San Francisco 49ers Partner with Doppel to Defend the Bay

NFL fan-favourite San Francisco 49ers have taken a defensive position in security with their new partnership with AI security company Doppel .

The multi-year deal is focused on defending the NFL franchise against social engineering attacks including phishing, impersonation, deepfakes and fraud.

The agreement makes Doppel the 49ers’ official social engineering defense (SED) partner and marks the company’s first partnership with an NFL franchise.

The Bay Area connection is also central to the deal, with Doppel founded in San Francisco in 2022 and the 49ers based in Santa Clara.

How are the 49ers using AI to defend against social engineering?

Doppel’s AI-native security platform is designed to identify and connect signals across multiple channels where social engineering attacks can emerge.

Its technology brings together Digital Risk Protection, Email Security and Human Risk Management through what the company calls a Superintelligence Layer.

This approach is intended to give the 49ers a broader view of potential campaigns, helping security teams identify threats across different channels and intervene before they become incidents .

“The 49ers are one of the most iconic and legendary brands in sports, and we’re proud to build on our relationship with them,” says Kevin Tian , CEO and Co-Founder of Doppel.

“Doppel was founded in the Bay Area, making this partnership a homecoming for us.”

“For Doppel, it also represents an important milestone in our growth,” Kevin notes.

“The partnership reflects the calibre of organisations choosing to work with us and gives us an opportunity to introduce Social Engineering Defense to millions of fans.

“The 49ers have seen our technology in action and trust us to help make them safer.

“By connecting signals across digital channels, Doppel gives their team a more complete view of social engineering campaigns and helps them act before threats become reality.”

Why does the 49ers and Doppel partnership matter?

For the 49ers, the partnership brings a dedicated focus on protecting an organisation with a large public profile, extensive digital presence and global fanbase.

The threat landscape has also become more complicated as generative AI makes impersonation and fraudulent content easier to produce.

With every new technology, comes new risks. We're not only thinking how AI can make us better across the team but also how it can make us more secure Costa Kladianos, 49ers EVP and Head of Technology

With every new technology, comes new risks. We're not only thinking how AI can make us better across the team but also how it can make us more secure

Doppel says its platform is built to detect threats such as phishing , deepfakes and impersonation by analysing activity across different attack surfaces rather than treating each incident in isolation.

“As one of the most recognisable sports brands in the world, protecting our organisation and maintaining the trust we’ve built with our global fanbase is our utmost priority,” says Costa Kladianos , 49ers EVP and Head of Technology.

“Although our partnership with Doppel has just recently launched publicly, the 49ers have actually had a relationship with them for quite some time,” Costa notes, elaborating that being a customer to the official agreement, the 49ers were able to experience the company's technology first hand.

“Being in Silicon Valley, we're very close to the AI boom and understand the potential that comes with it.

“However, with every new technology, comes new risks. We're not only thinking how AI can make us better across the team, but also how it can make us more secure.”

Doppel will feature across 49ers games through digital and physical in-stadium signage and the companies will collaborate on social media content, custom events and game day promotions.

A central element will be Doppel’s “Defend the Bay” campaign, which connects AI and cybersecurity with the shared Bay Area roots of the two organisations.

The campaign is also intended to highlight the importance of protecting staff, partners and fans as organisations face increasingly sophisticated social engineering threats.

How is AI changing social engineering defence?

Doppel argues that conventional approaches need to evolve as attackers use AI to create more convincing impersonation and fraud at greater speed.

Its platform is designed to connect intelligence across channels and respond to malicious activity at machine speed.

“We built Doppel to give security teams complete visibility into how attacks develop across every medium,” said Rahul Madduluri , CTO and Co-Founder of Doppel.

“AI has made impersonation cheaper, faster and more convincing to produce. Defending against it requires technology that dismantles malicious infrastructure and responds at machine speed.

“The 49ers have built their identity around that same disciplined approach to defence, which makes this relationship such a natural fit.”

Who are Doppel’s key partners?

Palo Alto Networks : Doppel lists the company as an international technology partner. The relationship connects Doppel’s Social Engineering Defense capabilities with Palo Alto Networks’ wider enterprise security platform, helping organisations address threats including phishing, impersonation and credential theft.

Google Marketplace: Doppel lists Google Marketplace as a technology partner. The relationship gives organisations a route to discover, purchase and deploy Doppel’s security platform through Google Cloud Marketplace.

Reality Defender : Reality Defender is listed as a national technology partner. The company specialises in detecting deepfakes and other forms of synthetic media, complementing Doppel’s focus on AI-powered impersonation and social engineering defence.

Microsoft Sentinel: Microsoft Sentinel is a key Doppel integration rather than a technology partner listed in the same category. Doppel can send external threat intelligence into Sentinel, allowing security teams to investigate and respond to signals from Doppel within an existing security operations workflow.

Costa Kladianos EVP and Head of Technology

EVP and Head of Technology

Kevin Tian Co-Founder and CEO

Rahul Madduluri Co-Founder & CTO

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