CISO intros from day one.
A network of 50+ vetted senior security leaders. Hand-picked, briefed, warm. Activated before you have product.
1:1 calls with senior buyers.
Direct feedback on positioning, pricing, and product from the people you're trying to sell to.
Path to POCs/first customers.
We open doors to design partnerships and paid pilots with the organizations your category needs.
Market intelligence.
What CISOs are buying, what's getting cut, what's coming next.
Year-round programming.
CISO dinners, feedback sessions, and dedicated events at RSA and Black Hat.
Series A co-investor relationships.
Direct introductions to the funds that have led our companies' next rounds.
"Hetz understood that Prompt wasn’t just another cyber company - it was where security and GenAI meet. Their cross-domain perspective across cyber, infra, and AI helped us define our strategy and establish credibility in a new category."
"Hetz - and Pavel - were great partners from the beginning. From connecting us to prospects and organizing customer events, to helping us think about investments and sales motions. Pavel and the team were always available and provided great support for Silk."
CISO & Security
Executive Network
Nir Rothenberg is the CISO at Rapyd, managing security and IT for the soaring Fintech company, on a mission to ensure that the future of financial services will be democratized and secure.Prior to Rapyd, Nir led information security at a well known cyber-intelligence company, where he was charged with protecting a high profile and high risk enterprise. Before that, Nir worked as a consultant, helping with some of Israel’s leading companies reduce risk and improve information security. Nir is very active in Israel’s cyber startup scene, advising and partnering with many of them.
"It's all about collaboration. If you keep a collaborative mindset - you will be unstoppable."
Nir Rothenberg featured on Hetz Presents:
As SVB’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Grant Bourzikas is responsible for developing and implementing SVB’s information security and privacy program. Grant oversees enterprise-wide security policies and global privacy, develops strategies to continuously improve enterprise data security and implements enterprise business continuity and disaster recovery plans. He works directly with SVB business units to facilitate risk assessment and risk management processes.
Prior to joining SVB, Grant was the Group Chief Information Security Officer at HSBC and responsible for the global cybersecurity posture and program for the bank. Before HSBC, Grant was the CISO and led the McAfee Labs and Data Science division, with responsibility for the Artificial Intelligence function.
With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Grant is a five-time CISO at a Fortune 500 critical infrastructure company, financial services organization, and gaming company. He began his career in public accounting where he provided cybersecurity strategy, implementation, and assessment services to many global organizations. Grant has a proven track record in driving transformational change as well as leading diverse global cybersecurity teams.
Grant was named Top 100 Global CISO in 2020, awarded Security’s Most Influential People in Security 2019, and CISO of the Year in 2018. Grant has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and received a Master’s in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence from Southern Methodist University in 2022.
"Recognize that diversity of thought is essential for your success. As you build your teams, look for people who think differently than you and from each other."
Watch Grant: A cybersecurity discussion with Grant Bourzikas
Seasoned and results-driven IS/Finance executive. Accustomed to leading accounting and finance management, human resources, procurement, vendor relations, recruitment operations, facilities administration, project management and IS Security as well as policy creation, interpretation and implementation for immediate and profitable impact to a progressive organization.
"The key to a successful pitch is having a solution that solves a current problem or improves a process without being overly complicated."
Mr. Jaffe is the CISO at Lemonade Insurance where he oversees the security of engineering, strategy, product, and operations of a cloud-native InsureTech disruptor. With 25+ years of technical experience in security roles, his expertise spans a variety of security domains. He is a prolific adopter of, and advisor to innovative security start-ups. Mr. Jaffe is also a cybersecurity and privacy attorney who understands legal risk and regulation in a way security-only practitioners don't.
"Founders should be bold in their vision, focused in execution, and honest and direct in their dealings with potential customers. Otherwise, I don't have time for them."
Richard N. Patterson Jr. has served as our Chief Information Security Officer since December 2020. Prior to joining CLEAR, Mr. Patterson was the Head of Security Operations, Head of Risk at Bridgewater Associates, an investment management firm, from 2014 to 2020. Prior to that, he served as the Director of Information Security, Compliance and Privacy at PetSmart, a pet superstore, from 2011 to 2014 and Director of Security for Sidley Austin, a law firm, from 2006 to 2011. He also previously served as a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division. Mr. Patterson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton, and a Masters in Computer, Network and Information Security from DePaul University.
""
Mandy Andress is currently the CISO of Elastic and has a long career focused on information risk and security. Prior to Elastic, Mandy led the information security function at MassMutual and established and built information security programs at TiVo, Evant, and Privada. She worked as a security consultant with Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche, focusing on energy, financial services, and Internet technology clients with global operations. She also founded an information security consulting company with clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to start up organizations.She is a published author, with her book Surviving Security having two editions and used at multiple universities around the world as the textbook for foundation information security courses. Mandy also tested and reviewed information security products for multiple publications as well as serving as the author for the weekly InfoWorld security column. She has been a sought after expert in the field, speaking at signature security conferences such as BlackHat and Networld+Interop. In addition, she has taught a graduate level Information Risk Management course for UMass Amherst in the College of Information and Computer Sciences. Mandy has a JD from Western New England University, a Master’s in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M University, and a B.B.A in Accounting from Texas A&M University. Mandy is a CISSP, CPA, and member of the Texas Bar.
"Saying no is more critical to success than saying yes."
Itay serves as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at SIXT, a leading global premium car rental company. In his role, he is responsible for devising and implementing the company’s global security strategy and overseeing its global information security organization.With over a decade of experience in military-grade defensive and offensive cyber operations, Itay has held various technological, operational, and management roles within the Israeli 8200 cyber unit. His extensive career also includes significant expertise in Cyber Crisis Management and Incident Response, providing consultation to Boards and key stakeholders of Fortune 500 companies and large enterprises.
Itay’s background in developing and working with cutting-edge technologies and teams equips him with a unique overview of the information security landscape, enabling him to effectively strategize and lead the implementation of resilient and efficient security programs.
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Arkadiy Goykhberg is a capable engineering-focused technology executive with extensive IT, information security, software development, and operational risk management experience, with intimate knowledge of the financial services, print & digital media, enterprise SaaS, e-commerce, and healthcare industries, their associated technical challenges and regulatory requirements. He has a demonstrable track record of success in driving technology transformation programs to improve operational efficiency, eliminate technical debt, accelerate the development of new products and services to achieve business objectives while improving performance, resilience, and reducing operational risk. He is a change agent with a solid technical and business background who effectively communicates and influences at all levels of an organization, including the board of directors, executive management, business stakeholders, and technical staff.
"Tip for founders: have empathy towards your customers, and be realistic about the problems your solution can solve."
Monica is a transformational security leader with more than two decades of experience securing the technology behind iconic global brands such as Pepsi, Taco Bell, Verizon, Gatorade, and Doritos among others. Her experience is deeply rooted first in the “why”, as she investigated and led security incidents for many years from mundane events to large-scale, business disrupting incidents. Second, in the “how” of security, by for example developing a patented method and system for detection of rogue wireless access points, and building award-winning cyber fusion centers. As Deputy CISO for Yum! Brands, as part of her broader role, she leads the Security Transformation Program and board-level cyber risk dashboard development. Outside of her mission to build strong security programs powered by purpose-driven security teams, her philosophy is to tackle life with a sense of adventure and grit, or colloquially, “Take the bull by the horns”.
"Drive innovation and excellence by channeling a deep curiosity of the problems and environments within and adjacent to your solution space."
Elie Abenmoha serves as Chief IT Security Officer for Publicis Groupe, a global leader in advertising, media buying, data-driven marketing and digital business transformation where he leads the Global Security Office (GSO) protecting the organization against cyber threats, ensuring compliance to security regulations and managing a center of excellence supporting client and product delivery services.
"The most secure computer is the computer that’s off."
Cybersecurity & Technology advisor, author and executive with 15+ years of repeated success in building Infrastructure Security, Application Security, Enterprise Security, Enterprise Software Engineering teams and programs from the ground up. Leader who attracts top talent and influences key leadership and board to communicate risk-based value proposition, overall roadmap and optimal budget requirements. Accomplished in fostering long-lasting business alliances, driving continuous improvements, and unlocking technology enabled opportunities to bolster top and bottomline growth across verticals such.
"Founders: Identify and model your core values, it can make the difference between success and failure."
Harpal is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at REPAY, a leading FinTech company in the payment processing space, where he leads Information Security and GRC with a strong focus on technology. With over 20 years of experience across HealthTech, FinTech, and enterprise software, Harpal held leadership roles at Siebel, Oracle, eHealth, HealthIQ, and Healthpilot. His background spans startups, pre-IPO ventures, mid-sized companies, and large enterprises where he specializes in building cybersecurity programs from the ground up and brings deep expertise in information security, risk management, compliance, and IT. Harpal holds a BS in Electronics Engineering, a LEAD certificate from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and is CISSP-certified. He's passionate about bridging the gap between cybersecurity and business strategy, with hands-on experience in operational security, secure application design, and aligning security initiatives with overall business goals.
"Understand and solve for real pain points. Security leaders buy outcomes, not just features."
Dean is an accomplished Chief Information Security Officer experienced in developing information risk management strategies that reflect business needs. Combining a technical background with excellent academic credentials and strong leadership skills he is experienced in building teams and leading transformational change across Enterprises. He is currently responsible for oversight and leadership of all aspects of Cyber and Information Security for the Burberry Group; a FTSE 50 organisation.
"Stay humble, work hard and enjoy what you do."
Nico is the CISO at Lyft. Prior to Lyft, he led GitHub Security Lab and was the VP of Professional Services at Immunity while advising multiple Fortune 500 companies. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, Nico is widely recognized for his contribution in offensive security, vulnerability development and penetration testing.
Sumit is a seasoned IT professional with 22 years of IT industry experience, managing teams in product development, professional services and Information Technology. At present, he is working as the CIO of AuitomationAnywhere . In his current role, he is responsible for leading the vision, strategy and operations for entire Global IT team of AutomationAnywhere. Prior to joining AutomationAnywhere, Sumit was CIO at MobileIron, a pioneer in the MDM technology (Mobile device management and security). He is a strong proponent of zero trust security model. AutomationAnywhere is a cloud first company and Sumit is responsible for securing corporate systems and data.
"Cloud technologies have changed the way we operate. Although CIO's are responsible for securing all business applications within their organization, they aren't necessarily the buyer for every purchase. This is making their job harder to oversee how corporate data is managed, secured and flows through an organization. They need to constantly adapt and adopt newer technologies to find the true balance between user convenience and security."
Bradley J. Schaufenbuel is currently Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Paychex, Inc. He has over 27 years of experience in the information security field, has written numerous books and journal articles, possesses BA, MBA, JD, and LLM degrees, maintains two dozen professional certifications, and regularly keynotes industry conferences. Bradley serves as an advisor to several venture capital funds and startups and was recognized as the Chicagoland CISO of the Year in 2018 as one of the Top 100 CISOs for 2023 by Cyber Defense Magazine.
"Security organizations at large enterprises are drowning in a sea of cybersecurity products, so founders should make sure their solutions integrate well into complex ecosystems."
Art Chaisiriwatanasai is the Chief Information Security Officer at Paylocity, one of the fastest growing companies in the HCM Technology sector. As a lifelong security enthusiast, Art has deep experience in developing, implementing, and maturing information security programs. With a mix of strong technical foundation and an insatiable curiosity, he prides himself on finding pragmatic solutions in working with the business to achieve secure outcomes. Before Paylocity, Art spent the last 17 years in both industry and consulting positions. His last role was spent as Director at KPMG for nearly a decade, where he helped the world’s largest companies solve their most complex challenges. Art holds a degree in Network Technologies with a concentration in Network Security from DePaul University in Chicago.
"The role of security isn't to say no to the business, it's how to get to yes."
Yong was most recently Head of Security and Privacy Engineering at Stripe, where he led data security and privacy, security infrastructure, SaaS security, and user security. Prior to that, he was Director of Security and Privacy Engineering at Uber, responsible for data security and privacy, platform and infrastructure security, as well as customer identity and account security. Previously, Yong held executive leadership roles in security product development and security infrastructure at both public companies (RSA Security, EMC, MicroStrategy) and early-stage startups. He received his PhD degree specializing in Machine Learning systems from California Institute of Technology.
"To stand out among many peers, a security startup needs to articulate a best-in-class solution to real pain points instead of making generalized claims."
Todd has more than 25 years of experience in information technology and security with hands-on roles designing, developing, and deploying enterprise architectures from the ground up. Todd is currently the CISO at both Zluri and Scrut Automation as well as an advisor to a handful of startups. He is a recognized expert in the Life Sciences/Biotech industries in regards to compliance, and the strict regulations with HIPAA, SOX, SOC2 among other regulations.
"Startups are on the edge of technology and solve problems others have not. Finding the next wave in innovative startups in an exciting proposition."
Yaron Slutzky is CISO at Agoda with 15+ years of experience in the cybersecurity domain. Prior to Agoda, he has been CISO for different companies working in multiple sectors, such as Telecom, E-commerce & Manufacturing. Yaron also lectures in universities and conferences around the world. He is primarily focused on emerging technologies & transforming organizations Information/Cyber Security program by bringing a fresh new approach and methodology.
"One of the elements of success for a good CISO is to build a strong team with good leaders, which can distinguish between what is important to insist and implement for the business."
Al Ghous is the Chief Information Security Officer at Snapdocs, the leading digital mortgage closing platform. Al has been in the cybersecurity industry for over 20 years contributing in different capacities from Product Security and Risk Management to Solution Consulting and Security Architecture. Prior to Snapdocs, Al served as Chief Information Security Officer at Envision Digital and Chief Security Officer at ServiceMax, and led Cyber Security, Cloud Platform and Products at GE Digital. Al has also served in leadership positions at Informatica, Robert Half, Kaiser Permanente, PeopleSoft/Oracle and Ernst & Young.Al is active in the cybersecurity industry and part of several industry organizations and consortiums, as well as a member of several advisory boards. He strives to help founders focus on product, market fit, strategy, and fundraising, while maturing their security posture to attract customers and investors alike.
"The Founder, the VC and the CISO play a vital role in our industry. The Founder brings innovative ideas and relies on the VC to help bring those ideas to fruition. The CISO then provides validation and becomes the consumer. We don't think about this triad much, but at the end it's a win-win-win... playing itself out over and over again, fueling a robust and thriving industry."
Proactive and Analytical Cyber Security Executive with 15+ years leading successful mission-critical security programs across large enterprise infrastructures including Ahold Delhaize, Celanese, Raytheon, PepsiCo, Nike, and MasterCard Worldwide. Partnering with teams across the enterprise to reduce the Attack Surface ensuring we can securely innovate at the speed of business. Respected for engineering and implementing security architectures and programs that quickly identify and mitigate attacks and potential threats. Inspirational and Collaborative leader with a history of developing and motivating high performance technical teams that achieve aggressive objectives.
"A successful security team’s mission is to enable secure innovation at the Speed of Business."
Kapil Vyas is a seasoned IT executive at Automation Anywhere, leading IT and cloud operations, Information Security, and the AI + Automation Center of Excellence (CoE). He has successfully instilled an "Automation First" philosophy, significantly enhancing efficiency and transforming the IT department into an innovation hub and revenue generator. His leadership has spurred the implementation of over 20 advanced automations with Generative AI, earning the prestigious CIO 100 award in 2024. Before this role, Kapil had over two decades of experience in IT, significantly shaping the IT infrastructure and platform markets in the early 2000s. His expertise in IaaS, Security and a cloud-first approach have helped technology startups build innovative and high-performing IT teams. His career demonstrates a steadfast belief in the power of technology to shape the future.
"Founders, never tire and don't fear—when you think it's the END, remember there's always a BEND that brings new opportunities, each more promising than the last, waiting to be seized and turned into success."
Branden Newman is CTO (formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer) of MGM Resorts International. Branden was previously CISO of Adidas and Global Head of Information Security at Merck Group. He began his career in the U.S. Military where he served in Army Cyber Command.
"It is not always the best technology that succeeds, but the ones that best communicate their value proposition and actually deliver on providing that value."
David is currently the CISO at Sequoia Consulting Group, and most recently served as the chief information security officer (CISO) for Databricks, responsible for the security vision, strategy, and compliance programs to ensure customer and corporate information assets and technologies are protected. David has more than 15 years of security experience. Prior to Databricks he served as the chief security officer (CSO) for Jive Software, where he was responsible for Jive's corporate and product security. In addition to being Jive’s CSO, David ran technical operations for Jive’s Cloud platform. David has held director of security roles at Blue Coat Systems and Jasper Wireless, where he was in charge of the organizations' corporate and product security programs.
"CISOs who who are transparent with their customers by sharing how they protect customer data will build a more secure environment. This collaboration will foster trust and receive important feedback that will improve the company's security."
Sam Butler is a Chief Information Security Officer at Accelya Global Limited, leading enterprise-wide information security across technology, risk, and governance. With deep experience in IT security strategy, architecture, and assurance, he focuses on building resilient, business‑aligned security programmes that enable growth while managing risk. Based in Windsor, Sam works closely with executive leadership and global teams to strengthen cyber defences, mature security operations, and embed security into product and delivery lifecycles. He is known for clear communication, practical risk management, and turning complex security challenges into actionable outcomes.
Attila is a seasoned security expert with over 20 years of experience in developing and managing security programs. As CISO at GoTo (formerly LogMeIn), he leads the security strategy and execution, having boomeranged back to the company after a successful stint at the automation company Zapier, where he built and managed their security and IT functions. Attila champions outcome-driven strategies supported by data and metrics, and has built enterprise cybersecurity and IT programs from the ground up. His expertise spans secure programming, application security, cloud security, DevSecOps, compliance, and incident response. With a track record of driving innovation and implementing robust security measures, Attila's leadership ensures comprehensive protection for organizations.
"Take small, but impactful steps, measure your outcome, adapt to change, and be kind and respectful of others' time—because human connections drive success, and progress today beats perfection tomorrow."
.png)
Cybersecurity executive dedicated to building resilient defense strategies, leading teams, and protecting against evolving threats.
"Effective cyber leadership isn't measured by how quickly your team can put out a fire, but by the architecture you built to prevent the spark from ever catching."
Joshoa is the Head of Security at Worldpac, a Carlyle-owned company. In this role, he oversees corporate security, product security, and cybersecurity governance across the organization.Prior to joining Worldpac, Joshoa served as the Head of Security at Lime, a global leader in micro mobility. There, he designed, built, and led the company’s cybersecurity program, including the development of a Security IPO readiness strategy to support the company’s growth objectives.In addition to his leadership roles, Joshoa advises organizations of all sizes on security strategy, governance, and IPO readiness, helping companies strengthen their security posture and align with best practices for growth and compliance.
"Cybersecurity is much more than a matter of IT, it’s a business imperative."
Prabhath Karanth is a seasoned security leader with 16+ years of leading global, cross -functional teams across hyper-growth startups, fortune 50 and big 4 consulting firms. He previously headed Security, Compliance & Trust at Tripactions where his organization drives several defensive and offensive security disciplines and serves as the single voice for security both internally to employees and externally with customers. Prior to Tripactions, Prabhath served as a security leader in Adobe for 9+ years where he drove several security programs and initiatives to level up security as Adobe reinvented itself in the cloud and grew from $30B to $300B business. Prior to Adobe, Prabhath was with PwC advising fortune 100 companies on info sec strategy, governance, operations & technologies. Prabhath is active in the security community and advices several startups to solve security and business problems at scale, mentors security professionals and presents in national and international conferences on topics related to security though leadership. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in electronics & communications engineering and holds CISA, CISSP, CIPT, CDPSE, ISO 27001 Lead Implementor & PCI ISA certifications.
"I love being surrounded by passionate folks who are looking to change the industry perspective on a problem. Also, trying to solve a problem in a way that no one else has solved before."
Philip has background in development, data warehousing, and solution, technology and security architecture; and led Information Security at a FTSE50 organisation, as well as advisory consulting in cloud security and enterprise security for global companies. Philip is currently CISO at the global fintech Revolut.
"Always nail the basics first!"
Hardik Parekh is responsible for company-wide global cybersecurity strategy and execution at Five9. Prior to Five9, Hardik developed and matured security programs at companies like DellEMC/RSA, Intuit, Amazon, and Splunk.Hardik brings two decades of global cyber security experience and a builder mindset. His previous experience includes developing product security, enterprise security, compliance, and SOC. Hardik delivered security at scale and speed. Hardik has built a modern, highly automated SOC at Amazon as the Physical Retail unit's CISO. Hardik Parekh co-authored the widely-used OWASP Software Assurance Maturity Model 2.0 and SANS Top 25 Programming Errors. In addition, he contributed to industry standards such as - BSIMM, and NIST SSDF. Hardik serves on advisory boards of innovative startups and the CompTIA Certification Advisory Committee for security certifications - Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, and CASP+.