# Daniel Bardenstein

> Daniel Bardenstein is the CEO and co-founder of Manifest, a cybersecurity company building the platform that tells organizations what is actually inside their software and AI systems. He started Manifest in the wake of the Log4Shell crisis, when the world's biggest institutions discovered they could not answer a simple question: what code are we running? Before Manifest, he was chief of technology strategy at CISA, ran cybersecurity programs at the Pentagon's Defense Digital Service including Hack the Pentagon, co-led cyber protection for Operation Warp Speed's COVID-19 vaccine effort, and built products at Palantir and Exabeam. He treats software like an ingredients list the public has a right to read.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Manifest
- **Organizations:** Manifest, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Defense Digital Service, Operation Warp Speed, Exabeam, Palantir Technologies, Aspen Tech Policy Hub, Foresight Partners
- **From:** Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Symbolic Systems, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Manifest, a leader in software and AI supply chain security, Authored the CISA Cybersecurity Performance Goals as Chief of Technology Strategy, Co-led cybersecurity for Operation Warp Speed's COVID-19 vaccine program

## Career timeline

- **—** — Grew up outside Cleveland, Ohio; aspired to be a doctor or psychologist before discovering technology midway through college
- **—** — Studied Symbolic Systems at Stanford University
- **—** — Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir, working a federal cyber-crime investigation that sparked his security career
- **—** — Directed product teams at Exabeam building cybersecurity and data analysis platforms
- **—** — Tech Policy Fellow at the Aspen Tech Policy Hub
- **2020** — Cybersecurity co-lead for Operation Warp Speed, protecting the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain
- **—** — Director of cybersecurity programs at the Defense Digital Service, including Hack the Pentagon
- **2021** — Joined CISA as Chief of Technology Strategy & Delivery; authored the CISA Cybersecurity Performance Goals
- **2021** — Co-founded Manifest after Log4Shell exposed how little organizations knew about their software components
- **2023** — Stepped down from CISA to build Manifest full-time
- **2025-04** — Manifest raised $15M Series A led by Ensemble VC
- **2025-11** — Became CEO of Manifest on November 1, succeeding co-founder Marc Frankel

## Achievements

- Co-founded Manifest, a leader in software and AI supply chain security
- Authored the CISA Cybersecurity Performance Goals as Chief of Technology Strategy
- Co-led cybersecurity for Operation Warp Speed's COVID-19 vaccine program
- Directed the Hack the Pentagon bug bounty program at the Defense Digital Service
- Launched Manifest's AI Risk / AIBOM product
- Raised a $15M Series A for Manifest in April 2025
- Co-leads Foresight Partners, a nonprofit providing free cybersecurity support to political campaigns

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Became CEO of Manifest, succeeding co-founder Marc Frankel, who moved to strategic advisor and board member.
- **2025-04** — Manifest raised a $15M Series A led by Ensemble VC to expand its SBOM and AIBOM management platform.

## Links

- Website: https://manifestcyber.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bardenstein
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/manifestcyber

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/daniel-bardenstein
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-13