Israeli cybersecurity startup IRONSCALES, which was chosen as one of the top 10 cybersecurity companies to watch in Q3 2017 by Momentum Partners, has found its first U.S. hire in Atlanta-based security veteran, Adam Hofeler. Hofeler will serve as the company’s Vice President of Sales for the Americas to lead sales and growth for the U.S., Canada, and Central and South American markets.
This hire follows last month’s Series A funding round of $6.5 million, which the company said would be used to expand its sales team and channel partnerships, and accelerate product development. IRONSCALES has seen three years of triple digit revenue growth.
IRONSCALES is the first automated email phishing mitigation platform. The product tackles the not only annoying, but dangerous — and growing — phenomenon of email phishing. According to an IBM report, the number of spam emails that contain malicious attachments is on a rapid rise. Spam email is the number one delivery vehicle for most malware with 1 in 131 emails in 2016 containing malware.
“Despite advances in cybersecurity technology, corporate governance and employee awareness, email phishing far and away remains the primary attack vector for all types of crippling ransomware, spoofing and BEC threats,” says Hofeler.
IRONSCALES, which began at a cybersecurity incubator program founded by alumni of the Israel Defense Forces’ Intelligence Technology unit, starts at the “mailbox level,” to attack email phishing at all stages. Their suite of products includes phishing simulation and awareness training, detection, incidence reposes and automated, actionable intelligence sharing.
“By combing human intelligence with machine learning, IRONSCALES’ customers reduce false positives and the time from email phishing attack discovery to enterprise-wide remediation from days, weeks or months to just seconds, with little to no security team involvement,” says Hofeler.
It’s a space Hofeler is familiar with, as former district sales manager at security company Palo Alto Networks.
Hofeler says IRONSCALES’ ideal sales target is clients that have 1000 mailboxes or more, and that much of the funding-driven expansion will be focused on the U.S.
“We have customers that have 250 employees and those that have 50,000-plus,” says Hofeler.
He will report to IRONSCALES founder and CEO Eyal Benishti, but will continue to be based in Atlanta. The city is a rising cybersecurity hub, with last year seeing the first Atlanta Cyber Week hosting 1000+ attendees including startup investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and experts.
“I think Atlanta is well on its way as a cybersecurity hub, with great resources, fantastic higher-education facilities in the area and companies and organizations that take cybersecurity very seriously — hence acquiring great decision makers and thought leaders,” Hofeler says. “Everything that is needed to be recognized as a cybersecurity hub, we have in Atlanta.”
