Washington, D.C. – Paladin Capital Group, the multi-stage investor specializing in cyber and advanced technology, is pleased to announce that former Deputy National Cyber Director for Strategy and Budget Rob Knake will join the firm as a Strategic Advisor. Drawing from his decades-long career in cybersecurity, Knake advises government officials, Fortune 500 companies, startups, and private equity firms on cybersecurity practices, incident response, and strategy as well as mergers and acquisitions. At Paladin, Knake will join the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), a team of advisors specializing in government, security, intelligence, and commercial markets to support the firm’s investment strategy and portfolio companies.
While serving in the newly created Office of the National Cyber Director from 2022 to 2023, Knake helped establish the office’s structure and led the development of the National Cybersecurity Strategy. Knake also helped create the first ever cybersecurity budget priorities for the federal government.
“With his decades of cybersecurity experience in both the public and private sectors, Rob knows what it takes to keep the U.S. and our critical infrastructure safe from cyber attacks,” said Michael Steed, Founder and Managing Partner of Paladin Capital Group. “We are delighted to welcome him to the Paladin team as we identify and invest in cyber and AI technology to bolster security, trust, and safety. After years spent developing policy for the White House and consulting for various data security platforms, Rob will add a critical perspective to our work.”
“I am thrilled to join such an esteemed group of cybersecurity experts and investors working to secure critical infrastructure,” said Rob Knake. “I’ve spent years advising firms within the cybersecurity sector, and I’m excited to lend my expertise to Paladin as we work to support some of the world’s most innovative cyber companies.”
In his previous government service, Knake served as Director for Cybersecurity Policy at the National Security Council from 2011 to 2015. In this role, he was responsible for the development of presidential policy on cybersecurity and built and managed national processes for cyber incident response and vulnerability management.
Additionally, Knake has worked extensively within the think tank and research community. Knake has served as a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Cyber Fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center, a Senior Research Scientist at Northeastern University, and has taught at Georgetown University.
Alongside renowned cyber and homeland security expert and fellow Paladin Strategic Advisor Richard Clarke, Knake has co-authored two books on cybersecurity, Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country, Our Companies, and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats.
At Paladin, Knake will serve on Paladin’s Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), which consists of notable cyber experts who advise the firm’s investment team on the cyber landscape. SAG members include former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, former Congressman James Langevin, Vice Admiral (ret.) Jan Tighe, Sir David Omand, Richard Schaeffer, Richard Clarke, Dr. Mary Aiken, Jeremy Bash, H. Lee Buchanan, Florence Mottay, Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Ciaran Martin, Dr. Najwa Aaraj, Kevin Phillips, and General (Ret.) Mike Minihan.
About Paladin Capital Group
Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, Luxembourg, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage, dual-use investor, Paladin’s core strength is identifying, supporting, and investing in innovative companies that develop promising, early-stage technologies to address the critical cyber, defense and advanced technology needs of both commercial and government customers.
Combining proven investment experience with deep expertise in global security, cyber technology, and cutting-edge research, Paladin has invested in more than 80 companies since 2008 and has been a trusted partner to investors, entrepreneurs, and governments for over two decades.
For more on Paladin Capital Group, follow us on Twitter at @Paladincap and on LinkedIn or visit us at www.paladincapgroup.com.