Attending a defense exhibition often means encountering numerous companies vying for Department of Defense contracts. The recently wrapped Navy League Sea-Air-Space 2025 was no exception, with displays designed to capture attention. One company that stood out was Qintel, our weapon of the week.
What is Qintel?
Booth 1747, home to the Qintel team, was a conversation starter. With bright, bold colors and characters reminiscent of a Frank Miller graphic novel, it was hard to miss. This is where Straight Arrow News met Keith Mularski, a former FBI agent and now Qintel’s global ambassador.
“Our goal is to track adversaries through collections in cyberspace,” Mularski said. “We collect communications, IP addresses and other data to track nation-state actors, criminal hackers and terrorists.”
Qintel uses open-source intelligence (OSINT) to gather information.
“We collect breach data sold on the cyber underground, scrape cyber underground forums, and examine forensic copies of servers,” Mularski said. “These collections help us understand what adversaries are doing.”
Who buys Qintel’s products?
A look at Qintel’s website reveals its mission: to deliver government-grade cyber intelligence on critical threats. Mularski noted that most of its work is with elite law enforcement agencies worldwide. However, it is also building bridges with U.S. government intelligence gatherers.
“We want to enable them by providing as much intelligence as possible,” Mularski said. “This allows them to use their sensitive techniques to take it to the next level.”
Qintel’s track record and the recent change in American leadership may work in their favor.
“The secretary of defense wants to use off-the-shelf solutions instead of developing new platforms,” Mularski said. “We are uniquely positioned to provide these solutions, and we are expanding into the commercial sector for network defense.”
While Qintel did not have major news to share at Sea-Air-Space, the Pittsburgh-based startup sparked many positive conversations. They are looking to build inroads with government agencies.
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