George C. Barnes, Former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency, Joins Red Cell Partners to Lead Newly Formed Cyber Practice

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Red Cell Partners, an incubation firm that builds and invests in technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in national security and healthcare, today announced that George C. Barnes, the former Deputy Director of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), has joined the firm as the President of its newly formed Cyber Practice.

In his role, Barnes will oversee Red Cell’s cyber strategy across incubation and investment verticals. He will recruit and partner with founders to create solutions for known or emergent market gaps with a focus on counter-cyber threat operations, cyber defense capabilities, and other emergent needs in the cybersecurity ecosystem.

“Throughout his illustrious tenure at the NSA, George worked tirelessly to bring to bear policies and strategies that served to defend the United States and its allies against foreign threats. He now brings that lifetime of invaluable experience to Red Cell to help us deliver urgently needed solutions to address some of the most critical problems facing our Nation today,” said Red Cell’s Founder, CEO, and Chairman, Grant Verstandig. “With George at the helm, the Red Cell Cyber Practice will drive innovation to strengthen cybersecurity and resiliency for government and commercial clients in a highly contested, network-centric world. We are honored to have him part of the Red Cell family.”

Prior to joining Red Cell, Barnes served as the Deputy Director and senior civilian leader of the U.S. National Security Agency (2017-2023). As Deputy Director, Barnes was the NSA’s chief operating officer, overseeing strategy, policy, and operations and supporting the U.S. defense and intelligence enterprise in national security strategy execution. Over his 36-year career at the NSA, Barnes held numerous technical and organizational leadership roles spanning intelligence collection operations, intelligence target analysis, foreign liaison and industrial partnership management, workforce support, and global enterprise governance. Barnes holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland.

“Cybersecurity is critical to national security, which is why it must be baked into everything we do,” Barnes said. “Cybercrimes like ransomware and intellectual property theft are such pervasive threats today that cybersecurity has been identified at the highest levels of the U.S. government as a national and economic security imperative. At Red Cell, we are taking this imperative to heart. I am excited to lead the new Red Cell Cyber Practice and partner with founders who are driving meaningful change to preserve the integrity of networks and advance national security.”

About Red Cell: Red Cell Partners is an incubation firm building and investing in rapidly scalable technology-led companies that are bringing revolutionary advancements to market in three distinct practice areas: healthcare, cyber, and national security. United by a shared sense of duty and deep belief in the power of innovation, Red Cell is developing powerful tools and solutions to address our Nation’s most pressing problems. Visit us at redcellpartners.com and follow us on social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram).