Pasadena Based Company Offering Popular Cyber Security and Privacy Software Raises $30 Million

When we think about the iconic Swiss Army Knife, we think of a highly functional, good quality, multipurpose tool which always comes in handy when we are in a fix. The ‘Swiss Army Knife’ approach to cybersecurity and network defense problems has come to mean a one-stop-shop for all issues and a fast effective way to deal with them. 

A Pasadena-based consumer security and privacy company, RealDefense, makes one such product called System Mechanic Ultimate Defense. 

“Our primary product is a System Mechanic Ultimate Defense. It’s a Swiss Army knife product that basically optimizes your device, protects your privacy, protects against malware and viruses. It protects the passwords, and it also optimizes your device so that you increase your processing capacity, improve your internet connectivity, and open up your hard drive by reducing unneeded or unwanted files,” CEO of RealDefense Gary Guseinov told Pasadena Now. 

Giving it a rating of 4.5 out of 5, Techradar’s review of their product, the Iolo System Mechanic Ultimate Defense, said “If you need just one tool to ensure your computer performs at its maximum level, it can be Iolo System Mechanic Ultimate Defense. It packs many features that help maintain and improve your PC’s performance into one software package. We recommend it for every professional user who needs their PC for heavy-handed tasks such as programming, animation, and computer-aided design.”

New Round of Funding

This Pasadena company making waves in the cyber security industry announced that it has raised $30 million from Sunflower Bank earlier in October. 

“Financing as it relates with Sunflower Bank, which is a second round financing with this particular institution, is to do two things: one is to pay off existing debt or refinancing existing debt that carries a lower cost, which opens up more cash for us to be able to do more marketing, more acquisition of customers and also continue on our buying of companies,” Guseinov said.

“The fresh financing allows RealDefense to compete for more acquisitions in the privacy and cybersecurity technology sectors, similar to its recent acquisitions of STOPzilla and iolo technologies. RealDefense has recently completed four acquisitions in the software industry,” according to a press release of the new round of funding. 

Background 

Guseinov and Sean Whiteley co-founded RealDefense Holdings in 2017. They created a holding company that would use investor capital, including their own capital to acquire companies. 

They acquired a company called US Tech Support from a local company in Pasadena called Guthy-Renker. Completely transforming the company that was declining in terms of its customer base and revenue, they turned the company around and made it more profitable and turned into a growth story, according to Guseinov. 

“We subsequently went out and bought another company, which is iolo that’s located in Pasadena. And we kept all of the management team, kept all the employees and repositioned the product for growth. It was also declining when we acquired it. And we also, subsequent to acquiring iolo, bought another company called STOPzilla, which is an anti-malware company in Florida, and another company called ATS, which is a tech support company.” 

“So we combined these four companies, their respective assets, their management teams, their capabilities and turned into a much larger entity, which it is today,” added Guseinov. 

RealDefense said that they focus on privacy, cybersecurity, and performance optimization software for personal computers, Mac and mobile devices. 

The company claimed that they market the software to consumers and small businesses through its distribution network of over 20,000 retail stores, resellers, licensing partners, and affiliates in 33 countries.

Guseinov said their underlying principle in serving their customers is that end users should be in control all the time.

“We want people to know that your operating system, whatever you’re using, and when you connect to the internet using a browser, for instance, all of your activities are being tracked. And they’re not tracked by one company, they’re tracked by thousands of companies,” Guseinov said.

“Companies and businesses in general, particularly in the United States, are not out to hurt consumers. I don’t think that’s the concern here,” he said. “I think the concern is that you have to take control of that information as an end user. And so our products give you that opportunity, and we do it at a very affordable price.”

To learn more about RealDefense, visit www.realdefen.se/home.