Geospark Analytics Announces CEO Transition to Position Company for Next Phase of Growth
Amanda Brownfield to succeed Omar Balkissoon as CEO, bringing significant executive, growth and operating experience; Founder Omar Balkissoon becomes Executive Chairman
HERNDON, Va., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Geospark Analytics, the world class leader in developing applied artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for global threat and risk assessment, announced today the appointment of Amanda Brownfield as Chief Executive Officer. Brownfield succeeds Founder and CEO Omar Balkinssoon, who becomes Executive Chairman of the board and a strategic advisor to the company.
Brownfield is a seasoned executive with significant operational experience for both privately held and publicly traded multi-billion-dollar companies in the national security space. Prior to joining Geospark Analytics as President in March of 2020, Brownfield served as TASC's, then Engility's, Senior Vice President, National Intelligence, for six years until its acquisition by SAIC. Brownfield has a proven track record for developing strategies to grow multi-million-dollar technology-enabled solutions businesses and a well-earned reputation for leading strategically vital and high-value growth strategies. Amanda also has significant M&A experience working with Boards, the C-Suite and Investment Bankers to build attractive portfolios that compel acquisition.
"Amanda is a hands-on executive who brings energy and passion to her organizations," Zero Gravity Capital partner and board member Garrett Pagon said. "I've known Amanda for decades as both a partner and competitor in industry. I came to really appreciate Amanda as a leader and a strategist—someone who was as zealous as me about our mission, really committed to a set of principles and values, and knew how to win. I watched her build large, successful portfolios, but I also watched her do it by rolling up her sleeves and leading from the front and always offering transparency and authenticity to her teammates."
Omar Balkissoon said, "I look forward to remaining actively engaged with Geospark Analytics, its partners, and customers, and supporting Amanda in her new role as CEO. One thing I've learned over the years is how to play to peoples' strengths—my own and the teams I've built. I'm at my best when I'm inspiring new ideas and pushing the technological envelope. Transitioning from start-up to scale-up requires a hardened set of skills, and Amanda has that in spades. This move comes at a natural time for me as I also look to support other emerging tech founders, developing the next generation of imaginative minds as part of Georgia Tech's CREATE-X program."
"I am honored and excited to lead Geospark Analytics into its next phase of growth, building upon the company's incredible success in the last three short years", said Amanda Brownfield. "Geospark Analytics will become an increasingly disruptive force in the threat and risk intelligence industry as we continue to combine multi-variant data together with AI, machine learning, and natural language generation to deliver insight needed to make informed decisions about the future, now."
As the founder of Geospark Analytics, Balkissoon has been the creative force behind the company's leadership in the activity and risk assessment market, differentiating the company from the glut of real time alerting platforms and positioning his technology as the answer to global stability forecasting.
Coming off a quarter that saw more than 400% growth, the award of six enterprise level contracts with one more in negotiation, and the announcement of a nearly $100 million, single award, U.S government-wide indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, the timing was perfect to make this change. "Omar's vision and leadership has driven the company to a place where he can confidently hand the reins to Amanda," said General Catalyst partner and board member David Orfao. "He has left an indelible legacy and will continue to be an invaluable resource as Executive Chairman of the board and strategic advisor."
About Geospark Analytics
Geospark Analytics was founded in July 2017 to help our clients make better decisions faster by identifying and forecasting emerging events on a global scale to mitigate risk, recognize threats, greatly enhance indications and warnings, and provide predictive analytics capabilities. In addition to basic event modeling that includes health, travel safety, transportation, disaster, crime, conflict, unrest, terrorism data and detection, Hyperion's AI engine continuously assesses the impact events have on the stability of every country, 1,000+ cities and nearly 8,000 regions covering the entire globe. Geospark Analytics also offers custom modeling for clients' uniquely mission specific needs. More information can be found at http:// www.geospark.io.
About Zero Gravity Capital
Zero Gravity Capital was founded with the sole purpose to invest in creative minds and develop next generational thinking around entrepreneurship and disruptive businesses. Its philosophy revolves around unleashing the creative spirit within teams, enabling the best ideas, solutions, and concepts to surface without all the distractions that surround early stage entrepreneurs. At the heart of the formula Zero Gravity Capital takes current and former operators from boot strapped ideas to sustainable and growth-oriented businesses in the Washington D.C. and San Diego regions. They are hyper focused on emerging data analytics, AI, and machine learning tech enables services and SaaS products. More information can be found at https://www.zerogravitycapital.com.
SOURCE Geospark Analytics
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