Former Mandiant President and COO John Watters Leads New Company with $30 million in Funding to Deliver Cyber Risk Intelligence to Help Safeguard Customers Against Highly Targeted AI-enabled Threats
DALLAS, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Apollo Information Systems Corp. (Apollo), a leader in cybersecurity solutions for SLED, SMB, and enterprise customers, today announced the public launch of iCOUNTER, a cyber risk intelligence company. Led by cyber threat intelligence pioneer John Watters, iCOUNTER delivers precision risk intelligence focused exclusively on targeted operations against its customers and their ecosystem. Backed by a $30 million Series A funding round led by SYN Ventures, iCOUNTER is now publicly emerging. This follows five years of dedicated development, during which cutting-edge AI-enabled technology, robust collection infrastructure, and refined processes were developed to successfully help its customer counter highly targeted attacks.
Today, AI-enabled attackers of all types are rapidly shifting their focus and targeting specific companies, leveraging AI capabilities to dramatically reduce the time and cost of conducting reconnaissance to profile a target. Once attackers fully understand a target’s environment, including its security controls and specific security gaps, they leverage AI to create ‘zero-day TTPs.’ iCOUNTER empowers its customers to detect, deflect, and defeat these highly customized attacks at scale.
“We are in the dawn of a new era of cybersecurity.” said John Watters, CEO and Managing Partner of iCOUNTER. “Traditional methods will increasingly fail, and defenders will be forced to reimagine their defenses against a flood of targeted operations that leverage AI to generate new and novel TTPs. Traditional threat intelligence is designed to report on threats that have been seen before in an age where an increasing number of targets will be Patient Zero.”
Watters is well recognized as a cybersecurity visionary and thought leader, with more than two decades of experience in building robust cybersecurity businesses. Watters most recently served as President and COO of Mandiant leading to its sale of FireEye and subsequent acquisition by Google. After Mandiant’s acquisition by Google, Watters pivoted to serving as a Venture Partner with SYN Ventures, Americas Frontier Fund, and Board Member of Oleria, Batuta, Mitiga, and Apollo. With the launch of iCOUNTER, Watters returns as CEO to break new ground again helping companies counter targeted threats and AI-enabled adversaries.
“iCOUNTER has built the only intelligence capability exclusively focused on countering targeted attacks,” said Jay Leek, Managing Partner and Founder of SYN Ventures. Their unique approach positions them well in an age of AI-enabled adversaries.”
“The strategy of providing dedicated threat intelligence to address threats mapped against individual companies’ specific gaps and vulnerabilities is a service that is desperately needed,” said Chris Kissel, Research Director in IDC’s Security and Trust Products Group. “iCOUNTER’s unique approach will likely become invaluable to sensitive organizations and systems.”
About iCOUNTER
iCOUNTER is a cyber risk intelligence provider enabling companies to counter targeted cyber-attacks through precision risk intelligence. Since 2020, iCOUNTER has provided customers across the U.S. with actionable intelligence to defend against cyber threats of nation-states, ransom groups and other malicious actors, preventing collective losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The iCOUNTER executive team consists of veteran cybersecurity industry experts with a history of innovation and leadership in the field, including:
- John Watters, CEO and Managing Partner
- Scott Schneider, Partner – Sales
- Dave Tyson, Partner – Intelligence Operations
- Kathleen Thomas, Partner – Chief Financial Officer
- Jay Leek, Board Member
- Robert Rodriguez, Strategic Advisor
Learn more at www.icounter.com.
About Apollo
Apollo Information Systems delivers intelligence-led cybersecurity solutions for government entities, educational institutions, and enterprises. Founded in 2002, Apollo combines advanced threat intelligence from iCOUNTER with deep contextual understanding and security experience to help organizations plan, build, and run cybersecurity programs.
Apollo offers a full suite of cybersecurity technologies, professional services, and managed services that enable customers to efficiently reduce risk so they can focus on their core mission. Learn more at www.apollo-is.com.
About SYN Ventures
SYN Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on investing in disruptive and innovative security companies in the cybersecurity, industrial security, national defense, privacy, regulatory compliance, and data governance industries. The firm’s dedicated security team of former CISOs, CEOs, CTOs and Founders has a proven track record with over 400 years of combined security investing and operational experience. SYN also has a highly distinguished network of seasoned security advisors and CISOs.
Media Relations Contact for Apollo and iCOUNTER:
Apollo@ICRInc.com
SOURCE iCOUNTER