MITRE's Cyber SEAL Empowers Highway Ventures’ Launch of Cybersecurity Startup iolite secure

McLean, Va., and Bedford, Mass., June 16, 2025 – To enable scaling of technology to enhance critical infrastructure resilience, MITRE commercialized its intellectual property for Cyber SEAL to Highway Ventures. The Arkansas-based startup studio, in partnership with VentureWell, a non-profit focused on advancing innovation and entrepreneurship, launched iolite secure, a cybersecurity startup that leverages Cyber SEAL’s ability to detect and mitigate cyber-physical threats to minimize downtime in critical infrastructure. 

Bridging the gap between government mission demands and industry solutions, MITRE tackles high-risk, cross-domain challenges that industry is either not yet positioned to address or where market demand and return on investment remains uncertain. MITRE will rapidly prototype technologies like Cyber SEAL and then transition them to industry for scaling. 

“MITRE advances innovation with meaningful societal impact,” said Wen Masters, vice president of cyber technologies at MITRE. “By transferring our Cyber SEAL technology to iolite secure, we’re enabling a scalable, real-world solution to help industry and government safeguard critical infrastructure against evolving threats. Industry collaborations like this showcase how targeted federal investments enable technology transfer to drive impactful solutions for national security and economic stability.”

MITRE mobilizes cross-disciplinary teams to de-risk critical needs, spin up targeted proofs of concept, and then hand off mature prototypes to industry for scaling. Cyber SEAL is an example of that effort. It enables cybersecurity engineers to harden and increase the resiliency of edge systems, helping to prevent, withstand, and recover from attacks. Edge systems are typically remote or logically isolated and operate with SWaP (size, weight, and power) constraints and without built-in defenses. This unique design bridges the physical and cyber domains, empowering operators to respond to complex attacks with efficiency. Originally designed for military applications and funded by the federal government, its potential spans industries like critical infrastructure, supply chain logistics, and smart warehouses. 

Lane Patterson, co-founder of Highway Ventures, credits MITRE’s expertise for the innovation behind Cyber SEAL's success. “FFRDCs [federally funded research and development centers like the ones operated by MITRE] are where purposeful technology is born. Ideas are not constrained by fluctuating demands of the market, which allows them to explore and develop technologies that are truly transformative. Cyber SEAL was developed with a level of cyber sophistication that you just don't find elsewhere. MITRE's deep understanding of cyber-physical systems and their vulnerabilities made them the ideal partner for bringing this technology to market.”

The collaboration exemplifies Highway Ventures’ mission to harness innovative technologies from research institutions like MITRE and transform them into commercially viable solutions. Patterson envisions widespread adoption for iolite secure, particularly among organizations looking to secure their operational technology without sacrificing safety or availability. iolite secure reduces reliance on cyber-savvy individuals and empowers the operator to maintain control of operations while working within the guardrails that security teams define. 

Tara Loomis, program director for federal innovation at VentureWell, said, “We’re committed to helping bold innovations cross the bridge from lab to market. iolite secure is a perfect example of what can happen when research institutions, visionary partners, and ecosystem builders come together. We’re proud to have supported the environment that brought this collaboration to life.”

For iolite secure CEO Briana Sullivan, working with MITRE has been a pivotal advantage. “When you’re dealing with something as sensitive as cybersecurity, having the expertise of an FFRDC is invaluable,” said Sullivan. “Their reputation for cyber expertise helps open doors and builds confidence in our customers. This credibility is particularly important when dealing with large enterprises and government entities, where security is paramount.”

About MITRE

MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to driving solutions to our nation’s most pressing challenges. As a not-for-profit research and development organization, MITRE’s staff leverage our unique multi-sponsor vantage point, systems expertise, and innovative solutions to ensure the health, prosperity, and security of our nation. www.mitre.org

Media Contact: 

Jordan Graham or Lisa Fasold, media@mitre.org