Unit 221B, a threat disruption company, has secured $5 million in seed funding led by J2 Ventures to enhance its eWitness platform, which empowers investigators to combat online criminal gangs. The platform, trusted by over 50 Fortune 500 companies and global law enforcement, drives actionable threat intelligence to accelerate investigations and disrupt cybercrime ecosystems.
Unit 221B raises $5M in seed funding led by J2 Ventures.
eWitness platform tracks cybercrime for enterprises and law enforcement.
Supports investigations against financial crime and child safety threats.
Funding to enhance platform tools and expand go-to-market efforts.
Addresses 33% rise in cybercrime losses, totaling $16.6B in 2024.
Invite-only platform ensures trusted, high-quality threat intelligence.
Cybercrime surged in 2024, with the FBI reporting $16.6 billion in losses, a 33% increase from the prior year, alongside a 200% rise in violent online group exploitation cases. Unit 221B’s eWitness platform addresses this escalating threat landscape by uniting investigators, analysts, and researchers in a vetted, invite-only community. The platform leverages human intelligence (HUMINT) to track criminal activities, enabling faster disruption of networks like The Com and its subgroup 764, which the FBI classifies as a Tier One terrorist threat.
The eWitness platform delivers high-signal threat intelligence, capturing and managing data even if removed from original sources. Its proprietary technology supports enterprises and law enforcement in tracking threat actors across platforms like social media, gaming, and fintech tools. “These companies not only face financial loss and the risk of real-world harm to their employees and users, but are now in the spotlight for regulatory actions, lawsuits, and reputational damage in a landscape that demands faster, more effective responses,” said May Chen-Contino, CEO of Unit 221B. The platform’s collaborative tools accelerate investigative processes, supporting real-world arrests and civil actions.
The $5 million seed funding will fuel enhancements to eWitness, introducing new tools to streamline investigative collaboration and expand market reach. “Unit 221B is solving a real pain point that many cybersecurity vendors overlook or are unable to solve,” said Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures. “With experience in supporting federal prosecution, military cyber operations, Fortune 500 security teams and leadership, and world-renowned threat research, the Unit 221B team is uniquely equipped to expose and dismantle some of the most notorious online criminal groups.” This investment strengthens Unit 221B’s mission to create a safer digital and physical world.
Unit 221B’s focus on actionable outcomes sets a new standard in threat disruption. By combining advanced AI with human intelligence, eWitness empowers global clients to address sophisticated cybercrime, from financial fraud to child safety threats. The funding positions the company to scale its impact, delivering innovative cybersecurity solutions that drive measurable results for enterprises and law enforcement worldwide.
Unit 221B is a threat disruption company that enables enterprises, law enforcement, and government agencies to investigate threat actors and dismantle criminal ecosystems. Founded by veteran threat intelligence experts frustrated by an industry where defenders are often at a disadvantage, Unit 221B operates with integrity and a focus on impactful outcomes. The company takes a proactive approach to advancing criminal investigations to create a safer digital and physical world. Unit 221B specializes in tracking threat actors operating across English-speaking countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other allied regions. In addition, we support international enterprises and law enforcement agencies with tools and services purpose-built for high-stakes investigations and threat hunting for all types of cybercrime across the globe.
J2 Ventures is a $300M+ AUM deep-tech venture capital firm based in Boston, investing in sectors critical to national security and private sector advancements, including advanced computing, cybersecurity, telecom and infrastructure, and biomedical engineering.
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