Former FireEye CTO Dave Merkel has teamed up with fellow alumni of the cybersecurity giant to raise $7.5 million for a new Virginia-based company called Expel, Inc. according to an SEC filing.
Merkel, who is listed as CEO of Expel, was CTO at local cybersecurity startup Mandiant when it was acquired by FireEye for $1 billion in 2013, and served in that same capacity at FireEye for a little over a year. Merkel is also the husband of Herndon, Va. mayor, Lisa Merkel. The rest of the listed team includes former FireEye as a Service CTO Yanek Korff and managing director Justin Bajko, both of whom had also been at Mandiant during the acquisition.
Along with the three executives, Paladin Capital principal Mourad Yesayan is listed on the SEC form as a director. The investors aren't listed but Yesayan's name on the form suggests Paladin is one of, if not the only, investor. That would fit with Paladin's previous investments, including leading a $42.5 million round of investment in local cybersecurity firm PhishMe.
All three of the former FireEye executives left around the same time last summer,
At the very least, this proves the summer of cybersecurity isn't over yet.
