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Former NSA deputy director George Barnes has made his first investment funds as a venture capitalist for his new job at the VC incubation studioRed Cell Partners . It ’s a $ 3 million pre - seed stack in an unresolved generator cybersecurity startup calledHunted Labs , he tell TechCrunch exclusively .
Barnes spend his entire 35 - yr life history at the undercover agent agency , starting as an engineer , traveling from cushy assignments in places like London to state of war zones , he said . He work as deputy director from 2017 to 2023 .
During that meter , the “ NSA had positioned itself to actually penetrate our opposer , ” he told TechCrunch . That ability to hack , “ really prepares you to be a better withstander , ” he pronounce total that this is whythe NSA is so goodat “ finding vulnerability and zero day . ”
It ’s also why he was excited to get Hunted Labs , the brainchild of Hayden Smith . Smith previously act upon on DevOps and cybersecurity for various DoD projection ; during his last projection for the politics , Smith was work on the DoD ’s bigPlatform Oneproject , “ which was this huge software package manufacturing plant , ” as Smith told TechCrunch .
Platform One allows the section ’s programmers to deploy their apps quicker with fewer approvals in large part by using already secured and clear cloud or open informant software ( OSS ) . But one immediate question came up in its development : Who is writing this OSS software ?
“ We do n’t have intercourse what connections they have to any administration or any alien influence , ” Smith said . “ There really was no production or no tool out there that could help carry through this at scurf . ”
Cold email, big customer
The importance of knowing software contributor became foreground in 2024 , when a lone Microsoft technologist discovered a backdoor inXZ Utils , a wide used piece of software let in in just about every translation of Linux . The perpetratorspent yearsgaining trust and cover their tracks before implant this computer code .
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Smith wanted to produce a commercial-grade version of the desktop check body of work he did for Platform One . So he sent cold emails to possible investor , and Barnes replied . Smith was shock to discover he ’d reached the former NSA deputy managing director .
Barnes liked the idea enough to call for Hunted Labs into Red Cell ’s pay , three - month “ breakthrough ” full point for its incubator . An incubator is somewhat like an accelerator , only the VC is more like a co - founder , bringing the outfit ’s own ideas for startup to life-time .
Such deals may require taking a larger stake than in a standard seed deal , but it offer more mentorship and support . Red Cell decline to say how much of Hunted Labs it manipulate .
In that three month , Hunted Labs refined its product enough to land customer and its $ 3 million pre - seed investing from Red Cell . The inauguration has also already set ashore a $ 1.79 million contract bridge with the Space Development Agency , Smith said .
Interestingly , the blank space representation contract did n’t add up from Red Cell ’s web . It number alternatively from the DoD connections of Smith and former DoD projection security technologist Tim Barone , who previously worked with Smith and is a conscientious objector - father of Hunted Labs , along with Smith ’s wife Amanda Aguayo . ( “ I have a cooling off period — that ’s two years for DoD , ” said Barnes , referring to why he is n’t straight require in sale . )
The contract was an prize from the AFWERX programme , as part ofa program that fund research contractsto small businesses . But the founder are known to many in the monumental section , so unlike manySilicon Valley - born defense technical school startup , they do n’t ask such strong presentation to authorities buyers , anyway .
“ They are recognized professionals in their own right , and so that really opens doors , ” Barnes said .
Hunted Labs also provide more traditional oculus sinister software threat management , like identifying the software in use and spotting vulnerability in the computer code . In this blank space , it has stack of competition , like Black Duck Software , Mend.io , and Snyk .
