#StartupsEverywhere: Chasity Wright, Founder and CTO, Infiltron.
This profile is part of #StartupsEverywhere, an ongoing series highlighting startup leaders in ecosystems across the country. This interview has been edited for length, content, and clarity.
Securing Data and Devices from Hackers
Infiltron is a veteran-founded startup that uses software and other solutions to safeguard personal information—especially biometric data and data on Internet-connected devices—from outside intrusion. We recently spoke with Infiltron’s Founder and CTO, Chasity Wright, to learn more about her startup’s work, how her experience in the Air Force shaped her entrepreneurial journey, and how her company is working to mitigate some of the risks and concerns associated with the use of facial recognition.
Could you tell us about your background and how it led you to become an entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is kind of in my DNA. My grandfather was one of the first Black entrepreneurs in our area, and he in turn employed a number of people of color. I majored in international business at Clark Atlanta University, and one of the professors who influenced me there was really focused on creating and growing companies. That fostered what was already in my DNA. I later served in the Air Force, and that mission-minded culture and hard-working environment was an important part of my entrepreneurial journey. While in the military, I also did a lot of business development work.
After serving in the Air Force, I worked in corporate America for a government contractor. I was often tasked with overhauling companies’ infrastructure operations, and I had to figure out how to do so while also training the end users and making sure the tech worked for them. In that role, my mindset shifted to focus on how the tech I was building would impact the end user and the desktop support team, since they’re often the first line of defense. Ultimately I left corporate America, and the jolt of leaving was what I needed to start my own consulting group called WrighTek Solutions. That’s my legacy business, which has been operating for three years and is the culmination of what I’ve learned over the years.
So I’ve always been a hustler, like the rest of my family, and everything I’ve done—from my time at Clark Atlanta to my time in the military to my time in corporate America—has watered the seed of entrepreneurship.
Tell us more about Infiltron. What is the work you are doing and how are you working to secure data and devices?
Infiltron’s main goal is to secure data, devices, and technology—regardless of the connections and uses. This is especially important as the world is moving to 5G, as we will be connected all the time, and at high-speeds, on all new types of devices. Infiltron’s solution can secure data and devices in real time and beyond the edge.
When I was in the Air Force, I dealt with aerospace systems, which entailed everything from space to aircraft. This, in turn, meant dealing with cybersecurity, networking, and everything in that arena. As someone who built a lot of those systems, I am aware of their vulnerabilities. So, I ultimately created Infiltron to better address some of the cybersecurity and privacy issues relating to data and devices. For example, when I was in the military, I helped reconfigure the C-130 flight system. Infiltron’s software can integrate into that system.
We’re in talks with NASA and the Air Force right now about our software, and we just completed a cyber warrior event with the Air Force Research Laboratory. They’re interested in how we secure data and move it around using less bandwidth.
And Infiltron also operates beyond the edge. We can program security into the circuitry of systems and devices. For example, we are getting ready to partner with a Japanese company to test our solution in SIM cards. I have more of a hardware background, but have become increasingly focused on software. So I am able to look at security vulnerabilities from different angles, and want to be sure Infiltron can integrate into systems to cover them.
How else has your experience in the Air Force shaped your work at Infiltron?
When you’re in uniform, you do not have the luxury of creating as much new technology or coming up with totally new solutions. Stepping out of uniform and owning my own business has allowed me to be a bit of a mad scientist. I am able to test out things that came to mind while I was in the Air Force, things that I thought could be better solutions but did not have the opportunity to create.
How has Infiltron been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and what can be done to better support affected startups?
If anything, the pandemic has accelerated the need for secure Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems—especially with everyone spending their time inside. While we’ve all been in quarantine, a lot of companies have begun rolling out 5G towers and IoT systems. There’s a lot of apprehension that comes with adopting these systems and technologies, so there’s going to need to be security for those technologies. Right now, not too many other companies are focused on securing IoT ecosystems. We’re going to need companies to speak directly to that need—and that’s where we see Infiltron stepping in.
Larger companies, in particular, can also do a better job of supporting more Black-owned companies. People of color don’t have the same foundation of funding that their counterparts often do. Founders of color do not have the same access to family members that can write them checks for tens of thousands of dollars, for example. Especially now, we’re looking to some of the larger corporations to be more proactive in supporting Black businesses—not through funding, but through doing business with us and partnering with us. Companies founded by people of color bring a lot of innovative technology in, that larger companies do not have, and they should be contracting or subcontracting with us.
I understand you are in the inaugural class of the Atlanta Founders Academy. Can you tell us what that program is and how you got involved?
Google for Startups launched the Atlanta Founders Academy earlier this year to provide local startups with resources and mentoring, and it’s been an awesome seven-plus months. They empowered us with so much information and I have been able to connect with so many other people. Google opened their rolodex up to us, and showed that if there are ways they can help Infiltron in the future, they will. And the benefits of the program don’t stop because the academy is over. I’ve already been able to take what I’ve learned from the program to help out other entrepreneurs in our network.
Can you tell us a bit about Infiltron’s work when it comes to facial recognition technology?
We are the only company in this space that’s focused on the accuracy of facial recognition data when it comes to race and gender. We need to be sure that companies are employing proper cybersecurity measures when they use biometric technologies. But beyond that, companies need to be accountable for responsibly developing this technology. And small businesses need to be a part of conversations about creating legislation and regulations in this area. A lot of work that we’ve been doing piggybacks off of Sen. Cory Booker’s Algorithmic Accountability Act to ensure that companies are protecting the security of people’s personal information and monitoring the accuracy and use of their data.
Facial recognition technology has far-reaching implications. We saw this earlier this year during the George Floyd protests, when law enforcement relied on inaccurate facial recognition technology. The issue also affects me and the people I care about. I am black and I am a woman, and we know that facial recognition technology is particularly bad at identifying people of color and women. And I know that a lot of military bases are being transitioned into smart bases, so they’ll be using facial recognition technology. This confirms that we’re on the right track when it comes to mitigating some of the risks that come along with inaccurate or biased facial recognition technology.
Part of my social responsibility and holding Infiltron accountable is through working with teams that are diverse. For the company I am building and the solutions we are building, diversity will show in what we build, attending to accuracy and defending against racial or gender bias.
Are there startup-related policy issues which you think should receive more attention from state and federal lawmakers?
I worked on a bill to provide funding to STEM organizations that focus on students of color across Georgia’s education system. That funding has gone to create STEM clubs across the state. We are hosting targeted workshops, and we are seeing more Black and Latino children engaged with science and math throughout the course of their education. I wanted to be part of this effort to give students opportunities that I did not have at their age. If I had a STEM club in elementary school, then I think I would have been an aerospace engineer a lot earlier in my career.
Moving forward, I think we should continue to look at the available data and analytics to figure out who is most underrepresented in STEM fields and identify who needs support—especially when it comes to training and education—and create more legislation around those needs.
All of the information in this profile was accurate at the date and time of publication.
Engine works to ensure that policymakers look for insight from the startup ecosystem when they are considering programs and legislation that affect entrepreneurs. Together, our voice is louder and more effective. Many of our lawmakers do not have first-hand experience with the country's thriving startup ecosystem, so it’s our job to amplify that perspective. To nominate a person, company, or organization to be featured in our #StartupsEverywhere series, email edward@engine.is.
