Protecht Group ("Protecht"), an Australian-based global leader in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) solutions, today announced the acquisition of VISO TRUST, a US-based third-party risk management platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The acquisition marks a significant step in Protecht's global expansion strategy and cements its position in a market expected to grow at 11.5% CAGR to US$41.7 billion by 2034. The integration of VISO TRUST's agentic AI capabilities with Protecht's platform addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing enterprise risk teams today.
Protecht acquires VISO TRUST, an AI-powered third-party risk management platform based in the US.
83% of enterprises plan to grow third-party networks over the next three years, but only 18% have fully integrated vendor risk management.
The acquisition follows Protecht's US$280 million investment from PSG Equity one year ago.
VISO TRUST co-founders Paul Valente (CCO) and Russ Sherman (CTO) will remain in their roles.
The combined solution delivers AI-powered vendor risk assessments, AI agents for GRC workflows, and continuous monitoring of third and fourth-party risk.
Protecht has offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, and London.
"The challenge isn't just the growth in third-party risk, it's that most organisations are still trying to manage it with fragmented, manual approaches that don't scale," said Jason Phillips, CEO of Protecht. "VISO TRUST's agentic third-party risk capabilities naturally complement and enhance Protecht's existing risk management platform to help customers confidently manage risk across their entire enterprise and vendor ecosystems."
Customers will benefit from a unified solution delivering:
AI-powered vendor risk assessments that accelerate onboarding and due diligence
AI agents that automate GRC workflows, reducing manual input and enabling risk teams to operate at greater speed and scale
Continuous monitoring of third-party and fourth-party risk across complex vendor networks
Enhanced analytics and data-driven insights for Board-ready risk reporting
The speed and insight to stay ahead of third-party and cyber threats, without adding headcount
"Enterprise organisations are expanding their third-party vendor networks while facing more sophisticated cyber threats through those same relationships. Yet, most are still managing that risk manually, and that gap is exactly the problem VISO TRUST was built to address," said Paul Valente, Co-founder and Chief Customer Officer of VISO TRUST. "Joining Protecht means we can meet that demand at scale, combining our AI and agent capabilities with a world-class GRC platform, to deliver something genuinely differentiated in the market and for our customers."
As part of the acquisition, both Paul Valente and Russ Sherman, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, will remain with the business in their existing roles. This move comes a year after Protecht secured a US$280 million investment from PSG Equity, highlighting the pace at which the company is executing its global growth and expansion strategy. Enterprise organisations are expanding their third-party networks faster than they can manage the associated risk. While 83% plan to grow these networks over the next three years, only 18% have fully integrated vendor risk management into their enterprise frameworks, leaving many exposed as cyber threats increasingly emerge through external partners.
About Protecht
With offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, and London, Protecht Group provides innovative risk management solutions, including the Protecht ERM (enterprise risk management) platform. Trusted by organisations across government, financial services, education, and other industries, Protecht empowers businesses to manage risk holistically, transitioning from spreadsheets and manual processes to efficient, integrated systems.
About VISO TRUST
VISO TRUST is a leading AI-powered third-party and cyber risk management platform that helps organisations automate and scale risk assessments, reduce manual workload and gain real-time visibility into vendor risk. Trusted by security and risk professionals, VISO TRUST combines powerful analytics and continuous monitoring to deliver actionable insights that strengthen enterprise and supply chain risk programs.
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