# David Corcoran

> David Corcoran is a cybersecurity entrepreneur and Censys co-founder who helped commercialize University of Michigan research and served as an early COO and CEO. His career includes TrustBearer Labs, startup investment and mentoring, and later work as a resident entrepreneur at Purdue DIAL Ventures and senior capstone teaching at Trine University.

- **Role:** Resident Entrepreneur at Purdue DIAL Ventures
- **Organizations:** Censys, TrustBearer Labs, Digital Cowboy / Big Throttle Ventures, Third Rail Group, Purdue DIAL Ventures, Trine University, Michigan Founders Fund, Pear Deck
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Purdue University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Censys and helped commercialize its research origins., Built TrustBearer Labs, acquired by VeriSign in 2010., Was a founding investor and board member of Pear Deck.

## Career timeline

- **late 1990s** — Developed open-source cryptographic smart-card software.
- **2006** — Co-founded TrustBearer Labs with Brian Kelly.
- **2010** — TrustBearer Labs was acquired by VeriSign.
- **2013** — Became a principal at Digital Cowboy / Big Throttle Ventures.
- **2016** — Co-founded Third Rail Group; mentored with Techstars in 2016 and 2017.
- **2017** — Co-founded Censys as university research became a commercial company.
- **2018** — Identified as Censys COO in contemporary coverage.
- **2020** — Served as Censys CEO during its Series A; visited employees on a road trip.
- **2022** — Worked as an entrepreneur in residence at Purdue DIAL Ventures; received Michigan Founders Fund’s Top Mentor award.
- **2023** — Advised Trine’s Asset Security Scanner project.
- **2026** — Listed as DIAL Ventures resident entrepreneur and Trine capstone teacher in a May event biography.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Censys and helped commercialize its research origins.
- Built TrustBearer Labs, acquired by VeriSign in 2010.
- Was a founding investor and board member of Pear Deck.
- Received Michigan Founders Fund’s 2022 Top Mentor award.
- Credited with Ludovic Rousseau as an author of PCSC Lite.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Discussed his move toward food supply-chain work while sharing DIAL fellowship recruitment.
- **2026-05** — Listed as a panelist at Innovate Northeast Indiana with his DIAL Ventures title.
- **2025-07** — Listed as a facilitator for a July 23 discussion of cybersecurity in agrifood systems.
- **2024-11** — Shared Censys’s Deloitte Technology Fast 500 recognition.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-corcoran

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-corcoran
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11