Unit 221B, a company dedicated to disrupting threats by providing actionable intelligence and cybersecurity solutions, has announced a significant milestone today: it has successfully raised $5 million in seed funding. This crucial investment round was spearheaded by J2 Ventures, with additional participation from Pipeline Capital and several other investors. This funding will enable the company to develop its capabilities further and expand its reach.
The company was founded by a team of experienced threat intelligence and technology professionals committed to building a new crime-fighting ecosystem. Their focus is squarely on achieving tangible results in the real world and accelerating the progress of investigations. Unit 221B’s flagship product, eWitness, has already garnered the trust of over 50 Fortune 500 companies, as well as various international, federal, and local law enforcement agencies worldwide. With this new funding, Unit 221B plans to enhance its platform by introducing new tools and features that will improve collaboration among investigators. It will also use the funds to advance its broader go-to-market strategies, aiming to make its solutions accessible to a wider audience.
The landscape of cybercrime is continually expanding, driven by several key factors. The digital attack surface has grown rapidly, as has our reliance on interconnected digital infrastructure. Furthermore, advancements in Artificial Intelligence have made cyberattacks more sophisticated and easier for criminals to launch, as highlighted by the World Economic Forum. Online criminals are no longer solely targeting critical infrastructure, such as financial institutions, telecommunications networks, transportation systems, and logistics companies. Instead, they are increasingly exploiting everyday platforms, such as social media, online gaming, financial technology tools, and delivery applications, at an unprecedented pace and scale.
In 2024, businesses experienced record-breaking financial losses due to criminal activity. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a staggering 859,532 complaints, with total losses reaching $16.6 billion. This represents a significant 33% increase from the previous year. The problem of financial sextortion also saw a concerning rise, with nearly 100 reports being filed daily in 2024. Additionally, violent online group exploitation surged to more than 1,300 cases throughout the year, marking a 200% increase. It is often the same organized criminal groups responsible for financial crimes that are also fueling a child safety crisis. Notorious networks such as The Com, also known as Scattered Spider, and its subgroup 764, have become so widespread that the FBI now classifies them as a Tier One terrorist threat. As of May 2025, there are 250 active investigations underway targeting these groups.
At the center of Unit 221B’s offerings is its flagship technology, eWitness. This is a specialized threat intelligence platform designed to track criminal information and expose threat campaigns. It achieves this by bringing together a highly curated network of investigators, analysts, and researchers. The foundational element of eWitness is human intelligence, which transforms what can often be the most elusive form of intelligence into the most effective tool for dismantling criminal ecosystems.
This community collaborates to source high-signal threat intelligence and leverages the platform’s unique capabilities to capture, manage, and store this data, even if it is removed from its source. Access to eWitness is by invitation only, and all users undergo a thorough vetting process to ensure that the intelligence gathered remains trusted, of high quality, and focused on delivering significant impact.
KEY QUOTES:
“These companies not only face financial loss and the risk of real-world harm to their employees and users, but are now in the spotlight for regulatory actions, lawsuits, and reputational damage in a landscape that demands faster, more effective responses. Collective action has the power to change outcomes. We are uniting investigators across enterprises, law enforcement, and governments to create a safer online and offline world. The only way to disrupt these criminal networks is by working together.”
May Chen-Contino, CEO of Unit 221B
“Unit 221B is solving a real pain point that many cybersecurity vendors overlook or are unable to solve. With experience in supporting federal prosecution, military cyber operations, Fortune 500 security teams and leadership, and world-renowned threat research, the Unit 221B team is uniquely equipped to expose and dismantle some of the most notorious online criminal groups. They support arrests and civil actions on behalf of global clients within the public and private sectors. They’re the missing puzzle piece in threat disruption and attribution. It’s a paradigm shift in this market, and we’re thrilled to support them.”
Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures
