CEO of Cybersecurity Unicorn to Help Entrepreneurs Grow
the Next Generation of Impactful Cyber Companies
Robert Lee co-founder and CEO of Dragos, has joined DataTribe, the global cyber foundry that invests in and co-builds next-generation cybersecurity and data science companies, as a venture partner. Lee, who secured seed funding from DataTribe, comes full circle to help today’s swath of cyber entrepreneurs focused on protecting national and economic security. He will remain as the Dragos full-time CEO.
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“Rob is not only a tremendous entrepreneur and business leader but one of the foremost global experts in critical infrastructure cybersecurity”
As a venture partner, Lee will help company founders navigate the challenges and opportunities he faced when building a venture-backed technology company outside of Silicon Valley and rebuffed investors who required him to move to the West Coast. DataTribe was the only firm that understood the value of staying on the East Coast amidst the greater Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region’s deep cyber, government, and national security talent pool.
“DataTribe and myself provide a unique lens for cybersecurity entrepreneurs,” Lee said. “The combination of deep cybersecurity technical expertise and founder experience across multiple companies provides a wealth of learned and shared experiences to CEOs focused on scaling and productizing solutions to solve our most vexing security challenges.”
Lee epitomizes the cyber- and national-security talent in the DMV. Coming out of the U.S. Air Force Cyber Warfare Operations and the National Security Agency, Lee identified and analyzed threats to industrial infrastructure. His front-line government experience highlighted the need for commercial and scalable industrial cybersecurity solutions. Lee leveraged DataTribe’s unique cyber foundry model — that provides access to capital and marketing, product management, sales, engineering, legal, and finance expertise — to found Dragos.
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DataTribe companies also get exclusive access to a curated network of strategic partners and advisors. The firm invests in over-the-horizon cybersecurity solutions to defeat the most aggressive, creative, and persistent offensive cybercriminals. DataTribe has provided seed investments for some of the cyber industry’s fastest-growing companies, including BlackCloak, Dragos, SixMap, Enveil, and Strider.
“Rob is not only a tremendous entrepreneur and business leader but one of the foremost global experts in critical infrastructure cybersecurity,” said Rob Ackerman, Managing Director at DataTribe. “Our companies now can learn from someone who has ‘walked the walk’ better than nearly any other cyber entrepreneur. We were honored that Rob accepted our seed investment seven years ago and beyond thrilled that he has returned to the fold to help other leaders make the world safer.”
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