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Fortaegis
Secure Compute: hardware-rooted identity and quantum-safe connectivity built into the silicon
Last verified September 15, 2026 · Updated daily
What Fortaegis is building
Fortaegis builds what it calls Secure Compute: a full-stack architecture spanning hardware, firmware, cryptography and software whose premise is that identity and trust should be rooted in the physical chip, not in a certificate stored on a disk. The core primitive is a physical unclonable function. Every silicon die has microscopic manufacturing variation that can be read as a fingerprint; Fortaegis derives cryptographic keys from that fingerprint at the moment they are needed, so keys are never stored, change continuously, and cannot be extracted by dumping memory. Boudewijn Wijnands' framing is the whole thesis in one line: security cannot remain something added on top of digital systems, it has to become foundational to compute itself. On top of the hardware root sits a secure connectivity layer. The company claims secure connection establishment more than 200 times faster than conventional cryptographic protocols in internal and customer testing, and describes the design as quantum-safe because the keys are generated from physical randomness rather than from mathematical problems a quantum computer could attack. The product ships in four form factors: a server rack unit, a ruggedised edge device, a compact edge unit and embedded silicon for integration into other systems. Today that silicon is FPGA. The Series A is explicitly about the manufacturing transition: from small-batch FPGA builds to thousands and then tens of thousands of units by mid-2027, with Prodrive Technologies (an investor) assembling in Eindhoven, and in parallel an ASIC programme to bring cost down for higher-volume deployments. TNO, ASML and Eindhoven University of Technology are named collaborators, and the company is participating in NATO's Digital Backbone eXperimentation (DiBaX) programme this year. The customer side is deliberately opaque. Fortaegis says it works with more than 25 enterprises and governments across Europe, the US and Asia in AI infrastructure, defence, semiconductors, telecom, critical infrastructure and automotive, that several customer-funded non-recurring-engineering contracts worth millions of dollars are moving toward production qualification, and that its commercial pipeline is $2.6B (pipeline, not signed orders). Wijnands has declined to name deployments, citing operational sensitivity.
Why this matters
Two clocks are running at once. NIST finalised its first post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203, 204 and 205) in August 2024, which turned 'quantum-safe' from a research topic into a procurement requirement for governments and critical infrastructure. At the same time AI infrastructure is becoming a distributed system of machines that have to authenticate to each other at high speed: GPUs, edge nodes, autonomous platforms, agents. Certificate-based trust was designed for a world with far fewer identities and far more time to establish each one. A hardware root that generates keys on demand attacks both problems with the same primitive. The investor list is the tell on who believes it. Tokyo Electron's venture arm is the world's largest chip-equipment maker backing a security-in-silicon company. TNO is the Dutch national research organisation. Prodrive Technologies is the manufacturer that will build the units, investing in its own customer. Ilyas Khan founded Quantinuum and chairs the board; Ian Fujiyama runs global aerospace, defence and government at Carlyle. That is a strategic syndicate assembled for a supply-chain and defence story, not a SaaS one. The honest caveat is that the 200x speed figure and the $2.6B pipeline are company claims from a company that names none of its customers. The verifiable signals are the ones that cost money: 17 patents filed, an oversubscribed $50M round led by a returning investor, a Series B with soft commitments already, and a hiring page with nine open engineering and sales roles. Commercial manufacturing in 2027 means the next twelve months are the qualification year, which is when the hardware security and cryptography hires matter most.
Open roles at Fortaegis
7 positions we're tracking. Roles are re-checked daily and removed when filled.
Hardware Security Engineer (Amsterdam, onsite)
First seen today
Applied Cryptographer (Amsterdam, onsite)
First seen today
Embedded Linux / Firmware Engineer (Amsterdam, onsite)
First seen today
Distributed Network Engineer (Amsterdam, onsite)
First seen today
CI/CD Build Engineer and QA / Test Automation Engineer (Amsterdam, onsite)
First seen today
Sales Consulting Engineer and Sales Director, Texas (US)
First seen today
Full Stack Software Engineer (India, onsite)
First seen today
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Watching Fortaegis
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250+Hiring outlook
Nine live roles on fortaegis.teamtailor.com as of 15 September 2026, six of them in Amsterdam (onsite): Hardware Security Engineer, Applied Cryptographer, Embedded Linux / Firmware Engineer, Distributed Network Engineer, CI/CD Build Engineer, QA / Test Automation Engineer; plus Sales Consulting Engineer and Sales Director (Texas) in the US and a Full Stack Software Engineer in India. The press release says the round funds growing engineering and commercial capacity. Explicit intent and live reqs.
Working at Fortaegis
Fortaegis is a Tech company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Working at a Tech company at this stage means opportunity to shape your role based on the company stage.
Amsterdam, Netherlands is where most Fortaegis positions are located.
How to actually get hired at Fortaegis
Why applying the normal way doesn't work
Fortaegis runs an applicant tracking system, but hiring managers still work referrals first. A cold application to Fortaegis isn't dead, it's just fourth in line behind internal referrals, sourced candidates and recruiter pipelines.
Who to contact at Fortaegis
What to show them
Write a short technical note on a PUF-based key derivation scheme: how you would handle bit-error rates across temperature and voltage without helper data leaking key material, what you would use for the fuzzy extractor, and how you would combine the PUF-derived secret with a NIST PQC KEM (ML-KEM / FIPS 203) so the connection is quantum-safe end to end rather than only at the root. Include the threat model where an attacker has physical access to the device. Two pages, with references, is enough; the point is showing you know where 'quantum-safe by design' is a real claim and where it needs a proof.
A cold email that works at Fortaegis
What Fortaegis screens for
Serendipity Capital led the round as a returning investor and the syndicate is built out of the supply chain: the equipment maker, the assembler, the national lab, the quantum-computing founder as chairman, the Carlyle defence head as an angel. Nobody in that list is betting on a dashboard. The stated plan is FPGA units in the thousands to tens of thousands by mid-2027 and an ASIC behind it, which means the next year is qualification, manufacturing test and firmware hardening, and the open roles say exactly that: cryptographer, hardware security, firmware, distributed networking, build and test. It is an onsite Amsterdam team going from prototype to product with a defence customer base it can't talk about. If you have shipped secure silicon or a hardware root of trust into a qualified product before, you are one of a small number of people in Europe who can, and the window is before the 2027 production run.
Customize your CV for the Fortaegis role. Matching the job description language helps clear ATS filters.
Don't make these mistakes
Do not open with quantum doom or a 'Q-day' countdown. Boudewijn is a second-time founder (Deedmob, a volunteering platform) with an Oxford MSc and a seat in a Dutch policy think tank; he has built a team of hardware, cryptography and research leads precisely so the company is judged on engineering, and he has heard every quantum pitch since Ilyas Khan joined as chairman. Also don't pitch software-layer security, zero-trust tooling or 'AI for threat detection'; the company's entire position is that adding security on top is the mistake. And don't ask who the customers are as your opener; he has said on record he won't name them. Lead with something you have done in hardware trust: PUF enrollment and helper-data leakage, side-channel hardening on an FPGA design, a secure-boot chain you built for embedded Linux, or an FPGA-to-ASIC port where timing closure broke the security assumptions. If you are on the sales side, lead with a defence or telecom procurement cycle you have actually run.
Mistakes that kill Fortaegis applications
A recycled CV gets rejected fast at Fortaegis ( people). They notice.
Don't open with what you want. Open with what Fortaegis is dealing with right now — Two clocks are running at once, and what you'd do about it.
Most Tech applications get ghosted. A day-five follow-up can double your response rate.
Applying to Fortaegis? Get the contact, not the form.
The Fortaegis interview process
4 stages · 14 days typical · take-home: no · modelled from similar companies
We don't yet have verified candidate reports for Fortaegis. What follows is the typical process for a -person Tech company — treat it as a model, not confirmed detail.
Interview stages
Recruiter Screen
Phone or video · 30 min
Basic qualification and logistics
Recruiter or HR
Hiring Manager Interview
Video call · 45 min
Role fit and experience deep-dive
Hiring manager
Technical/Functional Round
Video call · 60 min
Skills assessment and problem-solving
Team members
Final Round
In-person or video · 60 min
Culture fit and cross-functional alignment
Senior leadership
Fortaegis interview timeline
Expect days total. Compared to similar Tech companies (14 days median), Fortaegis is about average.
Interviewed at Fortaegis?
Tell us how it went — stages, questions, timeline. Takes 90 seconds and it's how this page stays accurate for the next person.
Submit your Fortaegis interview experience →Fortaegis jobs, frequently asked questions
How many jobs does Fortaegis have open?
7 open roles at Fortaegis, last checked September 2026.
Does Fortaegis hire remotely?
All current Fortaegis roles are based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
What roles is Fortaegis hiring for?
Fortaegis is hiring across Engineering, Other. The most recent opening is Hardware Security Engineer (Amsterdam, onsite).
How do I apply for a job at Fortaegis?
Use the apply links above, or check our guide to getting hired at Fortaegis.
Does Fortaegis respond to cold emails?
Response rate data for Fortaegis not yet confirmed.
Who is the hiring manager at Fortaegis?
At this size, hiring is usually run by the hiring manager.
How competitive is it to get hired at Fortaegis?
Expect 100-250 applicants in the first two weeks for Tech roles at this size. Apply within 72 hours for best odds.
How many rounds is the Fortaegis interview?
4 stages: Recruiter Screen, Hiring Manager Interview, Technical/Functional Round, Final Round.
Is the Fortaegis interview hard?
Focus on relevant experience and culture fit, not puzzles. Final Round is reportedly the most challenging round.
Does Fortaegis give a take-home task?
No, Fortaegis does not include a take-home stage.
How long does Fortaegis take to get back to you?
Around 14 days across the full process.
What should I prepare for the Fortaegis interview?
relevant experience and culture fit is the priority. Show you can work autonomously — that matters more than algorithms at people.
Where is Fortaegis based?
Fortaegis is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Get Fortaegis roles before they're posted
A role stays uncontested for about four days. Here's the window — and where we put you in it.
From $5.99/week, cancel any time.
Watching Fortaegis
0 applicantsRole spotted & verified
1You get the alert
1You've applied
~8Hits the job boards
250+Related
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