Cybersecurity Company Founded by Ex-NSA Director Files for Bankruptcy
Cybersecurity company IronNet, founded by a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency, has filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware, seeking to sell its assets, Reuters reported. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon on Friday signed off on some of the company's initial steps in bankruptcy during a court hearing, including approving an agreement that would restore the company's access to customer data and other key information held by Amazon Web Services. The McLean, Va.-based company, which filed for chapter 11 on Thursday, had terminated its 104 employees and shut down operations on Sept. 29 after a series of setbacks including a shareholder lawsuit, delayed payments from foreign government clients, difficulties finalizing new client contracts, and the termination of key cloud computing services provided by Amazon Web Services. "Simply put, the company ran out of money," IronNet president and CFO Cameron Pforr wrote in court documents. IronNet, which owes about $35 million to its creditors, initially believed it would have to pursue a chapter 7 liquidation, according to its court filings. But two bidders stepped forward to fund a chapter 11 restructuring that would allow for a more orderly sale of its assets. IronNet intends to fund its bankruptcy with a $10 million loan provided by IT networking company ITC Global. That loan would be converted into company equity if no buyer steps forward during the bankruptcy, according to court documents. IronNet will use the loan proceeds to conduct an auction of its assets, restore its cloud computing services, re-hire terminated employees, and continue to serve its customers. The company intends to complete a bankruptcy sale within 90 days.
