World News

Symmetry raises $18M to bolster organizations’ data security programs on August 9, 2023 at 4:00 pm

Published

3 years ago

August 9, 2023

As organizations embrace cloud services — and are forced to confront changing regulations and data use standards — their ability to maintain control of data security frequently becomes strained. If they lose that control, the consequences can be quite severe. The average cost of a data breach is about $3.86 million (per IBM), and most companies pay around $14.82 million per year for noncompliance, including noncompliance with data security policies.

So it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that there’s a strong, shared desire among organizations to invest in greater data security. Ninety-seven percent of security leaders believe that their employers will either maintain or increase their security budgets this year, according to one recent survey, while 45% say that data security has “significantly” increased for them as a priority.

The newfound attention on data security is benefitting startups like Symmetry Systems, which offers a platform that provides visibility into who has access to a company’s data and how it’s being used. Co-founded by Casen Hunger, Puneet Tiwari and Mohit Tiwari, a former cybersecurity researcher at the University of Texas, Austin, Symmetry maps out an organization’s data, helping to define policies for how data should — and shouldn’t — flow.

“Symmetry provides the foundational visibility to drive developers and data team processes, to detect violations and to automate large parts of compliance reporting,” Tiwari told TechCrunch via email. “The platform not only grants deep visibility into the security posture of the data layer, it enables the management of the data permission structure to resolve gaps and identify lapses in access — allowing human analysts and leadership to focus on more pressing issues.”

Certainly, there’s evidence that organizations struggle with data management. In a 2022 survey conducted by PulseMeter and Orca Security, 35% of companies said that their sensitive data now resides in the cloud while 27% admitted to not knowing the location of their sensitive data.

Symmetry, running in an organization’s cloud or clouds, tries to solve for this — identifying data types in data stores and unearthing possible misconfigurations related to data and user accounts. Using Symmetry, customers can adjust account access management policies on individual data objects, ensuring access is limited to those who need it and monitoring all future accesses.

“Symmetry pioneered the ‘software-as-a-service, but in customer’s cloud’- deployment model in cloud data security,” Tiwari said. “The entire product resides in the customer’s environment while being updated and managed using cloud-native computing foundation tooling that’s more typically associated with classic software-as-a-service products.”

Symmetry competes with data security companies like Rubrik-owned Laminar, Open Raven, IBM’s Polar, Normalyze, Cyera, Theom and Dig as well as cloud security and privacy vendors (see Wiz, Orca, Palo Alto Networks, Securiti, BigID and OneTrust) offering data security management products.

To attempt to differentiate itself, Symmetry is developing a large language model along the lines of OpenAI’s ChatGPT that’ll allow customers to talk through, in plain English, things like what data and which actions create a security or compliance risk and what steps can mitigate any data risk.

That’s perhaps what attracted investors to the startup. Symmetry today announced that it raised $18 million in a funding round led by OVN Capital with participation from Adit Capital, TSG and Forgepoint Capital, bringing the company’s total raised to $36 million.

“We’re building a new category of AI-enabled workflows for security and compliance in order to specifically side-step the pitfalls of overfitted AI models that end up effectively being a ‘rules engine’ with another name,’” Tiwari said.

Symmetry’s mum where it concerns specific revenue figures and customers; Tiwari declined to name any client names when asked. But Tiwari says that it’s building a “robust” federal sales program. The San Francisco-based startup employs a workforce of around 40 today, and expects to have 50 to 55 on the payroll by the end of the year.

“The latest investment will be used to scale out Symmetry’s channel partnerships, offer a starter visibility product that clearly shows how a data-to-identity abstraction is a major leap from messy infrastructure details, and build out the second phase of cloud data security — i.e., autonomous response to threat-detections and policy-violations,” Tiwari said. “Our customers have to move to the cloud, meet increased regulations and quickly use AI and data lakes. All of these are tailwinds for us … Overall, we see money from infrastructure security being reallocated towards data security.”

Business

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT RETURNS FOR ITS 5TH EDITION AT THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT – HOUSE OF LORDS, PALACE OF WESTMINSTER

Published

1 week ago

May 16, 2026

Bolanle Media Staff

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Theme: “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation”

London, United Kingdom — The Global Sustainability Summit (GSS) is officially back for its landmark 5th Edition, continuing its legacy as one of the leading international platforms driving sustainable development, climate action, ethical investment, innovation, and global collaboration.

Convened annually at the prestigious British Parliament, House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, by Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto, the Summit has, over the last four years, successfully fostered international dialogue and partnerships that have contributed to the advancement of global sustainability goals, the establishment of sustainability-focused ministries, departments and policy structures across national and subnational governments, and the attraction of major investors into sustainable development projects, corporations and emerging economies.

This year’s summit, themed “People, Planet, and Profit in the Age of AI and Innovation,” will explore how emerging technologies, responsible leadership, sustainable finance, innovation, and global partnerships can shape a more inclusive, resilient and environmentally conscious future.

The 5th Edition promises to be the most impactful yet, bringing together world leaders, policymakers, diplomats, investors, academics, innovators, climate experts and youth leaders from across the globe to discuss actionable solutions toward achieving a sustainable and equitable future.

Among the distinguished speakers, delegates and honorees already lined up for the Summit are:

• His Excellency Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq — Executive Governor of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum

• His Excellency Senator Prince Bassey Otu — Executive Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria

• Ambassador Patricia Espinosa Cantellano — Former Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Former Foreign Minister of Mexico

• Lord Marvin Rees, Baron Rees of Easton OBE — Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom

• Hon. Neema K. Lugangira — Secretary-General of Women Political Leaders (WPL), Brussels and Former Member of Parliament

• Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah — President of the Republic of Namibia

• His Excellency Nangolo Mbumba — Former President of Namibia

• Former President of Tanzania

• Her Excellency Ambassador Professor Olufolake AbdulRazaq — First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria and Chairperson of Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum

• Your Excellency Dr. Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, CON — Executive Governor of Katsina State and Chairman of the Northwest Governors Forum, Nigeria

• Hon. Sam Shafiishuna Nujoma — Governor of Khomas Region, Namibia

• H.E. Mr. Veiccoh Nghiwete — High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to the United Kingdom

• Her Excellency Ms. Macenje “Che Che” Mazoka — High Commissioner of Zambia to the United Kingdom

• Ms. Danielle Newman — Partner Lead, ICT, World Economic Forum

• Leanne Elliott Young — Co-founder, Institute of Digital Fashion & CommuneEast

• Ms. Chloe Russell — Producer & Presenter, Art, Science and Nature

• Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger — University of Cambridge & University of Waterloo

• Dr. Alexandra R. Harrington — IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL)

• Professor Payam Akhavan — Massey College, University of Toronto

• Mr. Mallai C. E. Sathya — President, Dravida Vetri Kazhagam and International Movement for Tamil Culture Asia

The Summit will feature high-level panel discussions, strategic investment conversations, sustainability awards, policy dialogues, innovation showcases, youth engagement sessions and international networking opportunities focused on climate resilience, ethical financing, food-water-energy sustainability, circular economy, artificial intelligence, diplomacy and sustainable development.

Speaking ahead of the Summit, Convener Ambassador Canon Chinenem Otto noted:

“As the world rapidly evolves through artificial intelligence and technological innovation, we must ensure that sustainability remains people-centered, environmentally responsible and economically inclusive. The Global Sustainability Summit continues to serve as a bridge connecting governments, institutions, innovators and investors to accelerate practical sustainability solutions globally. Our fifth edition is not only a celebration of progress made over the years, but also a renewed call for global collaboration and actionable impact toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Net Zero ambitions.”

The Global Sustainability Summit continues to position itself as a catalyst for transformative partnerships and sustainable global progress, reinforcing the urgent need for collective action toward a more resilient and sustainable future.

More announcements regarding additional speakers, partners and summit activities will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

News

US May Completely Cut Income Tax Due to Tariff Revenue

Published

6 months ago

November 30, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

President Donald Trump says the United States might one day get rid of federal income tax because of money the government collects from tariffs on imported goods. Tariffs are extra taxes the U.S. puts on products that come from other countries.

What Trump Is Saying

Trump has said that tariff money could become so large that it might allow the government to cut income taxes “almost completely.” He has also talked about possibly phasing out income tax over the next few years if tariff money keeps going up.

How Taxes Work Now

Right now, the federal government gets much more money from income taxes than from tariffs. Income taxes bring in trillions of dollars each year, while tariffs bring in only a small part of that total. Because of this gap, experts say tariffs would need to grow by many times to replace income tax money.

Questions From Experts

Many economists and tax experts doubt that tariffs alone could pay for the whole federal budget. They warn that very high tariffs could make many imported goods more expensive for shoppers in the United States. This could hit lower- and middle‑income families hardest, because they spend a big share of their money on everyday items.

What Congress Must Do

The president can change some tariffs, but only Congress can change or end the federal income tax. That means any real plan to remove income tax would need new laws passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate. So far, there is no detailed law or full budget plan on this idea.

What It Means Right Now

For now, Trump’s comments are a proposal, not a change in the law. People and businesses still have to pay federal income tax under the current rules. The debate over using tariffs instead of income taxes is likely to continue among lawmakers, experts, and voters.

News

Epstein Files to Be Declassified After Trump Order

Published

6 months ago

November 20, 2025

Bolanle Media Staff

Former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to declassify all government files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier whose death in 2019 continues to fuel controversy and speculation.

The order, signed Wednesday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, instructs the FBI, Department of Justice, and intelligence agencies to release documents detailing Epstein’s network, finances, and alleged connections to high-profile figures. Trump described the move as “a step toward transparency and public trust,” promising that no names would be shielded from scrutiny.

“This information belongs to the American people,” Trump said in a televised statement. “For too long, powerful interests have tried to bury the truth. That ends now.”

U.S. intelligence officials confirmed that preparations for the release are already underway. According to sources familiar with the process, the first batch of documents is expected to be made public within the next 30 days, with additional releases scheduled over several months.

Reactions poured in across the political spectrum. Supporters praised the decision as a bold act of accountability, while critics alleged it was politically motivated, timed to draw attention during a volatile election season. Civil rights advocates, meanwhile, emphasized caution, warning that some records could expose private victims or ongoing legal matters.

The Epstein case, which implicated figures in politics, business, and entertainment, remains one of the most talked-about scandals of the past decade. Epstein’s connections to influential individuals—including politicians, royals, and executives—have long sparked speculation about the extent of his operations and who may have been involved.

Former federal prosecutor Lauren Fields said the release could mark a turning point in public discourse surrounding government transparency. “Regardless of political stance, this declassification has the potential to reshape how Americans view power and accountability,” Fields noted.

Officials say redactions may still occur to protect sensitive intelligence or personal information, but the intent is a near-complete disclosure. For years, critics of the government’s handling of Epstein’s case have accused agencies of concealing evidence or shielding elites from exposure. Trump’s order promises to change that narrative.

As anticipation builds, journalists, legal analysts, and online commentators are preparing for what could be one of the most consequential information releases in recent history.