Venture firm DataTribe raises $41 million to port government-led cybersecurity innovation to the private sector

Aerial View From Over Arlington, VA Of The Pentagon (Credit: USAf—Getty Images)

Silicon Valley denizens may not think of the U.S. government as a hub for cutting-edge innovation, but the venture firm DataTribe has a 10-year bet that says otherwise. Defense tech has become one of the hottest areas in VC, but DataTribe flips the approach on its head. While companies like Palantir and Anduril develop tech to sell into governments, DataTribe works with recent government alumni to adapt their cybersecurity expertise for the private sector. The approach has paid off, with DataTribe recently closing a $41 million fund—its third. 

I spoke with DataTribe’s managing directors Leo Scott and Robert Ackerman last week to understand this strange moment for government-tech industry relations. Elon Musk and Donald Trump were escalating their social media flame war, with Trump threatening to cancel Musk’s portfolio companies’ government contracts. Meanwhile, Anduril had just announced a massive funding round and a $31 billion valuation. “Within all the chaos, there’s opportunity,” Ackerman told me. “But right now it’s a mess.”