Twenty has secured $38 million in total funding to accelerate the development and deployment of industrial-scale cyber warfare technologies for the United States and its allies. The Series A round was led by Caffeinated Capital, with additional participation from General Catalyst and In-Q-Tel, marking a significant financing milestone for the Arlington-based company as it emerges from stealth.
Founded in 2024 by decorated veterans and elite cyber operators, Twenty has spent the past year partnering closely with the U.S. military and Intelligence Community to build intelligent, agentic systems that automate and accelerate the full offensive cyber operations lifecycle. These systems aim to replace manual processes and fragmented tools that have traditionally slowed national security cyber missions.
The company’s launch coincides with escalating concerns about U.S. digital vulnerability and a growing call for more modern and autonomous offensive cyber capabilities. Federal leaders and national security officials have warned that adversaries, especially the People’s Republic of China, have advanced their cyber operations with unprecedented speed. Recent revelations that PRC-linked hackers used Anthropic’s AI to conduct a highly automated global hacking campaign have intensified the push for modernization.
Joe Lin, Co-founder and CEO of Twenty, previously led Public Sector at Expanse and witnessed firsthand how outdated tools impeded U.S. analysts and operators on high-stakes missions. His experience highlighted significant operational gaps that Twenty now aims to close with enterprise-grade engineering and military-ready autonomous systems.
The new capital will support Twenty’s continued development of intelligent, end-to-end platforms designed to help the U.S. deter, disrupt, and defeat hostile cyber activity at scale. The company’s teams of technologists, former government operators, and national-security specialists have already contributed to government contracts exceeding $100 million.
According to investors, Twenty is positioned to become a foundational provider of next-generation cyberwarfare capabilities for the U.S. government, the military, and the Intelligence Community. The company’s work focuses on empowering operators with the speed, automation, and precision required to compete in a domain that increasingly shapes global conflict.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are in an existential competition with the PRC, a highly determined adversary that seeks to remake the global order in its image. Cyberspace is the front line of our competition against China. To counter the PRC, we must equip our analysts and operators with intelligent and autonomous capabilities needed to conduct cyber operations at industrial scale. We can no longer rely upon bespoke methods to generate mission outcomes in a domain that underpins every element of modern life and warfare.”
Joe Lin, Co-founder and CEO of Twenty
“This is the strongest team I’ve ever seen building cyber capabilities for critical national security missions. Joe and Twenty’s co-founders have assembled an extraordinary group of world-class technologists, former operators from military and three-letter agencies, and business leaders who’ve landed over $100M in government contracts. I can think of no better company to build and deploy transformative capabilities for the U.S. government, military, and Intelligence Community.”
Timothy Junio, Co-founder and CEO of Expanse
“As our adversaries grow more sophisticated, the United States must close critical gaps in its cyber operations. Twenty is a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity to help improve our national security. We are thrilled to partner with Joe and the Twenty team.”
Raymond Tonsing, Managing Partner of Caffeinated Capital
