Social Links Appoints Co-Founder Ivan Shkvarun as CEO
AMSTERDAM, MARCH 27, 2024 — Social Links announce that co-founder, Andrey Kulikov, has stepped down as company CEO, and resigned his seat on the Executive Board, at his own request and on the best of mutual terms. Co-founder, Ivan Shkvarun, previously Social Links CRO, is Andrey’s successor, with the appointment effective as of January 31, 2024.
“On behalf of the board, I’d like to thank Andrey for his indispensable effort and contribution,” said Shkvarun. “During his remarkable tenure, Social Links has become a leader in the OSINT market, showing stable growth dynamics, a superb portfolio of innovative products, and a strong client base spanning 80 countries around the globe.”
Shkvarun continued, “Social Links is developing a new paradigm in the open data market, where new financial potential will be unlocked for a range of spheres through the combination of open data and AI. Such changes represent an important step, heralding new opportunities both for us and the market at large. We started in the field of OSINT and rose to the top within five years, and now we have our sights on a wider field of industries for whom the open data we provide could be transformative.”
Social Links’ first product, SL Professional, was launched in 2018 via Maltego. In the six years since then, the company has gained many new partners and developed a formidable product line, including SL Professional for Matego and i2, SL API, SL Private Platform, and the standalone OSINT investigation platform, SL Crimewall, a revolutionary solution for the industry which is set to be a driving force moving forward.
Andrey Kulikov co-founded Social Links with Ivan Shkvarun, with whom he built the business from scratch. Under his leadership, the company has doubled in size every year, developed leading-edge OSINT solutions, expanded into emerging markets, built strong relationships with more than 30 partners globally, and helped make the world a safer place.
“Over the last seven years at Social Links, I've experienced everything from incredible successes to tough, team-strengthening challenges,” said Andrey. “As I step down as CEO, I look back with great pride in what we've achieved together. My gratitude extends to every member of our amazing team, our dedicated partners, and our clients, many of whom have been with us from the very beginning. Not only have we achieved a leading position in the OSINT market, we’ve also made a significant contribution to global security.”
Kulikov continued, “As a strong believer in the limitless potential of the team under Ivan Shkvarun's leadership, I am confident that Social Links is entering a new era, in which we will deliver new opportunities for a range of markets, through the power of open data and AI. I eagerly await seeing the new heights Social Links will reach, in continuation of our mission and values, even as I step away from an active role.”
Shkvarun added, “Moving forward, we’ll be focussing on the development of an open data platform with the potential to unlock trillions of dollars every year across existing industries. We are working on open data products for Finance, Cybersecurity, and Sales and Marketing, with a view to bringing huge benefits to the companies in these markets. We firmly believe we can spearhead another revolution, just as we did in the OSINT sphere five years ago.”
About Social Links
Social Links is an open-source intelligence software provider, headquartered in Amsterdam under a US holding company. The company's portfolio presents a range of cutting-edge OSINT solutions, including SL Crimewall—a full-cycle OSINT investigation platform. Companies from the S&P 500 and clients from 80+ countries rely on Social Links solutions daily. In 2023, Frost & Sullivan recognized the company as the OSINT industry leader and a major driving force.