Why Unclassified Data is the Secret to National Security Success with Sammy Semwangu

Feb 18, 2025

In this exciting discussion, Sammy Semwangu, CEO of Bazze and a national security veteran, reveals how his startup is changing the intelligence game with unclassified data. He highlights that 99.5% of data is unclassified, yet often overlooked. Sammy shares his entrepreneurial journey and the challenges faced in the defense sector, emphasizing the importance of balancing privacy with security. He advocates for leveraging commercial data aggregations to address intelligence gaps while maintaining ethical standards. A thought-provoking look at the future of intelligence sharing!

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Intro

00:00 • 3min

Navigating Startup Challenges in Defense Innovation

03:20 • 14min

The Shift from Classified to Unclassified Data in National Security

17:02 • 5min

Navigating Government and Commercial Balance in Intelligence Solutions

21:37 • 2min

Balancing Data and Security

24:05 • 7min

Approximately 99.5% of available data is unclassified. Yet, intelligence agencies often focus on the 0.5% that is classified. How can the U.S. government bridge this intelligence gap?

In this week’s episode, Ryan Connell speaks with Sammy Semwangu, CEO of Bazze, about how his startup is transforming intelligence with commercial data solutions.

With over a decade of national security experience, Sammy shares his early entrepreneurial challenges and how he founded Bazze in 2019 to provide an efficient data query model for defense intelligence agencies.

Today, we dive into Bazze’s “super API”, the balance between privacy and security, and how shifting intelligence incentives can help close critical intelligence gaps using both classified and unclassified data.

Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

(00:00) Introduction

(00:50) Sammy Semwangu’s entrepreneurial journey and lessons learned

(04:44) How Bazze’s platform queries commercial data

(08:38) Challenges with the SBIR process and contracting

(18:29) The future of intelligence sharing in government

(22:47) Privacy and ethical concerns with data access

(26:54) Incentivizing intel gaps with classified or unclassified data

(29:59) The efficiency of unclassified data aggregation

Additional Resources:

👉Follow Ryan Connell on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-connell-8413a03a/

👉Learn, acquire, and deliver tech on Tradewinds here: https://www.tradewindai.com/

👉Visit CDAO for updates: https://www.ai.mil/

👉Follow us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6MLAqMOVnLWbmB5yZbZ9lC

👉Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DefenseMavericks

Connect with today’s guest:

💥Follow Sammy Semwangu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semwangu/

💥Visit Bazze for more information: https://bazze.io/

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Defense Mavericks is a podcast that uncovers the untapped potential of AI within the federal government through authentic and disruptive conversations with our nation’s brightest minds.