Red Cell Partners, a leading incubation firm specializing in technology-driven companies across cyber, national security, and healthcare, has officially launched Hunted Labs, a cutting-edge software security company. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Hunted Labs provides organizations with comprehensive visibility into their software supply chains, empowering them to swiftly detect and neutralize malicious threats. Backed by $3 million in pre-seed funding from Red Cell, Hunted Labs is the latest venture under the firm’s Cyber Practice.
Hunted Labs enhances cybersecurity for both public and private sector organizations by offering real-time insight into the development and control of the open-source software they depend on daily. The company’s unified threat management approach strengthens cyber defense strategies, addressing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. The leadership team, comprised of Amanda Aguayo, Tim Barone, and Hayden Smith, brings decades of experience supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Intelligence Community, and Fortune 100 and 500 enterprises.
“Organizations today are under constant threat from attackers who hunt for vulnerabilities in the software supply chain that they can readily exploit. In fact, it is estimated that, by 2026, software supply chain attacks will cost victims almost $81 billion,” said Aguayo. “We created Hunted Labs to provide automated threat hunting and threat management that enable the proactive and systematic tracking, identification, and remediation of potential cybersecurity breaches, especially those that could inflict serious harm.”
Following its launch, Hunted Labs secured a $1.79 million Small Business Innovation Research Direct-to-Phase II contract from AFWERX to enhance strategic cybersecurity for the Space Development Agency. This funding will support the development of Entercept™, a proprietary platform designed to give organizations full command and control over their software supply chains.
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“The last few years have clearly shown us that when it comes to cyberattacks – whether by a nation-state actor seeking to disrupt critical infrastructure or a cybercriminal out to score a big payday – no organization is off-limits,” said Smith, a seasoned software engineer with experience at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked closely with the DoD and private-sector clients on securing software ecosystems. “When these attacks occur – often through malicious code inserted into third-party software, including open source – organizations find themselves in reactive mode and, unfortunately, by then the damage has likely already been done. With a focus on providing greater visibility into each stage of the software development life cycle and the potential risks, our aim is to help clients adopt a more proactive stance so they can better protect themselves against would-be attackers.”
Hunted Labs was the first company selected for Red Cell Go, an open application incubation program launched in Spring 2024. Through this initiative, Hunted Labs has leveraged platform services, developer resources, computing power, and back-office support, accelerating its federal and commercial sales pipeline.
Additionally, the company has assembled a prestigious Board of Advisors, including Jim Higgins, CISO of CoreWeave and former CISO of Snap; Kris Merritt, former Senior Director of Threat Hunting Operations for CrowdStrike and former Intrusion Detection Lead for GE Aviation; and George Barnes, President of Red Cell’s Cyber Practice and former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency.
“In the not-too-distant past, there was a heightened push to leverage open-source software to expedite time-to-market, which often meant relegating cyber defense to backburner status. Today, however, we are seeing the consequences of not prioritizing cybersecurity as more and more entities fall prey to malicious attacks,” Barnes said. “Through its product and services, the Hunted Labs team will enable customers to maintain their velocity while also assessing and mitigating risk, proving that you don’t have to compromise in the pursuit of Secure by Design.”
“We are proud to be on this journey with Hunted Labs and have full confidence in their ability to fortify software supply chains and protect the hunted,” Barnes added.