Digital forensics startup Grayshift is moving to a bigger Roswell office after hiring almost 100 employees since the start of the pandemic.
The startup helps law enforcement and government agencies gain access to encrypted data in iPhones and Android devices to help with criminal investigations. Demand for its GrayKey product has continued to grow despite the pandemic, said Jody Kissling, Grayshift’s vice president of marketing.
“Law enforcement needs solutions like GrayKey to provide trusted and unequaled access to digital evidence, so we can help them solve cases faster and protect their communities,” Kissling said.
In the past year, Grayshift grew from less than 30 employees to about 120, hiring in all departments. About half are based in Atlanta. For more space, the startup traded its old Roswell office for one at the nearby Mansell Overlook development.
The new office has an open floor plan to encourage collaboration. Kissling said employees are returning to the office based on their comfort level. Some plan to stay remote, while others will spend time in the office and at home.
The hybrid office model is emerging as a popular return-to-work plan in Atlanta as the pandemic subsides. Fellow high-growth startup Flock Safety is expanding office space but isn’t bringing back the five-day commute. Financial technology giant Global Payments is also testing a hybrid model in its new Alpharetta office.
Grayshift is an example of how Atlanta’s longtime cybersecurity expertise continues to create more high-growth companies, said Christian Devlin, a senior vice president at CBRE, who helped Grayshift with its office move.
Internet Security Systems, a cybersecurity company sold to IBM for $1.3 billion in 2006, was one of the first successful startups to come out of Atlanta. It was founded in the early 1990s — the beginning of the city’s technology ecosystem.
Grayshift CEO and Co-Founder David Miles worked as an engineering manager for ISS, according to his LinkedIn. Other Grayshift employees are also alumni of ISS.
Miles founded Grayshift with Braden Thomas, Justin Fisher and Sean Larsson in 2016. Its initial product that could hack into iPhones became available commercially two years later. In February, the startup expanded capabilities to access some Android devices.
Grayshift’s growth is fueled by a massive, $47 million Series A round that closed last fall. Atlanta venture capital firm TechOperators participated in the round. Tom Noonan, co-founder and former CEO of ISS, is a general partner at TechOperators.
Now, about 1,0000 agencies across 25 countries use Grayshift’s product, Kissling said. The company has a 90% year-over-year revenue increase.
Grayshift plans to continue its growth by expanding into more markets globally and adding more Android devices, Kissling said.
