Latest news with #IanSwanson
Geek Wire
01-08-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Tech Moves: Protect AI founders get roles at Palo Alto; F5 board chair to retire; new Chairguard hires
Tech Moves covers notable hires, promotions and personnel changes in the Pacific NW tech community. Submissions: tips@ Co-founders of Protect AI, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in April 2025, from left: Badar Ahmed, Daryan Dehghanpisheh and Ian Swanson. (Protect AI Photo) — Two co-founders and former executives of Seattle-based Protect AI announced their new roles at Palo Alto Networks, the California cybersecurity company that acquired their startup in April. Ian Swanson, Protect AI's past CEO, is vice president of AI security for Palo Alto Networks. The recent deal marked the third acquisition of a company that Swanson helped launch. He was also CEO and co-founder of Sometrics, which American Express bought, and of DataScience, which was acquired by Oracle. Protect AI's former President Daryan Dehghanpisheh is now Palo Alto Network's go-to-market lead for AI security in North America. Dehghanpisheh's past employers include Amazon Web Services, Intel and The Howard Hughes Corporation. Badar Ahmed, Protect AI's third co-founder and chief technologist and product officer, has not shared a new title. While acquisition terms were not disclosed, sources reported the Protect AI deal was valued at more than $500 million. The company launched in 2022 and was ranked No. 10 on GeekWire 200, our list of top privately held startups in the Pacific Northwest. Quincy Castro, left, and Eyal Bar. (LinkedIn Photos) — Chainguard, a fully remote cybersecurity company valued at $3.5 billion, announced two new members of its C-suite: Quincy Castro is now chief information security officer. Castro, who is based in Chicago, comes to the role from the open-source software platform Redis. Other past employers include Wabtec, GE Transportation and the National Security Agency. is now chief information security officer. Castro, who is based in Chicago, comes to the role from the open-source software platform Redis. Other past employers include Wabtec, GE Transportation and the National Security Agency. Eyal Bar is Chainguard's chief financial officer. Bar was previously at and has 16 years of experience in finance and operations. Bar, who lives in New York, has worked for Verifood, EY, Motorola Solutions and others. Chainguard launched four years ago and disclosed a $356 million investment round in April. The company is officially headquartered in Kirkland, Wash. — Alan Higginson, a long-time board member and current board chair for F5, is retiring from his role, the company shared in a July Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Higginson will not stand for re-nomination at the Seattle tech company's annual shareholder meeting next spring, which will bring his tenure to 30 years. He became board chair in 2004. Higginson was previously president and CEO of Hubspan, an e-business infrastructure provider, and president of Atrieva, which offers advanced data backup and retrieval technology. Gilbert Wootton. (LinkedIn Photo) — Gilbert Wootton, managing director of Accenture's Seattle office, has retired after more than 35 years with the global professional services company. 'I plan to ski a lot (water and snow) over next six months and spend significant time with [my wife] Carolyn,' he said on LinkedIn, adding that his 'intention is to maximize the third phase of my life.' Wootton currently serves on the boards for Providence, the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) and the University of Washington Center for Sales and Marketing, as well as on the advisory board for the UW's Mechanical Engineering Department, from which he graduated. John 'JG' Chirapurath. (LinkedIn Photo) — Former Microsoft and SAP executive John 'JG' Chirapurath is now president of DataPelago, a data processing company headquartered in Mountain View, Calif. Chirapurath, who is based in Seattle, comes to the role from SAP, where he served as executive vice president at the enterprise application company. His career also includes 14 years at Microsoft, which was briefly interrupted for leadership roles at ProQuest and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. At the Redmond, Wash.-software tech giant, Chirapurath was most recently a vice president with Azure. Ken Wong. (LinkedIn Photo) — Ken Wong is now the lead of Databricks' recently opened R&D center in Vancouver, B.C. The new location will focus on artificial and business intelligence, real-time analytics, and next-gen enterprise data applications. 'With Vancouver's heritage as one of the birthplaces for analytics, the city has a deep pool of data and AI talent for Databricks to draw from,' the company said. Wong was co-founder and CEO of Datajoy, which Databricks acquired in 2022, roughly two years after it launched. Prior to Datajoy, Wong was at SAP, Microsoft and Tableau Software. — Kyle Wiggers has joined Ai2 as the Seattle nonprofit's communications lead. Wiggers comes to the role from TechCrunch where he led the news outlet's AI coverage. Wiggers has been a journalist for more than a decade and was previously at VentureBeat, XDA Developers, Digital Trends and other publications. Chris Simms, left, and Gregory Buehler. (LinkedIn Photos) — Friday Harbor, a Seattle startup using AI to produce mortgage documentation, named two additions to its leadership team: Chris Simms is now head of strategic partnerships, joining the company from Mutual of Omaha Mortgage. is now head of strategic partnerships, joining the company from Mutual of Omaha Mortgage. Gregory Buehler is a founding product engineer, having formerly worked at Seattle startups Supio, Pebble Health, Skilljar and others. Friday Harbor launched last year and in April announced a $6 million seed round. The startups' two co-founders were past entrepreneurs-in-residence at AI2 Incubator. Abhishek Priya. (LinkedIn Photo) — Scowtt, a Kirkland, Wash., customer acquisition startup, named Abhishek Priya as its first head of engineering. Scowtt offers marketing software to analyze potential customer leads and predict which will result in sales. Priya, who is based in California, comes to the role from Everlaw and is a past engineering manager for Meta and Microsoft. Early in his career he was with Intel for more than 11 years. Scowtt recently announced Eric Schwartz as its first chief revenue officer. — Tyler Churchill is now a partner at Bonfire Ventures. Churchill, who is based in Seattle, has been with the firm for more than six years and joined as a summer intern. Previously he was a senior associate with OCA Ventures.
Business Wire
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
The AI Summit Returns to Black Hat USA 2025 on August 5
LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The second annual The AI Summit at Black Hat USA 2025 is a live, in-person event taking place for one day only on August 5 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Featuring a packed agenda of featured speakers on topics showcasing cutting-edge AI solutions to better equip Black Hat attendees with innovative strategies to implement these AI products and tools, secure their enterprises, and prepare for future cyber attacks. This groundbreaking event discusses the importance of AI as not only a tool but as the cornerstone of both advanced cyber defense and as the latest weapon in the hands of today's threat actors. It kicks off with keynote presentations and panel discussions on the headliner stage, before breaking into Strategic and Technical workshop tracks. These sessions empower attendees to collaboratively tackle two pivotal forces shaping today's technology landscape – artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. 'We are proud of the diverse and powerful lineup of speakers and presentations at The AI Summit at Black Hat USA 2025,' said Caroline Hicks, Senior Director, The AI Summit Series, Informa Connect. 'Covering everything from GenAI-driven offense and defense to enterprise-grade AI systems, our program showcases the full breadth of today's cybersecurity landscape. Delegates will gain practical strategies and insights from leading global experts to equip them with the knowledge and tools to enhance detection and prevention using the latest AI innovations.' The AI Summit at Black Hat USA will bring together a range of attendees from senior enterprise executives to AI specialists, IT leaders to cybersecurity professionals, for a day of learning, networking, and inspirational moments. Topics will include the use of AI in cybersecurity products and solutions, securing AI applications and models within the enterprise, and the use of AI in cyber attacks. A preview of the stage presentations include: The New Frontier: AI Agents & Security Risks opens the conference with Protect AI's Ian Swanson and Dan McInerney. Addressing Real-World AI Security Challenges features panelists Jyotirmay Gadewadikar (Mitre), Rosalia Hajek (Topgolf Callaway Brands), Chuck Herrin (F5), and Niv Braun (Noma Security), among others, discussing how AI can be trusted and scaled in critical infrastructure and focusing on innovation in automation and threat detection. Debunking AI Myths & Misconceptions: What Security Leaders Need to Know includes Nathan Hamiel (Kudelski Security), Jess Burn (Forrester) and Apostol Vassilev (National Institute of Standards and Technology) separating hype from reality to help security professionals address real risks and practical defenses. The AI Summit at Black Hat USA 2025 is presented by Protect AI as well as sponsors Crogl, Trend Micro, World Wide Technology (WWT), Elastic, GTB Technologies, Microsoft Security, Lockheed Martin, F5, Intezer, Noma Security, and Cranium AI, among others. To learn more about The AI Summit at Black Hat USA 2025, visit for passes, speaker announcements, show agenda, and sponsorship opportunities. ABOUT THE AI SUMMIT at BLACK HAT USA The AI Summit at Black Hat USA 2025 takes place on August 5 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The AI Summit Series smartly integrates into the Black Hat USA 2025 programming to celebrate its 28th anniversary with a live, in-person six-day program from August 2 to August 7. As 2023 saw artificial intelligence explode into the mainstream and land firmly on the boardroom agenda, today it's clear that no AI implementation can truly be successful without understanding, and preparing for, the myriad cybersecurity implications. ABOUT THE AI SUMMIT SERIES In 2016, at a time when AI conferences were geared towards research & academia, Informa launched The AI Summit Series - the first-ever conference and exhibition to explore what AI practically means for enterprises. Every year since then, we've gathered top executives and investors with technology specialists and data scientists from across the globe to network, learn and showcase ground-breaking technology solutions for business. With the 10th edition flooring in 2025, it's clear we were trusted before the hype, and our conference & expo series has firmly established itself at the heart of the AI community with shows running in London, New York, Singapore, Cape Town, and at Black Hat USA.
Geek Wire
09-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
This Seattle founder just sold his third startup. Here's what he advises other entrepreneurs.
GeekWire's startup coverage documents the Pacific Northwest entrepreneurial scene. Sign up for our weekly startup newsletter , and check out the GeekWire funding tracker and venture capital directory . Protect AI employees at the RSA conference last week. (Protect AI Photo) AI adoption was rising. But security wasn't keeping up. This simple insight laid the groundwork for Protect AI, a Seattle-based cybersecurity startup that last week announced its acquisition to Palo Alto Networks. We caught up with Protect AI CEO and co-founder Ian Swanson to learn more about the company's journey and keys to success along the way. Swanson started and sold two enterprise software startups (Sometrics to American Express; DataScience to Oracle) before launching Protect AI in 2021 with his co-founders Badar Ahmed and Daryan Dehghanpisheh. Swanson left Oracle in 2019 and spent two years at Amazon Web Services, where he led worldwide go-to-market teams working on AI and machine learning services. 'We saw thousands and thousands of companies putting AI out there at scale — and we saw security risks,' Swanson said. 'I didn't see that anybody was really solving those risks or diving deep to understand what new innovations were needed as it related to the security of AI.' It took some trial and error in the early days of Protect AI to get the business humming. The company initially focused on a field called adversarial machine learning but didn't find much traction. Later it realized that many customers were deploying machine learning models at a massive scale — with gaping security blind spots that left their enterprise infrastructure exposed to bad actors. Then, ChatGPT went viral. 'The conversation at every boardroom flipped overnight,' Swanson said. Suddenly companies wanted to know how they could accelerate digital transformation with help from AI. That strategy required a new approach to cybersecurity — and led to tailwinds for a company like Protect AI. From left: Protect AI CTO Badar Ahmed; President Daryan Dehghanpisheh; and CEO Ian Swanson. (Protect AI Photo) The startup took a unique approach by building a full-stack, enterprise-ready AI security platform. It made four acquisitions to help support that vision, starting by swooping up threat research community Huntr in 2023, and later buying Rebuff, Laiyer AI, and SydeLabs. The acquisition strategy drew concern from some of the company's investors, Swanson said, given that Protect AI hadn't raised a huge amount of capital at the time. But that bet paid off as it helped accelerate the company's mission of being a one-stop-shop for companies looking to secure their machine learning models. Swanson said making small acquisitions is something most early startup startups aren't thinking about. 'If you're able to go find teams that aren't costing you tens of millions of dollars — that could be a way to move faster and with more completeness,' he said. He also said making sure the product was 'enterprise-ready' as quickly as possible was a key lesson from the Protect AI journey. 'It wasn't just about building a very specific product,' Swanson said. 'It was, how do you hire the best? How do you build the most complete vision out there as quickly as possible, so that you can not only plant the flag to say we own this market, but also show customers that you're really thinking big, and that you're enterprise-ready.' While other competitors offered solutions to specific problems, Protect AI could meet with a potential customer and solve multiple security-related needs. 'That was a lot easier thing than them trying to do a market map with this brand new market segment that, quite honestly, no one really knew yet,' Swanson said. The company's founders also had important expertise from their past roles leading some of the biggest AI businesses in the world. 'That was different than what a lot of cybersecurity companies had,' he said. 'They came from security, but they didn't really understand AI, especially at the depth of our team.' After founding and selling three startups, Swanson said success really comes down to the people involved. 'You can't build great products without amazing team behind it, nor can you sell to the world's biggest companies without a team that understands how to build those relationships,' he said. Swanson shared a few other tips for other entrepreneurs: Don't fixate on high valuations early on. He advised raising the capital you need, but being careful not to over-inflate valuation, as it can backfire later. 'Founders oftentimes worry too much about the valuation, especially early days,' he said. 'They want a vanity valuation, a high valuation that can actually hurt you more times than not.' He advised raising the capital you need, but being careful not to over-inflate valuation, as it can backfire later. 'Founders oftentimes worry too much about the valuation, especially early days,' he said. 'They want a vanity valuation, a high valuation that can actually hurt you more times than not.' Think beyond the MVP. Swanson said founders should work backwards from their future customers, pricing strategy, and go-to-market model — not just focus on shipping a minimum viable product. Swanson said founders should work backwards from their future customers, pricing strategy, and go-to-market model — not just focus on shipping a minimum viable product. Have a long-term vision. He underscored the importance of future thinking — anticipating market evolution, competitive dynamics, and customer needs — even in the early days. 'I think that's the role of a good CEO — you've got to look around corners, he said. 'You've got to have a far horizon.' The company raised $108.5 million from investors including Acrew Capital, Aviso Ventures, boldstart ventures, Evolution Equity Partners, Knollwood Capital, Pelion Ventures, 01 Advisors, Samsung, StepStone Group, and Salesforce Ventures. Most of Protect AI's capital came from outside the Seattle region. Swanson, who moved to Seattle in 2019, said this was just a byproduct of connections he built from his previous two startups. 'When we raised, we pretty much raised from people we knew,' he said. 'We never did a road show.' The acquisition deal with Palo Alto is expected to close later this year. Sources familiar with the deal say it was valued north of $500 million. Protect AI plans to continue growing out of its downtown Seattle office. The company employs around 120 people across Seattle, Berlin, and Bangalore, according to LinkedIn.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Palo Alto Networks Acquires Protect AI For $500M+, A Startup Backed By Salesforce, Samsung, And 01 Advisors In AI Security Push
Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW), the global cybersecurity powerhouse with a market capitalization nearing $120 billion, is making a high-stakes move into the world of AI security with the acquisition of Protect AI, a Seattle-based startup that's risen fast in the red-hot artificial intelligence space. The deal, announced Monday, is expected to close later this year. The transaction is valued at over $500 million, GeekWire reported, citing sources familiar with the transaction. Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Protect AI, founded in 2022 by former engineering leaders from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), and Amazon Web Services, helps enterprise customers secure machine learning systems by monitoring every layer of the AI pipeline, from data to deployment. It's one of the few startups solely focused on the growing threat landscape surrounding AI-based attacks. Protect AI has attracted a notable roster of investors, including Salesforce Ventures, Samsung's Venture Investment Corp., and 01 Advisors, a VC firm co-founded by former Twitter executives. According to Bloomberg, the company raised a $60 million Series B round in 2024, bringing its total valuation at the time to approximately $400 million. Trending: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . Palo Alto Networks said the acquisition would be integrated into its newly launched AI-native security platform. The platform aims to defend organizations from emerging threats like model manipulation, prompt injection, training data poisoning, and supply chain vulnerabilities, risks that traditional cybersecurity tools often overlook. Ian Swanson, CEO of Protect AI, wrote in a LinkedIn post that the company set out to 'help organizations secure the most important technology of our time: AI.' He credited the company's team, investors, and growing industry urgency for helping them build what he called 'category-leading solutions.' Protect AI was co-founded by Swanson, Badar Ahmed, and Daryan Dehghanpisheh, all of whom previously held senior positions at AI-focused startups acquired by tech giants. Swanson's previous ventures include Sometrics, which was acquired by American Express (NYSE:AXP) in 2011, writes startup has also made strategic acquisitions of its own, snapping up Laiyer AI, SydeLabs, Rebuff, and Huntr to expand its capabilities in red-teaming large language models and securing open-source AI supply chains. According to GeekWire, Protect AI currently employs around 120 people across offices in Seattle, Berlin, and Bangalore. The acquisition comes as cybersecurity experts warn of a widening AI threat surface. A 2024 report by HiddenLayer revealed that nearly three-fourths of enterprises experienced at least one AI-related breach last year. That statistic has turned AI security from a niche concern into a boardroom priority. Analysts expect massive growth in the space. In a 2024 report, Morgan Stanley projected the AI cybersecurity market will surge to $135 billion by 2030, reflecting a deepening need for solutions that can secure advanced machine learning environments. This acquisition signals Palo Alto Networks' growing interest in AI-specific security as the technology becomes more embedded across sectors like software, finance, healthcare, and government. Read Next: Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary called Missing Ring his biggest mistake — Don't repeat history— Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Palo Alto Networks Acquires Protect AI For $500M+, A Startup Backed By Salesforce, Samsung, And 01 Advisors In AI Security Push originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Techday NZ
30-04-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Palo Alto Networks to acquire Protect AI to boost AI security
Palo Alto Networks has agreed to acquire Protect AI, a company focused on the security of artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, in a move to bolster its suite of AI security offerings. The acquisition agreement enables Palo Alto Networks to enhance the security of the entire AI lifecycle for its customers, from development through to runtime. The company stated that large enterprises and government organisations are increasingly developing complex ecosystems that use AI models, tools, APIs, and third-party components, which introduce new classes of risk not typically covered by traditional security tools. Threat actors have begun exploiting these new vulnerabilities, including methods such as model manipulation, data poisoning, and prompt injection attacks. These developments have underscored the need for solutions designed specifically to mitigate risks within AI systems. Palo Alto Networks has previously invested in capabilities for securing AI, and the integration of Protect AI aims to further expand these capabilities across both existing and emerging threat landscapes. Protect AI's solutions and team are expected to help accelerate Palo Alto Networks' plans for Prisma AIRSTM, a security platform for AI models also announced as part of the transaction. The Prisma AIRS platform is designed to offer enterprises and other organisations protection across the whole AI development process, including model scanning, risk assessments, runtime security for generative AI, posture management, and AI agent security. Anand Oswal, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Palo Alto Networks, said, "As AI-powered applications become core to businesses, they bring risks traditional security tools can't adequately handle. By extending our AI security capabilities to include Protect AI's innovative solutions for Securing for AI, businesses will be able to build AI applications with comprehensive security. With the addition of Protect AI's existing portfolio of solutions and team of experts, Palo Alto Networks will be well-positioned to offer a wide range of solutions for customers' current needs, and also be able to continue innovating on delivering new solutions that are needed for this dynamic threat landscape." Ian Swanson, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Protect AI, commented, "Joining forces with Palo Alto Networks will enable us to scale our mission of making the AI landscape more secure for users and organizations of all sizes. We are excited for the opportunity to unite with a company that shares our vision and brings the operational scale and cybersecurity prowess to amplify our impact globally." On completion of the transaction, Protect AI's Chief Executive Officer, its founding team and other employees will join Palo Alto Networks. The acquisition is expected to close by Palo Alto Networks' first quarter of fiscal 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Palo Alto Networks indicated that the rapid adoption of AI across sectors, and the evolving threat vectors targeting these deployments, necessitates substantial investments in secure architecture and tailored risk mitigation. The acquisition of Protect AI is positioned as a move to enable organisations to pursue AI-driven projects with increased security and assurance.
