Marking 10-Year Anniversary, IST Research Intensifies Social Mission of Using Technology to Address the Information Environment, is Rewarded with $60M+ in Multiple Contracts

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Oct. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten years ago, IST Research quietly launched as one man's vision of using technology he developed to collect data and engage with people in an effort to address human injustices being imposed on the world's most vulnerable populations. As it marks its 10^th anniversary, IST Research continues to herald its work as a social mission, using its Pulse platform to assist organizations in 20+ countries around the globe in freeing victims of sex trafficking, reducing child soldier recruitment and religious radicalization, and preventing health crises. The company's momentum continues to escalate, with three major contract awards over the past two months.

On the heels of a $48.3 million, five-year contract awarded by the US Army, over the past month IST Research has been awarded a $10 million contract from a private customer, and a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract from a leading anti-human trafficking organization. IST Research will conduct prevalence estimates related to forced labor, sex trafficking or sex exploitation activities in specific countries and sectors, and will provide monitoring, evaluation, and learning support across the organization's entire portfolio.

"I first met Ryan when we were working on solving challenging information problems for the people of Afghanistan. He and his team combined those experiences with their passion for innovation, tech in action and working with fragile populations, and created today's IST Research," said Christopher White, Principal Researcher, Microsoft. "Of all of the teams I've worked with—from academia to DARPA to Microsoft—I've never encountered the combination of tech, talent, and global experience like that of IST. I'm excited to see what tricks they have up their sleeves as they enter their second decade."

Pulse combines social listening, content discovery across the surface, deep, and dark web, and direct population engagement with fragile and hard-to reach-populations—all on a single technology platform. Pulse is flexible and applicable to problem sets across both geography and industry, including security, humanitarian assistance, research, marketing, and risk assessment.  IST Research subject matter experts combine this proven technology with specific communications techniques to create a unique capability that is deployed operationally around the globe.

Along the way, IST Research's proprietary technology has been used by myriad governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world. DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) integrated Pulse as the foundation of its Memex project, most notably used by then-District Attorney of Manhattan Cyrus Vance to enable prosecutors to mine the Internet for evidence used to investigate, prosecute, and convict human traffickers. Other agencies have employed Pulse to investigate child soldier recruitment, Islamic extremist radicalization, and forced labor, as have health care agencies to combat epidemics such as Ebola.

"From the earliest days of the company, I envisioned using what we call 'technology plus technique' to engage with the world's most vulnerable populations who have no voice and little say in what happens to them," said Ryan Paterson, CEO of IST Research. "We're now solving big problems for the government and NGOs alike. Agencies from all over the world are looking to our capabilities and our understanding of the information environment and major global issues like the threats of propaganda, long-term famine, health crises and other disasters. As we continue to expand, we anticipate creating an even larger footprint with an even more substantive impact."

About IST Research
Founded in 2008, IST Research was created to explore the possibilities created by the development of technology and techniques within new and challenging operational environments. The company's communications platform fosters understanding of hard-to-reach communities by providing insight into their thinking and engaging them in two-way conversations to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex human security challenges. Pulse is a proven technology that addresses today's complex, global problems. An Inc. 5000 company headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, IST Research is privately funded. For more information visit www.istresearch.com.

SOURCE IST Research

Related Links

http://www.istresearch.com