Darktrace

Darktrace is a cybersecurity company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with additional offices in San Francisco and other major cities. The company was co-founded by mathematicians and intelligence analysts from the University of Cambridge and GCHQ, and has been led by CEO Poppy Gustafsson since 2016. Its core technology applies machine learning to model network behavior and identify anomalies indicative of cyber threats.

Darktrace's primary product suite includes the Darktrace PREVENT, DETECT, and RESPOND modules, which together cover pre-attack exposure management, real-time threat detection, and autonomous response. Its Autonomous Response technology, marketed as Antigena, can take targeted actions to contain threats within seconds of detection without human intervention. The platform is used across sectors including finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and critical infrastructure.

Darktrace went public on the London Stock Exchange in April 2021 under the ticker DARK, with an initial valuation of approximately £1.7 billion. The company had raised over $230 million in private funding prior to its IPO, with backers including KKR and Vitruvian Partners. In 2023, Darktrace agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in a deal valued at approximately $5.32 billion, which was completed in October 2024, taking the company private.