DuoKey: The Venture Leader keeping control on your encryption keys

16.02.2026 11:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Nagib Aouini, founder of DuoKey. The security startup protects sensitive data across major cloud platforms. In March, Nagib will join nine other innovators on a business development and investor roadshow in Barcelona.

Name: Nagib Aouini
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: Bachelor in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics
Prior role: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at one of Switzerland's first licensed crypto banks
Founding team members: Nagib Aouini (CEO & Founder)
Number of employees: 25+ employees across Switzerland, United-Kingdom, UAE,  Mauritius, and the United States
Money raised: Self-funded (currently raising Series A)

What does your product or solution do, and what makes it unique?
DuoKey eliminates the single point of failure in cloud encryption. We split encryption keys using Multi-Party Computation (MPC) so no one ever has the full key, and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) lets you process data while it stays encrypted. No cloud provider can access your data, giving organizations full control. Clients include Volkswagen AG, top luxury brands, and healthcare organizations, unaffected by attacks like Microsoft Azure’s Storm-0558.

What trend or shift in your industry is creating the biggest opportunity?
Cloud breaches are skyrocketing, regulations are tightening, and companies want to run AI on sensitive data securely. Traditional encryption can’t meet these demands. We sit at the intersection of cloud security ($82B), automotive cybersecurity ($6B), and confidential AI ($15B).

How did the idea for your startup originate?
As CISO at a Swiss crypto bank, I saw that enterprises ignored the “not your keys, not your data” principle. Traditional encryption and HSMs had single points of failure. MPC research offered a way to give enterprises true data sovereignty, and DuoKey was founded to make it practical at scale.

Which market are you addressing, and what potential do you see?
We target cloud security, automotive cybersecurity, and confidential AI—but really, any enterprise moving sensitive data to the cloud. Our clients include Volkswagen, luxury brands, healthcare, and finance. With 80% of companies breached in 2025 and global costs rising, demand is huge. Our 300% YoY growth shows the need, and our tech also solves regulatory challenges like GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and UN R155.

What impact do you want your technology to have five years from now?
We want DuoKey to be the standard for enterprise data sovereignty. MPC should be expected, confidential AI practical, and enterprises able to leverage cloud without giving up control. Essentially, “not your keys, not your data” should become a baseline expectation.

What major challenges have you faced?
Educating CISOs on a new cryptographic approach, proving the solution without existing case studies, keeping ahead of evolving regulations, and hiring rare MPC expertise. Early wins with Volkswagen and luxury brands helped us break through.

What motivates you on tough days?
The mission: preventing breaches and protecting sensitive data. And my family’s story, my parents overcame huge obstacles, reminding me that setbacks are temporary. Plus, our team’s trust and talent push me forward.

Why did you join the Venture Leaders Roadshow, and what excites you most?
We’re ready to scale globally. The Roadshow offers access to investors who understand deep tech, learnings from founders who’ve scaled internationally, and opportunities for strategic partnerships. What excites me most is the validation and challenge, feedback from top investors sharpens our strategy and accelerates our progress.