# Oren Falkowitz

> Oren Falkowitz is the co-founder and original CEO of Area 1 Security, the phishing-prevention company acquired by Cloudflare in 2022. A former NSA technologist and U.S. Cyber Command chief data scientist, he also co-founded Sqrrl and now leads Area 2 Farms, which builds soil-based indoor farms serving nearby communities.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Area 2 Farms
- **Organizations:** Area 2 Farms, Area 1 Security (acquired by Cloudflare), Sqrrl, National Security Agency, United States Cyber Command
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in political science/international relations, University of Central Florida
- **Known for:** Co-founded Area 1 Security, acquired by Cloudflare in a transaction announced at approximately $162 million, subject to adjustments., Co-founded Sqrrl and served as its original CEO and president., Served as chief data scientist at U.S. Cyber Command.

## Career timeline

- **2004** — A fraternity publication records his University of Central Florida degree and 2003 chapter presidency.
- **Before 2012** — Held NSA roles in data and computer network operations; also served as chief data scientist at U.S. Cyber Command.
- **2012** — Left the NSA and co-founded Sqrrl; served as CEO and president until March 2013.
- **2013** — Co-founded Area 1 Security with Blake Darché and Phil Syme.
- **2016** — Wrote Pineapple Sparkle, illustrated by François Vigneault.
- **2018** — Area 1 introduced pay-per-phish pricing.
- **2020-06** — Patrick Sweeney succeeded him as Area 1 CEO; Falkowitz became chairman.
- **2022-04** — Cloudflare completed its acquisition of Area 1 Security.
- **2023** — Publicly discussed venture-capital culture and board dynamics with Michael Fertik.
- **2026-03** — Area 2 Farms announced its nationwide franchise model.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Area 1 Security, acquired by Cloudflare in a transaction announced at approximately $162 million, subject to adjustments.
- Co-founded Sqrrl and served as its original CEO and president.
- Served as chief data scientist at U.S. Cyber Command.
- Co-founded Area 2 Farms with Tyler Baras.
- Authored the cybersecurity comic Pineapple Sparkle with illustrator François Vigneault.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Discussed Area 2 Farms and its expansion plans in an NBC4 Washington report published August 5.
- **2026-03** — Area 2 Farms announced a franchise model and adviser Paul Flick on March 10.
- **2026-01** — Appeared on Going Direct episode 49, published January 20, discussing neighborhood farming, automation and expansion.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orenjfalkowitz
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/orenfalkowitz

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/oren-falkowitz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22