Ivan Shkvarun

CEO and Co-Founder of Social Links  
and the author of Darkside AI initiative.

With 15+ years of experience in automation across various industries and leadership roles in international IT companies, I have a strong background in technology, strategy, and innovation. I previously led the financial and public sector at SAP, bringing deep expertise in enterprise solutions. My academic foundation is in mathematics, complemented by an MBA in entrepreneurship.

My passion for Open Data began over 20 years ago, and it has driven my work ever since. In 2015, my partners and I co-founded Social Links, initially as a hobby. By 2018, we had unlocked rapid growth, positioning ourselves as global leaders in OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) in 2023 and 2025 by Frost & Sullivan —now serving 500+ clients in 80+ countries.

Today, we are expanding the impact of our technology into new domains such as cybersecurity, finance, digital risk protection and sales & marketing.

At the beginning of 2025, I launched a new initiative — DarksideAI — after realizing that criminals are using AI far more effectively than governments and corporations. With over 10 years of experience combating crime, we are uniquely positioned to create solutions that protect against today’s digital risks.

Companies

sociallinks.io

Social Links is a leading OSINT solutions provider, based in Europe and the US. The company brings together data from 500+ open sources covering social media, messengers, blockchains, and the Dark Web, helping users visualize and analyze a holistic informational picture and streamline investigations.

Our solutions facilitate essential processes across various sectors including law enforcement, national security, cybersecurity, due diligence, banking, and more. Companies from the S&P 500 and law enforcement agencies from more than 80 countries rely daily on Social Links products.

darksideai.io

The Darkside AI global initiative, launched by Social Links, is a strategic response to the rising misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in cybercrime, misinformation, and digital fraud. Leveraging Social Links’ leadership in open-source intelligence (OSINT), the initiative seeks to address these threats with actionable solutions, global collaboration, and cutting-edge tools.