OPTIMOZ (https://optimoz.com), a digital transformation company based in Bethesda, Maryland, raised $2 million in the series A round led by the Global Environment Fund to expand its enterprise DevSecOps platform service to meet the growing market needs. The evolving software supply chain and the broad-based adoption of cloud computing have transformed the way that software is developed and delivered, with a variety of open-source software components supplied through software applications. At the same time, developing and delivering secure applications faster than ever before has become an industry-wide imperative. OPTIMOZ allows organizations to take control of their software supply chains in order to increase the productivity and deliverability of high-quality and secure software applications.

"Our goal is to take away the burden of operational responsibility from clients, put them on the path of continuous modernization and allow them to focus on their core business competencies. IT modernization is no longer an event, but it is a continuous process," said Naresh Patel, founder and President of OPTIMOZ.

Traditional IT life cycles used to require both software and hardware to be constantly refreshed, transformed and/or modernized, leading to long waiting periods and massive capital expense. Market competition requires enterprises to shift from on-premise data centers to hybrid models. However, the widespread adoption of cloud computing and the emergent technologies cause the main obstacle to success to be a lack of expertise. For developers, embracing new tools and processes to deliver production-ready solutions, adopting cloud-native services and refactoring monolithic applications into API Driven microservices is a major challenge.

OPTIMOZ helps its customers set up processes and roadmaps to achieve continuous modernization. With its expertise and experience in Cloud Computing, Enterprise DevSecOps and Enterprise platforms, OPTIMOZ has successfully brought enterprise development teams to achieve the adaptation of new tools and technologies, enabling agile delivery of solutions. OPTIMOZ excels in providing Enterprise Platforms for Microservices and Cloud Application Lifecycle Management to meet the challenging demands of today's consumers.

"OPTIMOZ will utilize the funding it has received to package its expertise and experience in Enterprise DevSecOps. We aim to be a market leader by empowering developers to fast-track the application development and delivery process," said Patel.

"We are excited about packaging OPTIMOZ's expertise in Cloud Computing because these applications streamline Cloud migration and continuous modernization to replace IT legacy systems. In addition to saving IT costs, OPTIMOZ applications can reduce energy consumption and lighten the environmental footprint of enterprises and agencies," said Jeff Leonard, CEO and Founding Partner of GEF.

GEF has previously invested in a number of other successful government-oriented technology companies including: Aurora Flight Sciences, KEYW Corporation, Athena Controls and Essex Corporation.

About OPTIMOZ:
OPTIMOZ is a digital transformation company based in Bethesda, Maryland, that enables enterprises and federal agencies to accelerate development and delivery of applications that engage customers and drive revenue. Our mission is simple: We aim to empower customers to increase their delivery capabilities with the effective and efficient use of technology. OPTIMOZ specializes in all aspects of Cloud Computing, DevSecOps, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery and Application Development leveraging on microservices and API architecture. OPTIMOZ has successfully helped its customers refactor and migrate applications to Amazon AWS Cloud and Container platforms like Kubernetes and OpenShift. We have set up state-of-the-art Agile DevSecOps development processes including CI/CD that allow our customers to deploy application releases on a zero downtime basis. OPTIMOZ is also an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner.
About GEF:
GEF is a private equity fund manager focused on seeking superior long-term financial returns by investing in businesses that advance resource and energy efficiency and safety and security. For nearly 30 years, the firm has been investing in businesses in both emerging and developed economies where changing energy, environmental, and natural resource constraints or needs have resulted in business and financial opportunities.

GEF was founded by Jeff Leonard and John Earhart in 1990 on the principle that well-deployed capital can bring significant improvements to the environment and quality of life throughout the world. Over the decades, our highest priority investment themes have centered on providing growth capital for technology enabled and value-chain oriented businesses in key growth markets and geographies, and the sustainable management of forest and other natural resources. As a long-term, private market investor, GEF constantly identifies a select set of big, long-term trends relating to environment, energy, natural resource degradation or safety and security threats that we believe will create rising demand for the technologies, products and services of the companies we target for investment. Our goals for investment liquidity are structured around the expectation that the companies in which we invest will be early leaders in emerging sectors of economic activity, and that the markets into which they sell will be rapidly growing and consolidating as the companies mature and come of age.