# Evan Kohlmann

> Evan Kohlmann spent two decades tracking terrorists through their own chatrooms, earning the nickname 'the Terrorist Search Engine.' He built cyberintelligence firm Flashpoint from his bedroom, wrote its original code, and served as NBC News' terrorism analyst for nearly 18 years. Today he is founder and CEO of Cloudburst Technologies, a New York company that maps the off-chain human networks behind crypto fraud - the pump-and-dumps, pig-butchering rings, and market manipulation that live in forums and chatrooms rather than on the blockchain. Cloudburst raised a $7M Series A in 2025 backed by Coinbase Ventures, CoinFund, and In-Q-Tel.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Cloudburst Technologies
- **Organizations:** Cloudburst Technologies, Flashpoint, NBC News, The NEFA Foundation, The Investigative Project on Terrorism
- **From:** South Florida, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High school, Pine Crest School, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Political science / international affairs, Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Law (J.D.); never sat for the bar exam, University of Pennsylvania Law School
- **Known for:** Founded Flashpoint, a cyberintelligence market leader, writing its original code from his bedroom., Founder and CEO of Cloudburst Technologies, provider of off-chain crypto and financial cyberintelligence., Author of 'Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network' (2004).

## Career timeline

- **1998** — Joins Steven Emerson's Investigative Project on Terrorism as an intern while still a student.
- **2003** — Becomes a senior terrorism analyst.
- **2004** — Publishes 'Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network' and begins as NBC News terrorism analyst in October.
- **2000s** — Serves as a senior investigator with The NEFA Foundation and consults for the FBI, DOJ, DoD, and international agencies including the UK's SO15.
- **2010s** — Founds cyberintelligence firm Flashpoint, writing the original code himself and leading fundraising.
- **2022** — Departs NBC News in March after nearly 18 years as its terrorism analyst; founds Cloudburst Technologies.
- **2023** — Cloudburst raises $3M seed round led by Strategic Cyber Ventures, with Coinbase Ventures and Bloccelerate.
- **2025** — Cloudburst raises $7M Series A led by Borderless Capital, bringing total funding to $11M.

## Achievements

- Founded Flashpoint, a cyberintelligence market leader, writing its original code from his bedroom.
- Founder and CEO of Cloudburst Technologies, provider of off-chain crypto and financial cyberintelligence.
- Author of 'Al-Qaida's Jihad in Europe: The Afghan-Bosnian Network' (2004).
- Produced 'The Al Qaida Plan,' a 90-minute documentary presented at the Guantanamo Military Commissions.
- Served as NBC News terrorism analyst from October 2004 to March 2022.
- Frequently qualified as an expert witness for the prosecution in U.S. terrorism trials.
- Raised $11M total across seed and Series A rounds for Cloudburst, backed by Coinbase Ventures, CoinFund, and In-Q-Tel.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — Cloudburst Technologies raised a $7M Series A led by Borderless Capital, with Strategic Cyber Ventures, CoinFund, Coinbase Ventures, Bloccelerate VC, and In-Q-Tel participating; total funding reached $11M.
- **2022-03** — Departed NBC News after nearly 18 years as terrorism analyst and turned full-time to building Cloudburst Technologies.

## Links

- Website: https://burst.cloud
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-kohlmann-a54688102
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/trycloudburst

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/evan-kohlmann
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01