Born in Agassiz, British Columbia, Karl Swannie has always had a strong interest in geographic information systems (GIS) and software development. Karl studied geography with a focus on the scientific side of the subject, covering topics such as remote sensing and satellite imagery. Throughout college and during his time working for companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola and Netscape, Karl strengthened his skills in software development before deciding to set up his own business, Echosec Systems.
Karl founded Echosec Systems in 2013 as a veteran cartographer who built a GIS to map social media use at a Canadian university campus. The technology caught the attention of a local military general and a key investor who identified the massive potential for this technology in the context of physical and digital security. What began as Karl's passion project grew into a suite of tools that are now considered to be mission-critical components for security and intelligence organizations around the world. As founder of Echosec Systems, Karl's mission is to make the world's public data more accessible to protect individuals and better inform corporate security teams. Echosec Systems enables users to access billions of online posts for real-time threat intelligence and situational awareness.
