From CIA to CEO, Spies Step Out of the Shadows and Into the Boardroom

Brian Carbaugh spent years living and traveling abroad in a variety of alias personas as a CIA officer. Now he’s fronting investor meetings and raising capital as CEO of Andesite, a Virginia-based data analytics startup, one of several recently retired spies taking their field experience from the CIA to the C-suite.

It’s a fortuitous time for these founders. President Donald Trump is trying to swell the national defense budget to a staggering $1.5 trillion next year, a roughly 50% spending hike that would be a boon for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. The war with Iran only strengthens their footing as the sophistication of Iran’s cyber and electronic warfare capabilities reinforces the need for quickly deploying new tech.