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Enveil Takes Second Place at RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox Competition

Friday, April 7, 2017

Howard County cyber-security startup firm Enveil placed second in this year’s RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox Competition on February 13, 2017.

Picked from a group of more than 300 applicants, Enveil impressed the Innovation Sandbox judges with its groundbreaking homomorphic encryption software. For decades, the cyber-security industry has been unable to crack homomorphic encryption, which allows computers to process data without decrypting the information and leaving it vulnerable to outside parties.

“The biggest problem with homomorphic encryption was always with its practicality,” said Ellison Anne Williams, the founder and chief executive of Enveil. “We were able to scale its capabilities through distributed algorithms and make everything efficient.”

Enveil is only 6 months old making its performance in the competition all the more remarkable. The company is partnered with DataTribe, a self-described “startup crucible” in Fulton, Maryland that supports emerging tech companies with incubation space and business operation expertise.

“We’re a young company, but the tech behind our software is much older,” Williams said. “We knew we were looking for incubation space for about a year, or until our next round of funding – whichever came first. DataTribe targets tech coming out of the government space and we fit that mould perfectly. It’s been a wonderful partnership.”

Five people currently work at Enveil: Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ellison Anne Williams, Chief Technology Strategy Officer Jay Emmanuel and principal employees Dr. J. Ryan Carr, Dr. Walter Ray-Dulany and Jacob Wilder. The firm hopes its performance at Innovation Sandbox will lay the groundwork for expansion in the near future.

“Howard County is home to some of the brightest cyber minds in the country. It’s no surprise that our firms and our startups are being recognized by their peers across the industry, because they do it better than anyone else,” said County Executive Allan H. Kittleman. “The workforce and the resources here allow this industry to prosper, and the success of companies like Enveil really proves that.”

Following Enveil’s incubation phase, Williams said the company plans to find permanent space in Howard County.

“We love seeing our startups making a splash in their respective industries,” said Lawrence Twele, Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Economic Development Authority. “Enveil is a great example of the type of company that thrives in Howard County. We have environment that is conducive to small business growth and has the tools companies need for initial success. We look forward to seeing them take off here in the County.”

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