Twistlock, a Portland-based container and cloud native cybersecurity firm, is opening an office at LSU Innovation Park, Louisiana Economic Development and Baton Rouge Area Chamber officials announced today in a joint press conference.
The move, which is expected to bring 20 jobs to the Capital Region, is an “excellence niche technology win” for Baton Rouge and the Innovation Park, says Gary Perilloux, LED communications director. Twistlock, a software engineering firm, provides security resources for leading brands, including GridSpace, Aetna, Workiva and Pager Duty, according to an LED press release.
The decision to come to Baton Rouge rested on a university connection: Chief Technology Officer John Morello graduated from LSU with an ISDS degree in 2000.
“One of the most important things we do as we scale out is find talented people to join our engineering teams,” said company CEO Ben Bernstein. “For us, it was natural to come to LSU.”
Morello says the company’s ultimate goal is to establish a model where they hire college students as interns with the hopes of grooming them into a full-time engineering position, which is open about every quarter.
Founded in 2015, the company serves industries ranging from financial services to healthcare, boasting national operations in New York, London and Herzliya, Israel. The LSU Innovation Park space would mark the company’s fifth global office.
Bernstein says the company, which currently has about 70 employees across its five locations, plans to double its employee count in the next 10 years.
Technology and information services is the fastest-growing sector in Baton Rouge, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said. BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp added that tenants like Twistlock offer a new way to diversify the area’s economy, and can lead to changes in education in the community.
Twistlock will move into the park within the next few weeks, Bernstein says.
To secure the project, Twistlock will take advantage of the Louisiana Digital Interactive Media and Software Development Incentive, the Quality Jobs Program, and will also likely utilize LED FastStart.
