Located on London’s Jermyn Street, a district historically associated with espionage lore, Strider Technologies represents a leading-edge force in the evolving landscape of global intelligence and economic security. Founded in 2019 by identical twins Eric and Greg Levesque, alongside tech executive Mike Brown, Strider employs artificial intelligence and extensive data analysis to uncover covert state-sponsored activity targeting intellectual property and critical supply chains.
Strider’s software harnesses a database comprising over 25 billion pieces of information—from publicly accessible documents and corporate registries to trade records in multiple languages—adding approximately 20 million new data points each day. This trove enables the identification of subtle links between individuals, companies, and foreign governments, often revealing networks that evade conventional detection methods.
One recent case involved a U.S. biopharmaceutical firm that, with a tip from the FBI, engaged Strider to investigate a suspected Chinese agent within its workforce. The analysis traced payments from the People’s Liberation Army to a front company tied to the employee. Though not conclusive proof of espionage, the evidence prompted confrontation and, ultimately, the individual’s unannounced departure to China. Such incidents underline the complex, often opaque methods used by nation-states to advance geopolitical aims through economic channels, a concept known as economic statecraft.
Strider’s clientele include industry giants, prominent universities, NATO, and the U.S. Department of Defense, reflecting the broad strategic importance of economic security. The company’s headquarters have transitioned from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City, Utah, with growing international presence through offices in London, Tokyo, and Sydney. Eric Levesque now leads the London operation, bolstered by hires such as David Kilby, a former British government security official with more than three decades of experience.
While Strider claims a unique position in offering AI-driven intelligence at scale, other firms like Pamir Consulting, led by former FBI counterintelligence experts, provide related services, particularly focusing on China. Nonetheless, Strider distinguishes itself with its ability to access digital records in jurisdictions where information is neither indexed nor easily searchable, especially in China, giving it an edge in uncovering hidden supply chain and influence networks.
Strider’s investigations have illuminated several pressing concerns. For example, the company revealed that Iranian military drones incorporate engines and electronic components sourced from China, Austria, South Korea, and Western suppliers, despite longstanding sanctions. The firm traced these supply chains through Chinese and Hong Kong intermediary companies linking to Iranian entities allegedly connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards.
In another finding, Strider reported that since 2022, over 50,000 sensitive goods, including parts relevant to aerospace and missile technology, have been funneled to Russian defense organizations via India, highlighting the global complexity of these covert economic transactions.
The financial stakes are substantial. U.S. officials estimated losses from Chinese intellectual property theft between $200 billion and $600 billion annually as of 2017, with cumulative impacts threatening long-term economic competitiveness.
The growing scope and sophistication of such threats prompted the Five Eyes alliance—comprising Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand—to accuse China in June of using deceptive recruitment and pressure tactics to access classified information. China’s embassy dismissed the claims as false and politically motivated.
However, Kilby, Strider’s London director, emphasises the urgency of confronting these challenges: “The same openness that built (the West’s) prosperity, investment, research collaboration (and) global supply chains is the openness hostile states exploit. Too many boardrooms and university leadership teams still don’t see themselves as a target.”
As cyber and economic espionage increasingly intertwine, companies like Strider are positioned at the forefront of efforts to safeguard national security by decoding the intricate interactions between commerce and covert statecraft.