Venture Capital
• Bug Bounty
• Depi

Best for: Entrepreneur, Investor, Tech Journalist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by The French Tech Journal.