Sebastian Kurz apparently raises money for new start-up

The former Austrian chancellor has also found himself an interesting founding partner: former NSO boss Shalev Hulio.

According to a report in the Israeli Globes, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has completed a first round of financing for his start-up. According to the report, the start-up called "Dream", which he founded with former NSO boss Shalev Hulio, has raised 20 million US dollars from investors. The company is to focus on defending against cyberattacks.

For Kurz, this is his first success since stepping down as Federal Chancellor. Shortly afterwards, he began working at the investment firm Thiel Capital, which is backed by German-born Peter Thiel. Among other things, he is the co-founder of Palantir, which probably equips the US government with surveillance software. Co-founder Shalev Hulio also knows the segment inside out. He was head of the NSO Group, which is behind the Pegasus software, for a long time. This fell into disrepute a few years ago when several journalists and media revealed in a large-scale investigation that the software could be found on many smartphones of high-ranking government representatives. The Israeli government actually has to approve its use, as it is reportedly classified as a weapon.

In the Globes article, Sebastian Kurz is quoted as saying: "During my time as Federal Chancellor, I experienced many attacks on governments, but also production facilities and energy plants, most of which were not published in the media." He therefore has a certain amount of expertise in this area.