OPSWAT rapidly grows headcount, prepares for future IPO

OPSWAT, a cybersecurity firm recognized as Tampa’s top tech company, is expanding rapidly as it prepares for its future IPO. 

OPSWAT moved its corporate headquarters from San Francisco to Tampa in 2021. OPSWAT specializes in critical infrastructure protection, and its clientele includes more than 1,000 organizations around the world. 

Today, the team has over 500 global employees and continues to grow. 

“Since we moved to Tampa, we have 88-plus total employees. We’ve grown over 200% in Tampa alone,” said Stephen Gorham, OPSWAT CIO & Head of Global Operations. “We are very focused on our IPO [initial public offering] planning this year. We are certainly making sure we have the basis intact so when the time comes, we can explore the IPO as well as grow our revenue and team members globally.” 

OPSWAT CIO and Head of Global Operations Stephen Gorham. 

Gorham, who joined OPSWAT last year, said OPSWAT would be the first cybersecurity company with its type of IT protection to go public. He said the exact timeline of the IPO has not been determined. 

The firm has made recent strides in growing its headcount.

It most recently hired Robby Cantrell, one of the region’s prominent technology and cybersecurity sales leaders, as VP of OT Sales.

Last year, Mike Barker, who served as the COO became the Chief Revenue Officer and OPSWAT hired its Corporate Secretary Eric Spindel. 

Acquiring companies and securing funding were other milestones. 

OPSWAT received $125 million in funding in 2021 from Brighton Park Capital, a Connecticut-based research-driven investment firm. OPSWAT is using the capital to accelerate growth by expanding its global sales, marketing and business operations.  

It also acquired all assets of Bayshore Networks, the leading provider of active industrial cybersecurity protection solutions. 

The acquisition helped OPSWAT expand its infrastructure capabilities around operational technologies, Gorham said. 

Additionally, OPSWAT acquired SNDBOX last year. The Israel-based malware analysis firm SNDBOX is the top malware analysis sandbox solution for critical infrastructure organizations. SNDBOX’s analysis technology enhances OPSWAT’s MetaDefender platform and its Malware Analysis Solution. 

“We are always seeking acquisitions of new technologies to round out our offerings. We’ve been very focused on providing a complete solution around information technology, security and operations,” Gorham said. “Innovation is key to us, we think about what our customers are needing.” 

While the firm adds to its headcount and portfolio, Gorham said the firm is committed to remaining in Tampa. 

“I’m going to continue to make this a place that folks will want to come to and stay and grow their careers,” he said. 

Gorham said OPSWAT is in the final stages of closing on a new office location in Tampa that will “set the tone” for OPSWAT’s presence. 

OPSWAT has expanded twice at its current office at 5650 Breckenridge Park, which the firm obtained through its acquisition of Impulse.