Internxt, the Valencia-based tech company specialising in digital privacy, has closed a new €3.3 million funding round,
Its mission is to be a European alternative to Big Tech, building a digital world that respects user privacy by providing services that are more secure and privacy-friendly than what’s offered by tech giants like Google or Microsoft.
Internxt offers a suite of services designed to protect people’s digital lives, ensuring privacy and security by design.
The current offering includes encrypted cloud storage (Drive), a private VPN, and a lightweight antivirus with real-time protection. Soon, Internxt Mail and Internxt Meet will join the suite, providing secure and fully private alternatives to traditional email and video call services, with no tracking or user data access.
The company is committed to intuitive interfaces, multiplatform apps, and a transparent model with no ads or data monetisation, placing the user at the centre of its technological strategy.
I spoke to Fran Villalba Segarra, CEO and founder of Internxt, to learn more.
Villalba Segarra started the company three to five years ago as a solo founder. Today, it's grown to a team of about 30 employees, mostly engineers.
Rebuilding the Internet with privacy at the core
Internxt aims to build a tech company that gives you the benefits of digital services without the downsides of surveillance, data sales, or breaches. According to Villalba Segarra, people often assume their data is safe when they use big tech services. But in reality, that data is often sold or stolen.
He recounts that he used to work at a hosting company that suffered a major data breach.
“That experience really opened my eyes. People trust big tech companies far too much. Your data, whether it’s emails, photos, or files, can be vulnerable and needs to be protected. When I saw firsthand how easily that trust can be broken, I knew there had to be a better way.”
According to Villalba Segarra, the original Internet wasn’t built with privacy in mind. Most of today’s services—Google, Facebook, Instagram—were designed to monetise data. The services themselves aren’t the end goal; they’re a means to serve ads.
“At Internxt, privacy is the end goal. Our services are not data-driven or ad-supported. That’s a fundamental difference, and it’s why Big Tech can’t simply pivot. Their business model depends too heavily on data.”
Quantum-resistant by design
Internxt integrates post-quantum cryptographic algorithms into its services—algorithms specifically designed to withstand the immense computational power of future quantum computers, which could render classical encryption methods like RSA or ECC obsolete.
The company already employs zero-knowledge encryption, meaning all data is encrypted on the user's device before it ever reaches Internxt’s servers. As a result, Internxt has no access to the user’s files or encryption keys.
By layering post-quantum encryption on top of this model, Internxt ensures that even if encrypted data is intercepted today, it would remain secure—impervious to decryption by quantum computers in the future.
In fact, Internxt received a €1.4 million grant from CDTI, supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European to build the first post-quantum encrypted cloud suite on the market: Internxt Drive, Meet, and Mail.
It's unclear how close we are to post-quantum cryptography, but Villalba Segarra asserts that the threat is real.
“Hackers are already storing encrypted data now, with the plan to decrypt it once quantum computers are powerful enough.
We’re trying to stay ahead by deploying quantum-proof encryption today. No one else is doing this yet, at least not in our space.”
I was curious why this wasn’t a priority for big tech providers like Google.
Villalba Segarra asserts that “privacy has never been their priority.”
“And this kind of encryption tech didn’t exist.
We had to develop it ourselves. It took years of research and funding. Even if Google or Microsoft went quantum-proof tomorrow, they’d still use server-side encryption, meaning they store your keys. We don’t. We use zero-knowledge encryption, so only the user has access.”
Furthermore, generative AI relies heavily on the collection of massive amounts of data. Companies like Meta, Google, and X are all building AI products, and that means collecting user data is fundamental to their strategy.
Villalba Segarra contends that, “zero-knowledge encryption limits data access, so it’s not something that fits their business model.”
“We’re operating on very different principles.”
An open source backbone
Internxt is proud of its commitment to open source tech.
According to Villalba Segarra, being open source and regularly audited means “people don’t need to just trust us—they can verify our work.”
“Each year, we publish full code audits and penetration tests. With closed-source apps like WhatsApp, you can’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. For privacy-first companies like us, being open source is essential.”
Since Q4 2024, Internxt has been growing profitably. The company’s biggest markets are the US and Europe.
Interestingly, while the US lacks strong privacy regulations, American users still seek out privacy-first products.
According to Villalba Segarra, “the problem isn’t the people—it’s the companies and policies. In the US, there are few privacy-focused alternatives, so users often turn to European providers like ours.”
Today’s funding follows key business milestones, including partnerships with Revolut, Surfshark, Bitdefender, PcComponentes, and Valencia CF.
The funding was raised from Prosegur Tech Ventures, Angels Capital, Andorra Telecom, Extension Fund, Kevlar Fund, and other existing investors.
This round will accelerate its international expansion in the enterprise segment and further strengthen its commercial suite. The company expects to double its net revenue each year through 2027.
Lead image: Fran Villalba Segarra, CEO and founder of Internxt. Photo: uncredited.
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