Pieter Danhieux
About Pieter Danhieux
Pieter Danhieux is the co-founder and CEO of Secure Code Warrior, a secure coding platform for software developers. He is based in Sydney and originally from Belgium. He studied at Hogeschool Gent (HOGENT).
He started in information security around 1999 and worked for seven years at Ernst & Young in Europe, running an attack and penetration testing team in the financial and telecommunications sectors. Before moving to Australia he co-founded the BruCON security conference. He later became Head of Delivery for the Applied Intelligence business at BAE Systems APAC, a role he held until January 2015.
He has also been a Principal Instructor for SANS, teaching offensive security techniques. His LinkedIn profile lists Secure Code Warrior from January 2015 onward. Secure Code Warrior's early outside funding included a round from AirTree Ventures and Paladin Capital Group, along with an earlier angel investment.
Public data on his angel activity is thin. PitchBook lists him as an active angel investor with one recorded investment, in Dam Secure, dated December 2025. Crunchbase also lists his seed round participation in Dam Secure. No check sizes, fund vehicles or other personal investments are published in the sources reviewed.
Dam Secure raised a seed round of US$4.1M (AUD 6.1M), announced in January 2026 and led by Paladin Capital Group. Press coverage names Danhieux among the other backers, alongside RecordPoint CEO Anthony Woodward, Innovation Bay founder Phaedon Stough and Tyro Payments chief product officer Steen Andersson.
Dam Secure was founded by Patrick Collins and Simon Harloff. It is building an AI-native platform to manage security risks created by AI coding tools. Security teams write requirements in plain English, and the platform enforces them across codebases.
He has not published a stated thesis, preferred stage, geography or check size. His one known investment was a seed round in an AI security company based in Sydney and San Francisco. That fits his operating background in developer security and AI-assisted software development, which he writes about publicly. Treat this as an inference from one deal, not a stated mandate.
- Dam Secure: AI-native platform for managing security risks from AI-generated code; participated in the US$4.1M (AUD 6.1M) seed round announced January 2026, led by Paladin Capital Group.
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/1257898-51
- crunchbase.com/person/pieter-danhieux
- startupdaily.net/topic/funding/paladin-backs-ai-security-startup-dam-s
- smartcompany.com.au/startupsmart/dam-secure-raises-6-1-million-ai-gene
- pulse2.com/dam-secure-4-million-seed-funding
- forbes.com.au/news/investing/ai-security-startup-dam-secure-banks-us4-
- sans.org/profiles/pieter-danhieux
- pulse2.com/secure-code-warrior-profile-pieter-danhieux-interview
Investing activity
Pieter Danhieux appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $4M. The most recent is Dam Secure (Seed, $4.1M (AUD 6.1M), Jan 2026).
Pieter Danhieux most often invests alongside D.C, Paladin’s core strength is identifying, Paladin Capital Group and Silicon Valley, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Pieter Danhieux
Who is Pieter Danhieux?
He is the co-founder and CEO of Secure Code Warrior, a developer security training company based in Sydney. He is also a former SANS Principal Instructor and an angel investor.
Has Pieter Danhieux invested in AI startups?
Yes. He participated in the January 2026 seed round of Dam Secure, an AI code security startup. The round was US$4.1M (AUD 6.1M) and was led by Paladin Capital Group.
What is Pieter Danhieux's angel check size?
It is not public. None of the sources reviewed state a check size or range, including his share of the Dam Secure round.
What stage does Pieter Danhieux invest in?
His one public investment was a seed round. He has not published a stated stage preference.
Should I pitch Pieter Danhieux if I am building AI security or developer tools?
His background is in application security and developer tooling, and his one known investment is in AI code security. A pitch in that area is the closest match to his public record. He has not published a formal thesis.
How can founders contact Pieter Danhieux?
He is active on LinkedIn and X (@PieterDanhieux). No personal investing website or public application process was found.
Is Pieter Danhieux an angel investor?
Yes. Pieter Danhieux invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Pieter Danhieux invested in?
Pieter Danhieux's AI investments include Dam Secure. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Pieter Danhieux invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Pieter Danhieux has invested at Seed, with a median round of $4M.
Who does Pieter Danhieux co-invest with?
Pieter Danhieux's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are D.C (1 deal), Paladin’s core strength is identifying (1 deal), Paladin Capital Group (1 deal), Silicon Valley (1 deal) and Phaedon Stough (1 deal).