What happened
Former special forces leader’s Blackpanda secures $22M to expand cyber response services after the Blackpanda cybersecurity startup led by ex‑U.S. Army Special Forces officer Gene Yu received approximately $22 million in new funding, positioning the company to scale its crisis response and digital security services. The startup, headquartered in Singapore with operations in Asia‑Pacific and the U.S., applies a military‑inspired “rapid response” model to cyber incident handling, blending incident response, threat hunting, and cyber insurance under its product suite. Blackpanda is focused on delivering 24/7 support for cyberattack victims and aims to make enterprise‑grade emergency cyber response more accessible to a broader range of organisations. Yu’s background includes elite military service combined with private sector experience in technology and crisis management, shaping the company’s mission to bring battlefield‑style urgency and discipline to digital security incidents.
Who is affected
Security teams, incident response leaders, and organisations at risk of ransomware, fraud, or sustained breaches are directly affected as Blackpanda expands its rapid response and resilience services into new markets.
Why CISOs should care
Dedicated cyber incident response capabilities backed by automated systems and insurance can shorten mean time to respond (MTTR), reduce business disruption, and complement existing SOC and IR strategies.
3 practical actions
- Assess emergency response readiness: Evaluate current incident response arrangements and contracts for coverage gaps or slow activation paths.
- Integrate crisis playbooks: Incorporate rapid response plans and tabletop exercises for scenarios like ransomware or supply chain compromise.
- Align cyber insurance with IR: Ensure cyber insurance policies are harmonised with incident response providers to avoid coverage gaps in critical recovery stages.