Empirical Security

Empirical Security is a cybersecurity software company building an AI-driven vulnerability management platform. The company's core product reimagines vulnerability management by applying data science and machine learning to reduce alert noise and improve risk-based prioritization of vulnerabilities. The platform is grounded in real-world telemetry and is designed to support decision-making rather than simply generating alerts. A key differentiator is the company's use of the Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), with Chief Data Scientist Jay Jacobs serving as the lead data scientist for EPSS and co-chair of the EPSS special interest group at FIRST. The founding team has deep roots in the risk-based vulnerability management space. CEO Ed Bellis founded Kenna Security, a pioneer in risk-based vulnerability management that was acquired by Cisco in 2021. CTO Michael Roytman was Chief Data Scientist at Kenna Security and a Distinguished Engineer at Cisco. Several other team members also have prior experience at Kenna Security and Cisco. The company is headquartered in the Midwest (Chicago area), with team members distributed across locations including Chicago and New York City. Empirical Security targets enterprise security teams and CISOs looking to modernize their vulnerability management programs through data-driven, quantitative risk reduction approaches.