Catie Moore
A Central Florida-based cybersecurity company is making global headlines again. ZeroTrusted.ai, an Orlando-grown tech firm specializing in AI security, privacy, and reliability, has been named the Top AI Firewall of 2025 by Enterprise Security Magazine — another major win for a company already shaping the future of secure artificial intelligence.
From Local Startup to Global AI Defender
If you haven’t heard of ZeroTrusted.ai yet, you will soon. In tech circles, the company might still be considered a startup — but in the fast-evolving world of AI, it’s already a veteran. At just over three years old, ZeroTrusted.ai stands among the original pioneers of AI cybersecurity, offering an enterprise platform that protects organizations from the growing risks of “bad AI” — compromised, manipulated, or unethical artificial intelligence models.
ZeroTrusted.ai’s platform is already being used across the United States and internationally, including within government, defense, and high-compliance environments, where data protection is critical.
The Minds Behind the Mission
The company is co-led by Waylon Krush, a seasoned cybersecurity expert, and Femi Fashakin, a developer whose unique background brings game theory into the world of artificial intelligence.
Krush, a U.S. Army veteran, has spent over 20 years defending digital systems. His first post-military role at AT&T Government Solutions involved finding anomalies in massive data sets — a skill that laid the foundation for his future work. He later founded a cybersecurity company that was successfully acquired by Motorola Solutions in 2020 before launching ZeroTrusted.ai.
Fashakin, known to many as a world champion poker player, is also a world-class software developer. His expertise in game theory and probabilistic modeling has helped ZeroTrusted.ai build AI that can anticipate and counteract adversarial behavior — effectively allowing good AI to outthink bad AI.
Trust Nothing — Especially AI
At the heart of ZeroTrusted.ai’s mission is a simple principle: “Zero Trust” — not just for networks or users, but for AI itself. As Krush explains,
“Our AI platform allows organizations to go all-in on AI without worrying about security, privacy, reliability, or ethics. Every company says, ‘Trust us, your data is safe.’ We’ve all heard that before. Our job is to make sure they can actually prove it.”
This commitment to transparency and verification is what sets ZeroTrusted.ai apart. Their platform doesn’t just monitor AI, it tracks, detects, and responds to threats in real time, ensuring compliance and safety across every system it touches.
Building the Future from Orlando
While ZeroTrusted.ai operates globally — with teams and partners across the U.S. and even a location in São Paulo, Brazil — Krush and Fashakin have kept their headquarters right here in Central Florida.
Why Orlando? Krush laughs as he explains:
“We live here, we love it here. And honestly — no one complains about visiting Orlando. It’s an easy sell for talent relocation and client visits.”
That mix of local roots and international reach has fueled the company’s rapid growth and recognition, including wins like Product Hunt’s Product of the Day, SaaS of the Week, and a feature in Gartner’s AI TRISM report — alongside several startup and innovation awards worldwide.
The AI War Has Just Begun
Looking ahead, ZeroTrusted.ai’s team sees a critical mission: helping organizations stay secure as AI technology accelerates beyond most companies’ ability to keep up.
“Our platform is battle-tested,” says Krush. “But this AI war has just started — even if some people can’t or won’t see it. We’re running at the speed of AI for customers with the highest expectations for security and privacy.”
With companies around the world turning to AI faster than ever, Central Florida’s own ZeroTrusted.ai is making sure innovation doesn’t outpace integrity.
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