# Alper Memis

> H. Alper Memis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Picus Security, the company that pioneered Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technology. A mathematician-turned-financial-analyst-turned-cybersecurity-CEO, Memis co-founded Picus in 2013 in Ankara, Turkey alongside two university friends — combining a rare background in sovereign debt management, financial risk, and a CFA designation with the mission to replace assumption-based security with continuous, evidence-based defense validation. Under his leadership, Picus has raised $80M in total funding (including a $45M Series C in 2024), serves 500+ enterprise customers including Mastercard, Visa, and Vodafone, and has simulated over one billion cyberattacks.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Picus Security
- **Organizations:** Picus Security, Turkish Treasury, Limak Group of Companies
- **Nationality:** Turkish
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Middle East Technical University, MBA, concentration in Finance, Boston University (Questrom School of Business), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), CFA Institute
- **Known for:** Pioneered the Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technology category, Led Picus Security to 100% year-over-year growth for two consecutive years, Grew Picus to 500+ enterprise customers including Mastercard, Visa, Vodafone, and ING

## Career timeline

- **~1997-2002** — Studied Mathematics at Middle East Technical University alongside future Picus co-founders Volkan Ertürk and Dr. Süleyman Özarslan
- **2002-2013** — Senior Associate at Turkish Treasury — analyzed financial markets, formulated medium-long term sovereign debt management strategy, developed decision-making tools and financial models
- **2013** — Co-founded Picus Security in Ankara, Turkey with Volkan Ertürk (CTO) and Dr. Süleyman Özarslan (VP of Picus Labs)
- **2013-2020** — Director of Treasury Operations and Financial Risk Management at Limak Group of Companies (concurrent with Picus role)
- **2013-2018** — Bootstrapped Picus Security for five years without external funding
- **2018** — Picus Security raises $1.7M seed round
- **2019** — Series A: $5M led by Bek Capital/Earlybird Venture Capital
- **2021** — Series B: $24-27M led by Turkven, with Bek Ventures and Mastercard participation
- **2024** — Series C: $45M led by Riverwood Capital — total funding reaches $80M; company reports 1 billion cyberattacks simulated
- **2024** — Picus named 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for BAS tools (95% recommendation rate)
- **2025** — Picus named 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Adversarial Exposure Validation (98% recommendation, 4.8/5 rating)

## Achievements

- Pioneered the Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) technology category
- Led Picus Security to 100% year-over-year growth for two consecutive years
- Grew Picus to 500+ enterprise customers including Mastercard, Visa, Vodafone, and ING
- Raised $80M total funding across seed, Series A, B, and C rounds
- Oversaw simulation of 1 billion cyberattacks on enterprise infrastructure
- 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Adversarial Exposure Validation — 98% recommendation rate, 4.8/5 score
- 2026 Gold Award winner in BAS and CTEM categories at Cybersecurity Excellence Awards
- Led global expansion to 5+ office locations with 290 employees
- Holds Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation — rare distinction for a cybersecurity CEO
- Speaker at MENAISC 2024 and other major cybersecurity conferences

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — Picus Security named 2025 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Adversarial Exposure Validation with 98% recommendation rate
- **2024-09** — Picus Security closes $45M Series C led by Riverwood Capital, bringing total funding to $80M
- **2024-09** — Picus announces simulation of 1 billion cyberattacks milestone
- **2024-01** — Picus named 2024 Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for BAS tools
- **2024-01** — Alper Memis speaks at MENAISC 2024 conference

## Links

- Website: https://picussecurity.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/h-alper-memis-cfa-1503a3a/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/hamemis
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Picus-Security-1542743372678421/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/alper-memis
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-27