Erik Prince

Erik Prince is an American businessman and former Navy SEAL who founded Blackwater, a private military company later renamed Academi.

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Blackwater: Blackwater was a private security company founded by Erik Prince in 1997 and later renamed Academi. Prince founded and led the company that made him a prominent figure in private security.
United States Navy SEALs: The United States Navy SEALs are the Navy’s special operations force, trained for maritime, land, and air missions. Prince’s SEAL service shaped his expertise and helped define Blackwater’s early identity.
Nisour Square massacre: The Nisour Square massacre was a 2007 shooting in Baghdad in which Blackwater guards killed 17 Iraqi civilians. The killings brought intense scrutiny to the company Prince had founded and its government contracts.
Frontier Services Group: Frontier Services Group is a Hong Kong-listed security and logistics company co-founded by Erik Prince. Prince pursued commercial security and logistics ventures after leaving Blackwater.
Al Clark: Al Clark is a former Navy SEAL and business partner associated with Erik Prince and Blackwater’s founding. Clark’s partnership with Prince helped establish Blackwater.
Amway: Amway is a privately held direct-selling company founded in Michigan in 1959. Prince grew up in a wealthy family whose fortune came from Amway co-founder Richard DeVos.
Private military company: A private military company provides military or security services under commercial contracts. Blackwater became one of the best-known examples of this broader industry under Prince’s leadership.
Reflex Responses: Reflex Responses was a private security company that Erik Prince founded in the United Arab Emirates. This venture extended Prince’s security work into the Gulf after his Blackwater period.
Donald Rumsfeld: Donald Rumsfeld was a U.S. secretary of defense under President George W. Bush. The post-9/11 defense policies of Rumsfeld’s department expanded the market for Blackwater’s services.
Richard DeVos: Richard DeVos was an American businessman who co-founded Amway and became a major Republican donor. Prince’s father-in-law and family connection to DeVos wealth helped fund his early business ventures.