# David Erickson

> David Sterling Erickson is the CEO and co-founder of Forward Networks, a Santa Clara-based company that pioneered the network digital twin. A Stanford PhD in Computer Science and one of the original architects of Software Defined Networking (SDN), Erickson co-founded Forward Networks in 2013 with three fellow Stanford PhD graduates to give enterprises mathematically accurate, real-time models of their networks - enabling visibility, compliance verification, and security posture management across complex multi-vendor environments. Under his leadership, Forward Networks has raised over $140M in funding, achieved 139% ARR growth, and serves marquee customers including Goldman Sachs, PayPal, and Telstra.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Forward Networks, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Forward Networks, Inc., Stanford University
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Bethel University, Master of Science, Computer Science, Stanford University, PhD, Computer Science, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Forward Networks, pioneering the commercial network digital twin category, PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University (2013), Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship recipient (2010)

## Career timeline

- **2008** — Completed MS in Computer Science at Stanford; received Christofer Stephenson Memorial Award for best Master's thesis; won Best Demonstration Award at ACM SIGCOMM 2008 for OpenFlow virtual machine mobility work
- **2008-2013** — PhD research at Stanford under Professor Nick McKeown; contributed to OpenFlow specification; authored the Beacon OpenFlow Controller (Java/OSGI), which became the foundation for Big Switch Networks' Floodlight controller and influenced OpenDaylight
- **2010** — Awarded Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship
- **2013** — Completed PhD dissertation: 'Using Network Knowledge to Improve Workload Performance in Virtualized Data Centers'; co-founded Forward Networks with Nikhil Handigol, Brandon Heller, and Peyman Kazemian
- **2013-present** — Serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Forward Networks, guiding the company from inception through Series D funding
- **2019** — Received Silicon Valley Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award
- **2023** — Led Forward Networks' $50M Series D funding round led by MSD Partners; company achieved 139% ARR growth
- **2025** — Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Bay Area Award finalist; Forward Networks named to Fortune Best Workplaces in the Bay Area

## Achievements

- Co-founded Forward Networks, pioneering the commercial network digital twin category
- PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University (2013)
- Microsoft Research PhD Fellowship recipient (2010)
- Christofer Stephenson Memorial Award for best Master's thesis at Stanford (2008)
- Best Demonstration Award at ACM SIGCOMM 2008
- Original author of the Beacon OpenFlow Controller - foundational to OpenDaylight and Floodlight
- Silicon Valley Business Journal 40 Under 40 Award (2019)
- EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Bay Area Award finalist
- Led Forward Networks to 139% ARR growth and 96% customer retention
- Raised $140M+ across 5 funding rounds including Series D from MSD Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Forward Networks named to Fortune Best Workplaces in the Bay Area 2025; company blog published profile on Erickson's visionary leadership
- **2025-04** — Forward AI - an agentic AI system built on the network digital twin - announced for general availability
- **2025-03** — Named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2025 Bay Area Award finalist; winners to be announced June 13, 2025
- **2025-01** — Forward Networks named Outperformer in GigaOm Radar for Network Validation for the fourth consecutive year
- **2023-01** — Led $50M Series D funding round led by MSD Partners, with participation from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Andreessen Horowitz, and others

## Links

- Website: https://forwardnetworks.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsterlingerickson/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/forwardnetworks
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/forwardnetworks

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-erickson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13