History & Evolution

Animate Cyber was founded to address the growing need for realistic, scalable, and continuously evolving cyber training and security testing solutions. Traditional cyber ranges and traffic generators lacked adaptability, requiring heavy manual configuration and producing predictable, unrealistic traffic patterns that failed to prepare teams for real-world cyber threats.

Recognizing this gap, Animate Cyber developed AI-driven simulation technologies that allow organizations to:

Generate dynamic and unpredictable network traffic that mirrors real-world activity, including benign user behavior and malicious attacks.

Create realistic and customizable scenarios that simulate specific attack vectors, network topologies, and user profiles.

Provide continuous security validation through automated testing and real-time feedback on security posture and incident response effectiveness.

Deliver engaging and personalized cybersecurity training with adaptive threat scenarios and individualized learning paths.

Accelerate the proof-of-concept (POC) process for cybersecurity vendors, enabling rapid deployment and demonstration of their solutions.

Since its inception, Animate Cyber has been adopted by defense agencies, government institutions, and enterprise security teams to enhance cyber readiness, detect vulnerabilities, and improve operational security. The platform continues to evolve, integrating machine learning, cloud-based security testing, and real-time analytics to stay ahead of modern cyber threats.

Executive Team

Adam Whalen

Chief Executive Officer

Accomplished leader with over a decade of experience in management consulting, strategic governance, and cybersecurity.
Executive MBA from the College of William & Mary.
Holds multiple degrees in Cyber Security.
U.S. Navy IT Veteran.
Expert in business transformation, risk mitigation, and operational strategy, driving growth and resilience in high-stakes environments.
Proven track record in leadership strategy, optimizing technology-driven solutions for government and private sector clients.

Chad Hughes

Founder & Chief Scientist

20+ Years AI/ML Architect and Cyber Range Experience
nventor, Software Developer, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran (Tank Commander 1990-2000)
Passion for Dynamic Control Systems, AI Driven Robot Vision, Natural Language Processing, Artificial Neural Networks (particularly LLMs), Propositional Reasoning with Expert Systems and Patents in Stochastic Automata
Founder and President of EvenSoft, Specializing in Cybersecurity, Mobile, Single Board, Cloud, and Internet of Things
Former Executive Director of Technology for ManTech, Consulting for DoD Cyber Range and Co-Founding the DoD Cybersecurity Range
Founded Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Cybersecurity R&D Group, Serving as Chief Scientist
Patents in Traffic Gen, Stim/Sim, Hypervisor and Deception Technologies

Ernest McCaleb

Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer

20+ Years Cyber Range Experience
Cybersecurity Architect, Developer, and Industry Thought Leader, Contributing Valuable Insights to Industry on Cyber Workforce Development and Cyber Architecture
Passion for Pushing Boundaries of Cybersecurity in Rapidly Evolving Digital Landscape, Supporting Renowned Platforms Across Cybersecurity Industry
Architect of Cloud-Native Cyber Training Environments for Over 250 National and International Financial Institutions, Including Industry Giants Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Deutsche Bank
Architect of the Royal Saudi Air Force Cyber Training Environment in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Original Chief Architect of DISA/DoD Cyber Security Range and the USMC Cyber Security Range
Consultant to Google, Assisting Google’s Development & Implementation of Sovereign Cloud

Andrew Beardall

Chief Operating Officer

Seasoned attorney and business leader with over 20 years of experience in corporate governance, risk management, and compliance.
Chief Operating Officer at RapidAscent and Founding Partner of Immortal Cyber, driving cybersecurity innovation and government contracting.
Expert in federal contracting, regulatory compliance, and financial risk mitigation for technology and defense sectors.
Extensive experience in structuring business operations, ensuring legal compliance, and optimizing risk strategies.
Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, with a background in Biology and Neuroscience.
Active investor and advisor at Riphean Investments, specializing in GovCon and emerging technology ventures.

Damon Phillips

Chief Growth Officer

20+ Years Supporting Federal Market, Recognized for Driving Sustainable Growth with Deep Domain Expertise
Chief Growth Officer for Animate, Leading Strategic Growth Initiatives and Business Development
Senior Vice President of Business Development and Alliances for Eliassen Group, a Global Professional Services Firm, Leading Business Development and Capture
Strategic Growth Consultant to Riphean Investments, a Private Equity Firm Supporting National Security, Supporting Growth Initiatives for Portfolio Companies and Future Endeavors
17 Year Tenure at Apex Systems, Leading Advanced Programs and Strategic Alliance Formation
Former Vice President for Zachary Piper Solutions, Leading National Team of Business Development and Delivery Managers Supporting Small, Medium, and Large System Integrators

Development Team

Tido Ciarovino

Deployment/Platform Engineer

27 Years Big Data and Software Development Experience
B.S. Computer Engineering

Trinidad Estrada

Release Engineering, CI/CD & Framework Services Manager

14 Years Software Engineering Experience
B.S. Computer Science

Ben Hildebrand

AI/ML Architect

15 Years in AI/Computational Science
PhD in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Certifications in Data Science and ML

Key Clients

Learn More

Reach out to a member of our team to learn more about Animate or schedule a demonstration.