Black Box No More

I Built Havn Because I've Lived the Alternative

R&D organizations face an impossible choice: protect their IP, or protect their people. Current security solutions force you to pick one.

Years ago, I was denied a DoD security clearance. Not for wrongdoing—but because the system misunderstood my professional relationships abroad. No transparency. No chance to explain. Just years of waiting for an appeal I had to fight alone.

I won. But the lesson wasn't about government clearances—it's about what happens when security systems lack transparency. People get judged by those who don't understand context. Employees don't know they're being evaluated until it's too late. Decisions get made in back rooms where secrecy becomes a disguise for ignorance.

When security feels like suspicion, everyone loses:

- An engineer gets passed over for promotion—HR invents an excuse

- A researcher never hears back about the job they're perfect for

- Companies lose breakthrough talent, employees lose opportunities, trust disappears

Real security requires real transparency:

- Seeing what's analyzed while analysis is happening

- Providing context before conclusions are drawn

- Being a partner in the process—not an adversary after the fact

But most people never get that chance.

That's why I built Havn—so companies can protect their IP and their people, not choose between them. Because I've seen what happens when security systems get it wrong..