Key Takeaways
- • Erie Strategic Ventures, the venture capital arm of Erie Insurance (NYSE: ERIE), announced investments in two new portfolio companies, Blitzy and HiddenLayer, on November 12, 2026.
- • Both startups build AI infrastructure tools that help enterprises adopt and scale artificial intelligence, according to the press release.
- • Blitzy operates an autonomous software development platform that orchestrates thousands of AI agents in parallel to modernize legacy codebases.
- • HiddenLayer provides security for agentic, generative and predictive AI applications, spanning AI supply chain security, attack simulation and runtime protection.
- • The fund, launched in August 2022 and co-managed with Cerity Partners Ventures, targets the personal and commercial insurance value chain and adjacent sectors.
Summary
Erie Strategic Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Erie Insurance, announced on November 12, 2026 that it has invested in two new portfolio companies, Blitzy and HiddenLayer, according to a PRNewswire release. The investments support startups building AI infrastructure tools that help enterprises adopt and scale artificial intelligence. The release did not disclose investment amounts or round terms.
The Erie Strategic Ventures fund was launched in August 2022 and focuses on the personal and commercial insurance value chain as well as adjacencies that could deliver value to Erie Insurance, its agents and policyholders. Cerity Partners Ventures, the corporate venture capital management firm formed through Cerity Partners' 2024 merger with Touchdown Ventures, helps oversee and operate the fund.
Blitzy describes its platform as an autonomous software development tool for enterprise-scale codebases. The company says it uses a proprietary ontology and graph to understand codebases of any size, and orchestrates thousands of AI agents in parallel to rapidly modernize legacy systems and accelerate new product development. HiddenLayer secures agentic, generative and predictive AI applications across the AI lifecycle, from discovery and AI supply chain security to attack simulation and runtime protection. The company says its patented technology and adversarial AI research are designed to defend AI agents and systems against evolving threats, protect intellectual property and support regulatory compliance.
Keith Kennedy, senior vice president for Next Level Innovation at Erie Insurance, said the company is "continuously exploring high-value ways to safely apply AI" and that partnering with Blitzy and HiddenLayer enables those efforts. Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 company founded in 1925 and rated A (Excellent) by AM Best, serves nearly seven million policyholders through more than 14,000 independent agents across 12 states and Washington, D.C. Erie says it also offers portfolio companies more than 100 years of industry expertise in addition to capital.
The Erie Strategic Ventures fund was launched in August 2022 and focuses on the personal and commercial insurance value chain as well as adjacencies that could deliver value to Erie Insurance, its agents and policyholders. Cerity Partners Ventures, the corporate venture capital management firm formed through Cerity Partners' 2024 merger with Touchdown Ventures, helps oversee and operate the fund.
Blitzy describes its platform as an autonomous software development tool for enterprise-scale codebases. The company says it uses a proprietary ontology and graph to understand codebases of any size, and orchestrates thousands of AI agents in parallel to rapidly modernize legacy systems and accelerate new product development. HiddenLayer secures agentic, generative and predictive AI applications across the AI lifecycle, from discovery and AI supply chain security to attack simulation and runtime protection. The company says its patented technology and adversarial AI research are designed to defend AI agents and systems against evolving threats, protect intellectual property and support regulatory compliance.
Keith Kennedy, senior vice president for Next Level Innovation at Erie Insurance, said the company is "continuously exploring high-value ways to safely apply AI" and that partnering with Blitzy and HiddenLayer enables those efforts. Erie Insurance, a Fortune 500 company founded in 1925 and rated A (Excellent) by AM Best, serves nearly seven million policyholders through more than 14,000 independent agents across 12 states and Washington, D.C. Erie says it also offers portfolio companies more than 100 years of industry expertise in addition to capital.
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