QuoIntelligence: Europe’s cyber custodian

With digitalisation comes a new generation of threats – often underreported, poorly understood, and invisible until it is too late. The traditional “cops and robbers” narrative has evolved. Today, the frontline is increasingly defined by one hacker trying to outsmart another.

“Many of our clients only realise they need our services when we show them just how much information about their organisation is already out there,” says Marco Riccardi, CEO and Founder of QuoIntelligence. “That’s the moment the risk becomes real.”

Hacker turned entrepreneur

Marco grew up in the 1990s, a period when computer technology was dramatically evolving. Computers opened new worlds of information – creating a space where younger generations could suddenly become the experts. “My parents let me use an old computer we kept in the basement. Add a few American spy films into the mix, and I was completely hooked on coding and hacking,” Marco laughs.

Driven by a curiosity to understand how systems work, Marco joined the Italian military’s psychological warfare unit, where he combined IT expertise with intelligence and information operations. In the years that followed, he worked at institutions such as European Central Bank and Deutsche Bank, focusing on IT security and cyber threats.

“When working in the public sector, I saw first-hand the complexity and cost of threat intelligence solutions – and started to realise that there’s a market gap for accessible and effective intelligence services,” explains Marco.

European-focused

That realisation laid the foundations for QuoIntelligence – a Frankfurt-based cybersecurity company helping European organisations stay ahead of cyber threats by turning complex data into clear, actionable insights.

By making threat intelligence more accessible to organisations that would otherwise struggle to build such capabilities in-house, QuoIntelligence aims to close a gap created by the growing complexity of cyber risk.

For Marco – a Rome-born founder building a company in Germany – the ambition was shaped not only by what to build, but by where to build it.

Back then, the cybersecurity market was dominated by American, Israeli, and Russian vendors. ”

- Marco Riccardi, CEO and Founder

"There was a need for a European-focused intelligence service – one aligned with our geopolitical context and tailored to European companies,” says Marco.

Today, QuoIntelligence covers clients across critical infrastructure, finance, transportation, manufacturing, and government sectors – with a strong focus on Europe.

eCAPITAL – a German venture capital firm supported by the EIF – acted as early believers of QuoIntelligence during their seed round. “Their continued support has meant a lot. We have always wanted to maintain our European identity but at times we have felt there was a perception from investors that us focusing on European sovereignty could limit our market potential,” explains Marco.

He stops, thinks, and concludes: “but I feel that today’s reality continues to stress the importance of security in Europe. And I’m damn proud we continue to play our part in strengthening that.”