OnDefend posted average annual revenue growth of 214.84% from 2023 to 2025, one of the highest growth rates on this year’s list, landing at the number two spot.
A repeat honoree, not a one time appearance
No. 2 is OnDefend’s best showing yet, but it is not the company’s first trip to the Fast 50.
OnDefend first landed on the Fast 50 in 2022 at No. 15. It climbed to No. 14 the following year. In 2025, the company cracked the top five at No. 4 and now enters 2026 at No. 2, its highest ranking yet.
What’s actually driving the growth
According to OnDefend CEO Chris Freedman, the growth is not the product of a single tactic. It is the result of enterprise customers trusting OnDefend to find the risk that others miss.
“We are trusted by some of the world’s largest organizations to uncover critical security weaknesses through the combined power of our proprietary BlindSPOT technology and elite offensive security team, enabling risk reduction at adversary speed.” — Chris Freedman, CEO
The strategic shift behind that trust: moving upmarket. “Shifting our ideal customer profile (ICP) upmarket to Fortune 500 organizations while investing in our technology platform and expanding our team to support scale” is what Freedman points to as the single decision that made the biggest difference in helping OnDefend scale.
The hard part was not people. It was cash flow
Ask most founders what’s hardest about fast growth, and they will talk about hiring or culture. Freedman’s answer was more specific: capital.
OnDefend has never taken outside capital, so growing at 214.84% a year means payroll, tooling, and delivery capacity all have to scale ahead of collected revenue, and that gap has to be funded by something.
BlindSPOT: The platform behind the pitch
OnDefend’s growth story is inseparable from its technology. The company’s proprietary BlindSPOT platform pairs AI-powered automation with what Freedman calls compounding intelligence, letting offensive teams move at adversary speed instead of at the pace of a scheduled, point in time assessment.
“Our proprietary BlindSPOT technology has revolutionized cybersecurity testing through AI-powered automation and compounding intelligence, enabling offensive teams to identify risk at adversary speed and uncover hidden attack paths that lead to compromise.” — Chris Freedman, CEO
What 2026 and beyond looks like
OnDefend is not treating the ranking as a finish line. Freedman describes 2026 as a setup year for something bigger.
“We expect to continue our strong growth trajectory while positioning the company for hypergrowth as our product market fit continues to strengthen,” he said. “Demand for our proprietary BlindSPOT platform and offensive security services is accelerating, particularly among large enterprise and Fortune 500 organizations that are seeking measurable security outcomes rather than traditional point in time assessments.”
Built on the First Coast
Freedman credits Jacksonville and the First Coast with shaping OnDefend’s trajectory directly, not just as a backdrop.
“Jacksonville and the First Coast have played an important role in shaping our company’s growth,” he said. “The region has provided access to a growing technology ecosystem, a strong military and defense presence, world class logistics and critical infrastructure organizations, and a business community that embraces innovation and public private collaboration.”
That relationship now runs in both directions. OnDefend is partnering with Jacksonville public sector organizations on research focused on protecting U.S. critical infrastructure and is working with local colleges and universities on cybersecurity research, workforce development, badging and credentialing programs, internships, and mentorship, to build the talent pipeline the region’s cybersecurity sector will need next.
Freedman’s advice to other founders chasing growth
Freedman’s advice to other First Coast companies trying to move from early momentum to sustained growth is less about speed and more about sequencing.
“A company that has proven demand, repeatable customer success, and a sustainable business model is in a much stronger position than one that is simply growing revenue at all costs. The strongest companies are built on fundamentals, not financial engineering, and founders who maintain focus on sustainable growth are often the ones who create the most lasting impact.” — Chris Freedman, CEO
Recognition regionally and nationally
The Fast 50 ranking is not the only list OnDefend made in 2026. The company was also named No. 686 on the Inc. 5000, the national ranking of America’s fastest growing private companies.
This year’s Inc. 5000 recognizes a new class of companies redefining what growth looks like. These businesses are expanding their impact, creating jobs, and proving that entrepreneurial ambition continues to fuel the U.S. economy. Among the 5,000 companies on the list, the median three year revenue growth rate was 130%, and those companies have collectively added more than 627,208 jobs to the U.S. economy over the past three years.
