Agense Stracquadanio
8 min read
09 November 2025
With a solid background in computer science, Staffan Truvé is a researcher and a mentor who has previously run the Research Institutes of Sweden. Focusing on bridging research and startups, he cofounded Recorded Future in 2009 alongside Christopher Ahlberg, driven by the belief that defenders need predictive, tailored threat intelligence to proactively identify, prioritize and protect against ever-evolving global threats. Acquired by Mastercard in 2024, Recorded Future is now the world’s largest threat-intelligence provider, delivering real-time, AI-driven insights to over 1,900 customers worldwide.
What brought you to found the company?
We saw an opportunity. The year 2007 was a turning point for technology: the iPhone was launched, cloud computing emerged. The same year, the first research papers on deep learning were published, laying the groundwork for the AI revolution. We recognized the potential to use the internet for analytics and geopolitical risk analysis. As cyber threats gained prominence, we listened to our customers and refocused the company around cyber risk.
What is your inspiration and mission?
I’ve always been passionate about research and the opportunity to turn it into real-world applications. We saw the potential with AI early on and also understood that people with bad intentions would eventually exploit it too.
Our mission is to help secure the free world through intelligence. This spans a wide range of threats, including physical threats, cyber threats and influence operations that undermine democracy. While the majority of our customers are in the private sector, we also work with government agencies in 46 countries.
What were the founding steps?
In the beginning, we focused solely on open-source intelligence. Over time, we expanded our capabilities to include technical data collection. Today, we can detect newly registered domains and access malicious traffic data. We have a long background in information visualization, which allowed us to make information accessible for humans. The fact that our original architecture has stood the test of time is a testament to the strength of our early design decisions. While the company went through the typical funding stages, since the end of 2024 we’ve been a wholly owned subsidiary of Mastercard.
How does your business reflect your personality?
I’m a data and news geek, and being able to channel that passion into meaningful work like protecting companies, organizations and even countries makes it a perfect fit. I’m not just the chief technology officer, I’m also the chief travel officer and chief talking officer, as I spend a lot of time on the road, attending conferences and making it a point to visit as many customers as possible at least once a year.
“Don’t talk too much but make sure to listen.”
What were some of the biggest challenges?
We haven’t faced major crises. Perhaps we have been smart, or lucky, to have long-term investors with a strong strategic interest. Our biggest ongoing challenge is scaling the technology while keeping costs reasonable. A few years ago, we also launched The Record, our own media outlet, which operates with full journalistic independence. This project has been especially rewarding, as it allows us to contribute not just to our customers’ security but to global security, offering valuable resources freely accessible to all.
What lessons have you learned so far?
When we started, we had a vision but no idea if it would work. One lesson was to dare to be audacious. However, the most important lesson we have learned is to listen to our customers. I like to say there are two kinds of entrepreneurs: alligators and elephants. Alligators have big mouths and small ears, but I’d like to think we’re more like elephants, with small mouths and big ears.
What was the most rewarding part of the journey?
I feel rewarded every day knowing we are helping people to protect themselves. From the beginning, we made a conscious decision not to invest in cheap advertising but instead to build a team of in-house analysts. Today, around 90 of them produce and publish reports freely available to the public, contributing to greater security for everyone.
Why found in Gothenburg?
Starting out in Gothenburg was a natural choice for me. It’s an industrial city, home to major companies, with a strong startup ecosystem. Most importantly, it boasts a rich talent pool thanks to Chalmers, the local technical university and one of Europe’s leading institutions. It offers an incubator and venture support and a steady flow of experienced engineers. It’s a great place for building innovative solutions though a small market for scaling.
What's next?
One of our goals is to combine Mastercard’s global data with the data we have to improve our ability to detect and warn against financial fraud and other threats. We will continue to build on what we’ve already done, enhancing our capabilities along the way.
What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
If you’re young and trying something for the first time, my advice is to leverage your network by joining groups and attending events, using the resources available and connecting with like-minded people to discuss ideas and challenges.
What do you think of the startup landscape in Europe?
I agree with the general sentiment that European startups often face more challenges growing compared to their US counterparts. I think we’re sometimes too modest. Part of the challenge is that Europe isn’t a single market, so local presence is needed in each country. That diversity also offers advantages of exposure to different cultures. It’s acceptable for European startups to be acquired by US companies as long as they maintain their operations in Europe.
“I'd much rather have a company that’s US-owned but has significant operations in Europe than a small 10-person company that never grows.”