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Cybersecurity Veteran Kevin Mandia Named General Partner of Ballistic Ventures

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Mandia moves from Strategic Partner to GP to fund and incubate the next generation of cybersecurity innovation

SAN FRANCISCO, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ballistic Ventures, the venture capital firm dedicated exclusively to funding and incubating entrepreneurs and innovations in cybersecurity, is pleased to announce that co-founder Kevin Mandia is now General Partner.

Mandia is one of the world’s most recognized experts in cybersecurity, known for his relentless efforts to fight cyber threats for more than 30 years. In 2004, he founded renowned cybersecurity firm Mandiant, serving as CEO from 2004 to 2013, when Mandiant Corporation was acquired by FireEye. Mandia took the helm as CEO of FireEye in 2016, guiding the company through a divestiture and corporate name change to Mandiant, Inc. in 2021, and through a successful acquisition by Google in 2022. Mandia recently transitioned to an advisory role within Google Cloud, and he continues to sit on the Google Public Sector board.

In 2023, Mandia was appointed by President Biden to serve as a member of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC). He is also a member of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. Previously, he held senior positions in the security consulting divisions of Sytex, acquired by Lockheed Martin, and Foundstone, acquired by McAfee. He also served in the United States Air Force as a computer security officer at the Pentagon, and later as a special agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

“I am very excited to dedicate more of my energy to Ballistic Ventures, and I especially look forward to working with the entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of cybersecurity,” said Mandia.

Ballistic Ventures was co-founded in 2021 by Mandia and General Partners Barmak Meftah, Ted Schlein, Jake Seid and Roger Thornton. While CEO of Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud), Mandia jointly served as Co-founder and Strategic Partner at Ballistic, leading the firm’s investment in SpecterOps, the Attack Path Management company, where he is an Observer to the company’s Board of Directors. Mandia also served as the second investing partner for five of the VC firm’s 18 investments to date, and is a Board Observer to portfolio company Alethea, the disinformation detection and mitigation company.

“We’re excited to have Kevin as a General Partner at Ballistic,” said Schlein. “Kevin’s expertise in the cybersecurity industry is unparalleled, and his knowledge of the market and customer set is unmatched.”

As General Partner, Mandia will draw from his extensive knowledge of the threat landscape and expertise as a successful founder and CEO to expand his investments within the firm and continue to mentor entrepreneurs and scale companies across the Ballistic portfolio.

Mandia’s move to General Partner comes on the heels of Ballistic Ventures announcing the close of its $360 million oversubscribed second fund. The firm is actively looking to deploy the new capital in novel innovations led by passionate cybersecurity entrepreneurs.

About Ballistic Ventures
Ballistic Ventures is a venture capital firm solely dedicated to early-stage cybersecurity and cyber-related companies. The partners have spent their entire careers defending against every cyber threat conceivable. Members of the firm have founded, operated, and funded over 100 successful cybersecurity firms – including Abnormal Security, AlienVault, ArcSight, Fortify, Mandiant, and Shape Security – led over 10,000 security professionals globally, and have 40+ years of experience in venture capital. The Ballistic portfolio includes Aembit, Alethea, ArmorCode, AuthMind, Codezero, Concentric AI, Mimic, Nudge Security, Oligo, Pangea, Perygee, Reach Security, SpecterOps, Talon (PANW), Veza and WitnessAI. Our experience provides entrepreneurs impactful support from people focused on the same mission. Our networks and relationships open doors for our founders. Learn more at ballisticventures.com.

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SOURCE Ballistic Ventures

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The OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation Certify Results of Technical Advisory Committee Elections

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NEWARK, Del., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation certify results of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) elections. Members have been elected to advise on technical direction, architecture, and security priorities for the OpenSSL Library.

Newly Elected Members

The OpenSSL Corporation TAC Members

Academics – Nicola Tuveri (Tampere University)Committers – Shane LontisDistributions – Dmitry Belyavskiy (Red Hat)Individuals – Aditya KorangaLarge Businesses – Craig Lorentzen (Amazon)Small Businesses – Paul Yang (ToneFlow)

The OpenSSL Foundation TAC Members

Academics – Nicola Tuveri (Tampere University)Committers – Dmitry BelyavskiyDistributions – vacantIndividuals – Igor UstinovLarge Businesses – Barry Fussell (Cisco)Small Businesses – Aditya Koranga (CORAN Labs)

Looking Ahead

The newly elected TAC members will begin their one year terms immediately. They will work closely with the Business Advisory Committees (BACs), the Board of Directors of the OpenSSL Corporation and the OpenSSL Foundation, and the community to shape the OpenSSL Project’s future.

For more details about the TACs members, the voting process, or the role of the Technical Advisory Committees, please visit the OpenSSL Communities website or contact us at communities@openssl.org.

Contact:
OpenSSL Corporation
***@openssl.org

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Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-openssl-corporation-and-the-openssl-foundation-certify-results-of-technical-advisory-committee-elections-302454162.html

SOURCE OpenSSL Corporation

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Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics

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PHILADELPHIA, May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Slotozilla is an industry-leading online casino and slot review platform. Since its inception, the company has published refreshed analyses covering iGaming operators and software – with the intent to provide accurate, informative data for all users.

Throughout 2024, Slotozilla collected relevant data pertaining to player usage of the platform. These insights unveiled clear illustrations of player preferences, gender distribution, age-related data, and other appropriate gaming behaviour. This report outlines significant findings laid bare by Slotozilla’s year-long study.

Explosive Global Favorites: The Demo Slots That Dominated 2024

Clear regional preferences were brought to light during Slotozilla’s 2024 analysis, as Book of Ra dominated the European industry. Where’s the Gold represented Australia’s favourite slot, while Plinko, Wolf Run, and Sizzling Hot garnered significant attention from a worldwide player base.

Sizzling Hot Deluxe earned plaudits within the French gaming arena – attaining nearly one-quarter of the nation’s demo playtime. Industry developers and operators should expect these slots to influence the iGaming scene in 2025 and beyond.

Beyond the Numbers: Surprising Engagement and Demographic Shifts Revealed

The previous year detailed a clear shift towards all-encompassing domination by particular titles and demographics. For example, Columbus proved a major hit among USA bettors – racking up an average playtime of 194.8 minutes. That figure sits far ahead of the next game in line, King of Atlantis, which garnered 72.5 minutes per average session from French users.

Similar lob-sided statistics exist when comparing gender-based play, as male German players form 73.91% of the nation’s users—potentially guiding marketing efforts.

Modern Industry Impact

Data collected by SlotoZilla evidences various marked industry shifts spanning several key demographics. This report’s holistic view of the modern iGaming industry highlights the increasing necessity for targeted marketing campaigns, relevant themes, and boundary-pushing features.

Users located in Australia, Poland, and Canada are notable in this regard – as players from all three vital nations tend to access online slots from the age of 25 onward. Strategies around this data are central to maintaining a robust industry.

Slotozilla at a Glance

Slotozilla is a renowned global enterprise that endeavours to deliver unbiased game casino reviews, comprehensive game guides, and impartial industry analysis. We seek to deliver relevant promotions to new users as well as veterans of the scene – with each campaign backed by fact-checked data. An example comes in the form of our most recent evaluation of on-site preferences, which provided many essential conclusions related to 2024 Demo Slot Statistics. Visit Slotozilla.com for more in-depth analyses.

Looking Ahead

During 2024, Slotozilla measured key metrics and gathered important insights based on user preferences. We urge the wider iGaming industry to utilize our findings to strengthen future campaigns throughout the coming year. We appreciate you joining us in analysing the data!

Media Contact:
Slotozilla
info@slotozilla.com
+1 267 800 0083

Photos:
https://www.prlog.org/13076305

Press release distributed by PRLog

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/slotozilla-data-report-unveiling-2024s-gaming-statistics-302454189.html

SOURCE www.slotozilla.com

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Raiinmaker & ElizaOS partner to launch TRAIIN AGENT: A Revolutionary Platform for Ethical AI Agent Training and Moderation

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TRAIIN AGENT is powered by a global network of 450,000 validators, redefining trust and decentralization in artificial intelligence.

SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — With growing public concern around AI safety, bias, and accountability, Raiinmaker today announced the launch of TRAIIN AGENT, a groundbreaking decentralized AI platform designed to build trust, ethics, and human oversight directly into AI training and agent moderation. Partnering with AI ecosystem innovator ElizaOS, TRAIIN AGENT is powered by a global network of over 450,000 validators to ensure AI models are ethically trained, rigorously moderated, and transparently validated, offering a powerful solution amid mounting ethical challenges in artificial intelligence.

TRAIIN AGENT is not just a product, it’s a movement to democratize AI Agent development while ensuring integrity. By combining advanced AI models with human-in-the-loop (HITL) validation, TRAIIN AGENT empowers enterprises, developers, and communities to build AI Agents that reflect the world’s complexity without compromising ethics. Its reputation-driven consensus system prioritizes trusted validators, ensuring every dataset and agent output meets the highest standards of accuracy and fairness.

TRAIIN AGENT: Redefining AI Trust with ElizaOS

TRAIIN AGENT is a game-changer for AI moderation and quality assurance. Integrated with ElizaOS via a powerful plugin, TRAIIN AGENT enables ElizaOS agents to automatically sample outputs for HITL tasks: passively for QA, or as blocking moderation checks, ensuring safety and alignment in real time. Developers can customize tasks and validator criteria through ElizaOS’s flexible API, making TRAIIN AGENT a seamless fit for any enterprise workflow.

Raiinmaker’s own AI Agent, Chief Raiin, showcases TRAIIN AGENT’s potential. Available on social platforms and the Raiinmaker app, Chief Raiin fuses spiritual wisdom with blockchain analytics to guide users and monitor tasks. Soon, Chief Raiin will evolve into a beacon of ethical AI, powered by a mission-driven intelligence core and ElizaOS’s agentic connectivity.

J.D. Seraphine, CEO and Founder of Raiinmaker said, “Today, anyone can launch an AI agent, but not everyone is asking how we ensure these AI agents meet the standards of trust, safety, and alignment that users expect. Through TRAIIN AGENT, we’re setting the foundation for a more responsible AI ecosystem, one that puts human values at the heart of every output. This is just the first of many steps in building a decentralized infrastructure for training and validating the next generation of AI.”

ElizaOS: A Catalyst for Ethical Innovation

The ElizaOS partnership amplifies TRAIIN AGENTS’s impact, leveraging its scalable infrastructure and vibrant developer community. Through the ElizaOS plugin, developers can integrate TRAIIN’s HITL validation seamlessly, automating QA or moderation tasks to ensure AI outputs are safe and reliable. ElizaOS’s API empowers users to define validation criteria and select trusted validators, making TRAIIN AGENT a plug-and-play solution for global AI development.

Logan Ryan Golema, Co-Founder and President of ElizaOS said, “We’re excited to see Raiinmaker’s decentralized infrastructure become available to our developer community through TRAIIN. This integration offers a clear path to improving how AI agents are moderated, trained, and improved over time with real humans in the loop, not just code. Raiinmaker is growing trust between humans and non-human intelligence which is essential to a peaceful future where AI agents have to live and breathe among us.”

A Vision for Decentralized AI

The system features AI Reputation scoring, metadata-backed verification, and cross-platform integration to deliver cost-effective, human-validated datasets at scale. By embedding human oversight, TRAIIN AGENT eliminates biases, corrects inaccuracies, and ensures AI Agents are grounded in transparency and fairness. This is Raiinmaker’s pledge: to lead the charge for ethical AI in a decentralized world.

Seraphine added, “With TRAIIN AGENT, we’re building an AI revolution that puts humanity at the center. Chief Raiin’s next chapter will show the world what’s possible when mission-driven AI meets decentralized connectivity.”

For more information, visit raiinmaker.com and follow Raiinmaker on X, Telegram, and Discord. View and download the Raiinmaker App on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

About Raiinmaker:

Raiinmaker is accelerating the next generation of Web3 utilising decentralised AI and a human-powered network. 

Raiinmaker’s distributed AI training network combines the scalability of Web3 with decentralized AI, redefining value creation through digital identity, behavior, and reputation. At the core of the platform is its innovative AI Reputation score, a verified record of individual contributions to AI development and training, leveraging blockchain technology to build transparency and trust. Powered by the Raiinmaker Network and boasting over 450,000 users, the Raiinmaker App empowers individuals to train AI models directly from their smartphones. By seamlessly integrating features such as Identity Verification, NFT Minting, Token Creation, and AI-Powered Smart Contracts, Raiinmaker is bridging the gap between Web3 and decentralized AI to drive innovation across industries like sports, gaming, and entertainment.

About Eliza Labs:

Eliza Labs is at the forefront of developing next-generation autonomous agent systems. Founded in 2024, Eliza Labs is the creator of the Eliza agent framework, an open-source platform designed to revolutionize the way autonomous AI agents are created, deployed, and managed. The Eliza framework enables powerful multi-agent simulations, empowering developers, researchers, and businesses to build advanced AI systems.

Eliza Labs is committed to pushing the boundaries of AI technology to shape the future of intelligent, autonomous systems. For more information, visit https://elizaos.ai

About ElizaOS:

ElizaOS is a powerful multi-agent simulation framework designed to create, deploy, and manage autonomous AI agents. Built with TypeScript, it provides a flexible and extensible platform for developing intelligent agents that can interact across multiple platforms while maintaining consistent personalities and knowledge.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raiinmaker–elizaos-partner-to-launch-traiin-agent-a-revolutionary-platform-for-ethical-ai-agent-training-and-moderation-302454299.html

SOURCE Raiinmaker

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