The CIA Hosts Internal ‘Shark Tank’ Competitions To Build A Tech Edge

The CIA has been hosting competitions similar to the TV show “Shark Tank,” in which internal developers pitch innovative ideas.

The agency is trying to harness an unconventional, yet novel program to get an edge on the newest technologies, reports CyberScoop.

“We have run three Shark Tanks, you know like the TV show,” CIA Chief Information Officer John Edwards said Wednesday during a summit. “The last one we had 21 submissions. These guys get pretty creative, some dress up as different characters and present and it’s a lot of fun.”

In-house developers compete in the contests, which are relatively casual to other CIA operations, by explaining and displaying their ideas to senior officials within the Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI), as well as Edwards’ own office.

The DDI was established in 2015 under the Obama administration to further expand the country’s cyber capabilities.

While the CIA’s efforts to spark inventive curiosity and bolster its virtual arsenal is expanding, it is not completely new for the federal government. (RELATED: The Internet Has Officially Become A Domain Of Warfare)

The General Services Administration, the agency in charge of general operations, hosted a workshop in June to discuss the prospect of developing a one-stop shop for other institutions to purchase cybersecurity gadgets.

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