Former FBI team launches cybersecurity investigations firm

NAXO has launched an elite cybersecurity investigations firm focused on cryptocurrency and other emerging technologies. Co-founded by former law enforcement agents, computer scientists, and security researchers who led the takedown of the notorious "Silk Road" marketplace, NAXO offers the expertise and agility necessary to keep pace with the evolving tactics of cybercriminals.

"The lawyers and executives we work with have historically struggled to find specialists with hands-on experience who can reliably solve these kinds of novel, high-stakes challenges. We're filling that gap," said Chris Tarbell, former FBI Special Agent and co-founder of NAXO. 

"Whenever there are large fluctuations in cryptocurrency prices, there's been a corresponding spike in litigation and a need for expertise in the field. Our team is among the very few who have been investigating cryptocurrencies from the very start — others are just catching up," said computer scientist Dr. Matt Edman, another NAXO co-founder whose technical expertise was instrumental to the Silk Road case and is frequently called on for expert testimony in high-profile cryptocurrency litigation.

"We provide clients with immediate services but we also build custom tools that empower them with long-term solutions," said Dave Franzel, who left a position developing investment technologies for the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates to co-found NAXO. The company has particular expertise in developing tools and datasets for investigating alternative digital assets that are not supported by off-the-shelf blockchain tracing platforms.

NAXO's specialties include:

• Complex cryptocurrency and cyber investigations to quickly and thoroughly establish the facts in support of litigation, corporate investigations, or law enforcement referral
• Digital forensics and advanced data recovery to uncover crucial evidence in disputes or prosecutions
• Network security assessments and incident response, including for clients in the cryptocurrency space

NAXO's founders met during the cybersecurity market's meteoric rise in the early 2010s, when large consulting firms honed in on the area and hired top people out of government — like Tarbell, who left his job as an FBI Special Agent to work in private consulting in 2014. Fortune Business Insights projects the cybersecurity market will nearly triple by 2029 to $376 billion. "It's a huge opportunity for a team with such strong track record," said Franzel.