Initial Searchlight Cyber Investor Rejoins the Company as COO

Renowned cybersecurity advisor and investor Todd Crick takes on operational role at fast-growth dark web intelligence company

WASHINGTON & PORTSMOUTH, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Searchlight Cyber, the dark web intelligence company, has appointed Todd Crick as Chief Operating Officer (COO), where he will be responsible for operational processes and overseeing the company’s go-to-market strategy. Todd brings years of experience in senior operations and consulting roles across telecoms and cybersecurity, including as SVP of Operations at AlienVault and Advisor to the President at Cylance.

In 2014 Todd co-founded Astra Capital Management, an investment firm based in Washington DC that specializes in communications and technology. Todd approached Searchlight’s founders at Black Hat USA conference in 2019, beginning a conversation that would lead to Astra’s 2020 investment in the company. Todd rejoins Searchlight after serving on its Board of Directors for many years and playing a pivotal role in its early expansion into the enterprise market. He retains his position as Co-Founder and Advisor at Astra.

Todd Crick, COO of Searchlight Cyber, commented: “This is a full-circle moment for me, as I rejoin the company that I ‘discovered’ in 2019. I have been drawn back by the same things that attracted me to Searchlight in the first place: the quality of its technology, the strength of its team, and the huge potential in the market. Searchlight has bucked the trend in cybersecurity by maintaining solid growth through 2024 and I was enticed by the opportunity to take on a fully operational role at a company. In 2025, Searchlight is ideally placed to expand its leadership position in terms of both its technological capabilities and market-reach.”

Searchlight has increased its customer base across government, law enforcement, and enterprise segments in 2024 and took on new investment from Boston-based Charlesbank Capital Partners earlier this year, accelerating the company’s growth. Todd’s role will be to lead operations as the company’s product offering grows through a combination of technical development and acquisition, its sales function grows through expanded partnerships within the channel, and its market base grows in North America and internationally.

Ben Jones, CEO and Co-Founder of Searchlight Cyber, commented: “I’m delighted that Todd, who has been a champion of Searchlight since we met in 2019, has joined the company again as COO. His experience at some of the most successful cybersecurity companies in history means that he brings invaluable expertise that will help us capitalize on every opportunity as we go through this period of rapid growth. The appointment of a Chief Operating Officer is another landmark for Searchlight, with many more exciting announcements to come in 2025.”

About Searchlight Cyber

Searchlight Cyber provides organizations with relevant and actionable dark web intelligence to help them prevent cybercriminal activity. Founded in 2017 with a mission to stop criminals acting with impunity on the dark web, we have been involved in some of the world’s largest dark web investigations and have the most comprehensive dataset based on proprietary techniques and ground-breaking academic research. Today we provide governments, law enforcement agencies, and enterprises around the world with dark web investigation and monitoring capabilities - empowering them in their fight against criminal activity on the dark web.