Redefining Cybersecurity Leadership
In a field where women remain significantly underrepresented, May Chen-Contino is demonstrating how diverse leadership can transform threat intelligence. As CEO of Unit 221B, she heads one of the few women-led cybersecurity firms successfully bridging the gap between digital investigation and real-world consequences. With a recent $5 million seed funding round led by J2 Ventures, the company is positioned to expand its unique approach to threat disruption in a market projected to reach $11.55 billion by 2025.
From Security Services to Intelligence Platform
What began in 2015 as a small security services team has evolved under Chen-Contino’s leadership into a sophisticated threat-intelligence platform. Unit 221B’s researchers specialize in tracking criminal communications across encrypted channels, social networks, and dark-web forums, transforming raw data into actionable intelligence for enterprises and law enforcement agencies. This evolution reflects broader industry developments toward more proactive security solutions.
Proven Impact Against Complex Threats
The company’s effectiveness is demonstrated through tangible results in high-profile cases. Unit 221B’s intelligence has supported U.S. Department of Justice investigations leading to arrests in the Snowflake hacker case and the prosecution of a U.S. Army soldier who extorted AT&T for presidential call logs. Their work with gaming publisher Bungie has resulted in multiple lawsuits and criminal convictions targeting harassment, cheating, and intellectual-property theft.
Perhaps most notably, Unit 221B researchers have helped trace the activities of the online collective known as The Com, documenting how its members escalated from digital fraud to violent offenses. This capability to connect digital behavior to real-world harm represents a significant advancement in how security professionals approach market trends in criminal investigation.
Unconventional Backgrounds Driving Innovation
Chen-Contino’s path to cybersecurity leadership was anything but traditional. After a career in enterprise marketing, she sought work that combined business impact with social mission. Her background as a lifelong martial-arts practitioner and self-defense instructor provided unexpected parallels between physical and digital defense strategies.
“Martial arts teaches focus, awareness, and the discipline to face danger strategically,” she explains. This philosophy permeates Unit 221B’s culture, where several team members share martial-arts or tactical backgrounds, creating an environment of precision and calm-under-pressure that proves invaluable when confronting sophisticated threat actors.
Building Trust Through Collaboration
Partnerships with global companies like Yahoo highlight the credibility Unit 221B has established within the cybersecurity community. Sean Zadig, Chief Information Security Officer at Yahoo, attested to their collaborative success: “Yahoo and Unit 221B’s talented investigators have a strong track record of collaboration to identify the most sophisticated threats and have had numerous successful outcomes, including takedowns, arrests, and disruptions of infrastructure.”
This collaborative approach extends throughout the organization. Founder Lance James continues to drive innovation, while Chief Research Officer Allison Nixon—one of the industry’s leading threat hunters—has spent a decade mapping Scattered Spider’s activities, fundamentally reshaping how law enforcement and corporations understand modern cybercrime networks. Their work exemplifies how recent technology can enhance investigative capabilities.
Addressing the Gender Gap in Cybersecurity
Despite women comprising only about 25% of the global cybersecurity workforce, research indicates they bring distinct strengths to leadership roles, including broader problem-solving perspectives, balanced risk assessment, and stronger emphasis on ethics and collaboration. These qualities directly contribute to the development of proactive strategies and improved risk prioritization—capabilities desperately needed in an industry facing persistent talent shortages.
Chen-Contino attributes Unit 221B’s ability to overcome industry barriers to its mission-first culture and inclusive leadership style. “Our work only matters if it makes people safer,” she emphasizes. “That’s what keeps everyone here going.” This human-centric approach aligns with broader related innovations across technology sectors that prioritize user wellbeing.
The Future of Threat Intelligence
Unit 221B’s evolution into a venture-backed platform signals a fundamental shift in how threat intelligence is applied. The company’s proprietary technology preserves digital evidence, tracks emerging criminal ecosystems, and strengthens coordination among corporate and public-sector investigators who traditionally operate in silos. As cloud infrastructure becomes increasingly complex, this integrated approach becomes ever more critical.
Christine Keung, General Partner at J2 Ventures, explained the investment rationale: “Unit 221B is solving a real pain point that many cybersecurity vendors overlook or are unable to solve. With experience in supporting federal prosecution, military cyber operations, Fortune 500 security teams, and world-renowned threat research, the Unit 221B team is uniquely equipped to expose and dismantle some of the most notorious online criminal groups.”
A New Cybersecurity Paradigm
As cybercrime evolves into a $10.5 trillion global industry threatening both privacy and safety, Chen-Contino believes the next era of cybersecurity will be defined by collaboration and conscience. Women-led cybersecurity firm Unit 221B demonstrates that it’s possible to build a profitable business while advancing public good—a model that fuses high-tech capability with human empathy.
“Cybercrime is about people, not just code,” Chen-Contino concludes. “It takes people who care enough to fight back.” By pairing martial-arts discipline with data science, and empathy with enforcement, she and her team are proving that the most powerful weapon in cybersecurity isn’t fear—it’s purpose.
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