Xayn in a $12 million in Series A funding led by the Japanese investors Global Brain and KDDI

Xayn, a Berlin, Germany-based software developer of an alternative search engine for mobile devices, announced raising $12 million.

The money was raised from investors from Japan led by Global Brain and KDDI, with participation from existing shareholders including the Earlybird VC in Berlin.

Xayn, founded in 2017 by Felix Hahmann and Leif-Nissen Lundbaek, CEO started initially as a Blockchain and AI startup that develops a cybersecurity protocol through which machines, devices, and humans can control access to data and resources in the emerging Internet of Things.

The company since pivoted into developing filly-fledged search engines for mobile devices that is personalized, but a privacy-safe web search on smartphones, representing an alternative to Google's engine.