Guardsquare
| File:Guardsquare corporate logo.jpg | |
| Private | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Mobile application security |
| Founded 📆 | 2014 |
| Founder 👔 |
|
| Headquarters 🏙️ | Leuven, Belgium |
Area served 🗺️ | |
Key people | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | guardsquare |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Guardsquare is a Belgian software company specializing in mobile application security on Android and iOS platforms.[1] The company develops software designed to protect mobile applications from reverse engineering, tampering, and runtime attacks. The company's technology originated with ProGuard, an open-source Java and Android code optimization and obfuscation tool created by co-founder Eric Lafortune.[2]
Guardsquare participates in the OWASP Mobile Application Security Project and has been recognized as an OWASP MAS Advocate.[3]
History
Guardsquare's technology roots date back to 2002 with Eric Lafortune's release of ProGuard, an open-source tool for shrinking, optimizing, and basic obfuscation of Java and Android applications. In 2012, Lafortune introduced DexGuard to address increasing demand for Android application protection.[2]
Guardsquare NV was officially founded in 2014 by Lafortune and Heidi Rakels.[4]
Battery Ventures purchased a majority stake of the company for $29 million in early 2019.[4][5] Guardsquare opened an office in Boston (US) later that year.[6]
In 2020, Guardsquare acquired the mobile application security testing technology, App-Ray.[7] This technology later formed the basis of the mobile application security testing product, AppSweep.[8] Guardsquare opened an office in Munich (Germany) in 2020 to lead AppSweep development.[9]
In 2025, Verdane invested in Guardsquare.[10]
In early 2026, Guardsquare announced the acquisition of XTD (Extended Threat Defense) technologies and assets from Verimatrix. [11][12] The transaction would include the transfer of XTD-associated offices in Glasgow (Scotland) and Helsinki (Finland) to Guardsquare.
Products
Guardsquare develops mobile application security software, including tools for application protection and security testing.
Leadership
Roel Caers has served as Chief Executive Officer of Guardsquare since 2018. In addition, Caers is a member of Guardsquare's board of directors. Previously, he was Guardsquare's Chief Operating Officer (2016 -18).[13]
Sander Bogaert took over the role of Chief Technology Officer from company co-founder Eric Lafortune. Bogaert previously worked as a software engineer at the company and contributed to the development of iXGuard.[14]
See also
- ProGuard
- Mobile security
- Mobile application testing
- Mobile malware
- Reverse engineering (software)
- Obfuscation (software)
- Runtime application self-protection
References
- ↑ "Guardsquare". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 March 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Eric P.F. Lafortune". Eric P.F. Lafortune. Retrieved 25 March 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guardsquare Achieves MAS Advocate Status". OWASP Mobile Application Security. Retrieved 23 May 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Battery Ventures Buys Majority Stake in Guardsquare for $29 Million". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 January 2019. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Degeler, Andrii (30 January 2019). "Battery Ventures pays $29 million for a majority stake in Belgium's Guardsquare". Tech.eu. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guardsquare Opens Larger Boston Office for Growing Local Team". Built in Boston. Retrieved 8 December 2022. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "App Ray". Cyber Security Intelligence. Retrieved 26 March 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Build more secure mobile apps leveraging Guardsquare's AppSweep". Android Authority. Retrieved 28 March 2023. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guardsquare Announces Official Grand Opening of New Munich Office to Accelerate Product Development and Innovation". BusinessWire. Retrieved 14 October 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Verdane partners with Guardsquare to boost mobile security growth". Security Brief. Retrieved 4 July 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guardsquare does first major acquisition". Leuven Mindgate. Retrieved 12 December 2025. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Guardsquare Acquires Verimatrix XTD". DevOps Digest. February 9, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Roel Caers". SuperNova Festival 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Passing the Guardsquare CTO Baton in 2021". Guardsquare. Retrieved 27 December 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
External links
This article "Guardsquare" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Guardsquare. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
