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Steven Witt

Co-founder of DataTribe and a former CIA officer who founded Onyara, the startup that commercialized the NSA's NiFi data-flow software before its acquisition by Hortonworks.

Steven Witt worked as a CIA officer focused on real-time intelligence production before founding Onyara, which productized the NSA-originated Apache NiFi project and was acquired by Hortonworks -- a deal that became a model for DataTribe's build-and-fund approach. He co-founded DataTribe in 2015 with Michael Janke and Bob Ackerman to turn intelligence-community technology into venture-backed cybersecurity companies.

Overview

Role
Co-Founder & Operating Partner, DataTribe
Based in
Washington, DC
Prior experience
Onyara (founder & CEO -- commercialized NSA-developed Apache NiFi; acquired by Hortonworks ~2015), Boston Consulting Group, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (intelligence officer)

Companies0

No linked records yet.

Affiliated funds1

Frequently asked

Who is Steven Witt?
Steven Witt worked as a CIA officer focused on real-time intelligence production before founding Onyara, which productized the NSA-originated Apache NiFi project and was acquired by Hortonworks -- a deal that became a model for DataTribe's build-and-fund approach. He co-founded DataTribe in 2015 with Michael Janke and Bob Ackerman to turn intelligence-community technology into venture-backed cybersecurity companies.
What is Steven Witt's role?
Steven Witt is Co-Founder & Operating Partner, DataTribe, based in Washington, DC.
Where did Steven Witt work before?
Steven Witt's prior roles include Onyara (founder & CEO -- commercialized NSA-developed Apache NiFi; acquired by Hortonworks ~2015), Boston Consulting Group, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (intelligence officer).

Tags

foundervccyberintelligence

Sources & citations2

Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.

  1. 1

    Co-founder of DataTribe; former CIA officer; founded Onyara (NiFi), acquired by Hortonworks

    CyberScoop: DataTribe: Where former spies are going to become cybersecurity startup founders
    Reported2026-08-15
  2. 2

    MBA MIT Sloan, MPA Harvard Kennedy School, BA Computer Science Macalester College; BCG consultant

    RSA Conference: Steven Witt | RSAC Conference
    Reported2026-08-15