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Evolv Technology Adds Alan Cohen and General Catalyst Co-founder David Orfao to Board of Directors

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Nov 27, 2018

BOSTON, November 27, 2018Evolv Technology, creator of the Evolv Edge® people screening system that detects weapons and bombs, today announced the addition of Alan Cohen and David Orfao of General Catalyst to its Board of Directors. Both have deep experience scaling sales, marketing, and distribution, ultimately building organizations that have created new multi-billion-dollar disruptive companies.

Most recently, Cohen was a Board Member and Chief Commercial Officer at Illumio. A long-time enterprise tech veteran, his prior two companies, Airespace (acquired by Cisco for 50 million) and Nicira (acquired by VMware for .26 billion), were the market leaders in software-driven, cutting-edge technologies. Prior to Airespace, Cohen held executive roles at Cisco and IBM.  He is well known for his experience in marketing and organizational scaling in several industries including networking, security, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and enterprise software. Cohen also serves as an advisor at Cohesity, Mist, and Netskope.

Before co-founding General Catalyst, Orfao led Allaire Corporation from 1997 to 2000 as president, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors. During his tenure, Allaire grew from a venture-backed start-up to a 19 million public corporation trading on the NASDAQ. The company pioneered the internet application server market before merging with Macromedia. Prior to Allaire, Orfao held executive positions at Frame Technology Corporation, Claris Corporation, and SQA Corporation, successfully completing Initial Public Offerings on the NASDAQ with Frame Technology and SQA Corporation. Orfao sits on the Board of Directors for several General Catalyst-backed companies including Circle, Envoy, OG Systems and RStudio.

“We welcome Alan and David to the board – their extensive experience scaling and transforming businesses will be invaluable as we expand beyond the initial markets we have developed in 2018,” said Mike Ellenbogen, CEO at Evolv Technology. “These additions and the rest of our board and team of advisors share the same passion for applying technology to help solve important challenges. With their support and influence, we are well-equipped to extend our reach.”

From battle-hardened security personnel to former CIA and FBI operatives, Evolv’s list of advisors and board members includes the following experts that are helping improve the people screening experience with technology to keep people safe from mass shooting and mass casualty events.

Advisors:

  • David Cohen, one of the world’s leading authorities on intelligence analysis and operations from the CIA and NYPD.
  • Juliette Kayyem, who has spent over 15 years working to make our nation more secure as Massachusetts’ Homeland Security Chief and Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
  • John Pistole, former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator who helped transform the organization from a one-size fits all agency, to a risk-based, intelligence-driven agency.

Board Members:

  • Mark Sullivan, a federal law enforcement agent for nearly 35 years and former Director of the U.S. Secret Service.
  • Bilal Zuberi, a partner at Lux Capital and former entrepreneur focused on backing entrepreneurs who imagine and build the world they want to live in.
  • Mike Ellenbogen, co-founder, and CEO of Evolv Technology focused on applying advanced technology to help make our world a safer place.

Evolv Edge® is used by a variety of venues including Oakland International Airport, a top NFL sports stadium, performing arts venues in New York City, iconic tourist attractions and airports across the U.S. and Europe. For company news and updates, follow Evolv on Twitter at @EvolvTechnology, on LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

About Evolv Technology

Evolv Technology protects everyone’s fundamental right to be safe in all the places people gather. The company is an emerging leader in preventing threats before they occur by consistently scanning everyone for weapons and bombs without the need to stop or empty pockets. With Evolv, a positive visitor experience is balanced with a proactive approach to enable security anywhere, without disruption to traffic flow – including at transportation hubs, sports stadiums, entertainment venues, hotels and conference centers, airports, special events, and government agencies. The company is led by veterans of the physical security industry and advised by U.S. and international security and counter-terrorism experts. Evolv is headquartered in the Boston area. For more information, visit www.evolvtechnology.com.