# Deke George

> Deke George co-founded NetSPI with Seth Peter in 2001 and served as CEO before moving to chairman in January 2021. A Middlebury physics graduate who helped establish Ontrack’s computer-forensics program, he has written about security governance, assessment quality and organizational risk. Wirespeed identifies him as an original investor.

- **Role:** Co-founder and former CEO of NetSPI; original investor in Wirespeed
- **Organizations:** NetSPI, Ontrack, Wirespeed
- **Education:** B.A. in Physics, Middlebury College
- **Known for:** Co-founded NetSPI in 2001., Helped establish Ontrack’s computer-forensics program., Led NetSPI through its first institutional financing in 2017.

## Career timeline

- **—** — Helped establish the computer-forensics program at Ontrack; worked on fraud and computer-evidence cases domestically and internationally.
- **2001** — Co-founded NetSPI with Seth Peter.
- **2009** — Published essays on security-industry acquisitions and CISO reporting lines.
- **2017** — Led NetSPI as CEO when it raised its first institutional capital from Sunstone Partners; Aaron Shilts joined as president and COO later that year.
- **2020** — Participated in a governance webinar with Bob Bigman and Dan Raywood.
- **2021** — Moved from CEO to chairman as Aaron Shilts became president and CEO in January.

## Achievements

- Co-founded NetSPI in 2001.
- Helped establish Ontrack’s computer-forensics program.
- Led NetSPI through its first institutional financing in 2017.
- At the January 2021 CEO handover, NetSPI reported 35% organic revenue growth in 2020 and a team exceeding 200 employees.
- Named among Wirespeed’s original investors.

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Coalition announced the acquisition of Wirespeed, which lists George among its original investors. The acquisition announcement does not specify his individual proceeds or subsequent role.

## Links

- Website: https://www.netspi.com/authors/deke-george/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dekegeorge

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/deke-george
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23