We don’t just advise on security.
We prove what actually holds up.
We believe the best security comes from experience, not theory. Our team blends hands-on offensive expertise with AI innovation to help you understand risk, and stay ahead of it.
We unite intelligence and security to help organizations thrive in the AI age by building platforms that uncover hidden insights, protect critical assets, and transform how enterprises compete through secure, actionable intelligence.
OUR VISION
Empowering the Future
To be the company that defines how intelligence and security converge. Where every organization can harness AI's full potential without fear, discover insights others miss without risk, and build the future without compromise.
The Foundation
Cybersecurity Expertise
Our story begins with decades of combined experience as cybersecurity experts working with Fortune 1000 companies, government entities, and international industries, delivering trusted security solutions and advising clients through their most complex challenges.
Exploration
Researching AI in Security
While helping to secure our clients, we continually researched and tested the possibilities of applying artificial intelligence into cybersecurity practice. We built tools, experimented with workflows, and studied how AI could augment detection, prevention, and response.
The Realization
Gaps in AI Security
Through this work, we uncovered a critical truth: the current state of security often falls short when it comes to AI. Many solutions are either insecure, poorly integrated, or fail to address real-world threats. This realization placed us in a unique position; standing at the crossroads of AI and cybersecurity.
The Evolution
Suzu Labs
Suzu Labs was born to close this gap. By merging our cybersecurity expertise with cutting-edge AI engineering, we deliver more than just defense. We build secure AI workflows designed to protect your business and solve your biggest operational challenges and enabling you to innovate confidently while staying secure.
Michael Bell is Founder and CEO of Suzu Labs, a previous Technical Chairperson of the BlackHat AI Summit, and a retired U.S. Army veteran with over a decade in cyber operations and network defense leadership. He has spent two decades in cybersecurity, building AI-powered platforms for enterprise security assessment and strategic intelligence. Previously Head of AI at PlexTrac and founding member of the AI consulting practice at J.S. Held. His analysis on AI security, autonomous agents, and offensive AI tradecraft has been published in Forbes, CNBC, and SC Magazine among others
As CTO of Suzu Labs, Denis Calderone draws on over 30 years of IT experience and 25 years in information security. He founded and led a security consultancy for over 17 years before its global acquisition, and now channels that experience into Suzu Labs, where he sets technical direction while overseeing cyber delivery, including penetration testing and a full host of advisory services. His approach is vendor-agnostic and operationally grounded, cutting through noise to deliver practical, sustainable risk management. He pairs deep industry expertise with early AI adoption to ensure security is built-in, not bolted on.
Denis Calderone
CTO
Aaron Colclough brings over sixteen years of experience in high-stakes, technical environments: military leadership and operations, full‑stack software development in government and commercial settings, and hands‑on security consulting, including penetration testing and offensive security for enterprise clients. That background, which includes knowing how systems are built, how they’re attacked, and how to deliver under pressure, guides his work at Suzu Labs, where he helps ensure AI and security engagements are delivered in ways that are practical and aligned with client needs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information technology and is pursuing an MBA in Operational Technology Management, to better support clients whose operations depend on critical infrastructure, or other OT environments.
Aaron Colclough
VP Of Operations
Phillip Wylie is a globally recognized offensive security professional and Chief Security Evangelist at Suzu Labs with 22+ years in cybersecurity and 6 years in IT/system administration. He co-authored The Pentester Blueprint, hosts multiple cybersecurity podcasts, and is a frequent US and international speaker.
Phillip Wylie
Chief Security Evangelist
Steven Swift helps organizations build and mature their security and compliance programs. He's spent most of his career in consulting, leveraging a deep technical background in IT/networking/cloud/security. Steven has built and led teams focused on ransomware and incident response. Now, he leverages that background to build modern, resilient security programs; tailored to defend from both the attacks most likely and impactful to occur. To do that, he ensures that resources are utilized efficiently and in alignment with security baselines so that he can optimize risk reduction.
Steven Swift
Managing Director
Jacob Krell builds systems that are hard to break and breaks systems that appear resilient. He is an offensive security leader specializing in advanced penetration testing and red teaming across cloud, web, mobile, Active Directory & AI-enabled environments, helping organizations expose real-world risk and validate their defenses against modern adversaries. In parallel, he's full-stack software engineer who develops custom cybersecurity tooling, intelligent automation platforms, and production-grade applications that embed security directly into the technology lifecycle. Ranked 25th globally on Hack The Box with more than 1K flags captured and holding many elite certifications, including OSCE3, CISSP, OSCP, CCNP Security, and CSIE, Jacob combines hands-on technical depth with the ability to translate complex cyber risk into clear business strategy.
Jacob Krell
Senior Director
Hannah Perez leads marketing at Suzu, shaping how the company communicates its cybersecurity and AI expertise to the world. With roots in engineering, she specializes in translating complex security concepts into clear, engaging narratives that build trust with both technical and executive audiences. Her work focuses on elevating expert voices, strengthening brand credibility, and helping organizations better understand modern security challenges.
Hannah Perez
Director of Marketing
Steven Paugh
Senior Software Developer
Matt Bourne brings a background in cybersecurity, technical operations, and customer-facing engineering to his role as Junior Software Developer at Suzu Labs. During his career, he progressed through technical and leadership roles, working closely with customers and engineering teams to troubleshoot complex infrastructure, integrations, and platform challenges. His experience spans everything from diagnosing technical issues and developing automation tools to leading engineering teams and improving operational workflows. Now at Suzu Labs, he combines that hands-on experience with a passion for software development and emerging AI technologies, focusing on building practical, reliable solutions that solve real-world problems.
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