# Josh Lospinoso

> Josh Lospinoso is the co-founder and former CEO of Shift5, an observability and cybersecurity company that protects the onboard operational technology of planes, trains, tanks, and ships. A West Point graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and Oxford-trained statistician, he spent more than a decade as an Army cyber officer building elite hacking tools for the NSA's Tailored Access Operations and the Cyber National Mission Force. Before Shift5 he co-founded RedOwl Analytics (acquired by Raytheon/Forcepoint in 2017). He wrote the C++ course that U.S. Cyber Command uses to train junior developers and turned it into the book C++ Crash Course. In January 2026 he moved from CEO to the board to focus on long-term vision while Shift5, having raised more than $180M, scaled past 130 employees.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Board Member at Shift5 (former CEO)
- **Organizations:** Shift5, RedOwl Analytics, U.S. Army, National Security Agency (Tailored Access Operations), Cyber National Mission Force
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Economics and Operations Research, United States Military Academy at West Point, PhD, Statistics (Rhodes Scholar), University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Co-founded Shift5, which raised more than $180M and grew to 130+ employees, Co-founded RedOwl Analytics, acquired by Raytheon/Forcepoint in 2017, Rhodes Scholar with a PhD in Statistics from Oxford

## Career timeline

- **2009** — Commissioned from West Point; later served as a captain and cyber officer in the U.S. Army
- **2012** — Rhodes Scholar; earned PhD in Statistics at the University of Oxford
- **2017** — RedOwl Analytics, the insider-threat company he co-founded, acquired by Raytheon/Forcepoint
- **2018** — Co-founded Shift5 with James Correnti and Michael Weigand
- **2019** — Published C++ Crash Course (No Starch Press)
- **2020** — Shift5 wins U.S. Army OTA to deliver a prototype vehicle security system
- **2021** — Shift5 raises $20M Series A
- **2022** — Shift5 raises $50M Series B to protect planes, trains, and tanks
- **2025** — Shift5 raises $75M Series C (September 2025); total funding surpasses $180M
- **2026** — Transitions from CEO to the board in January 2026; Toby Magsig named President and interim CEO

## Achievements

- Co-founded Shift5, which raised more than $180M and grew to 130+ employees
- Co-founded RedOwl Analytics, acquired by Raytheon/Forcepoint in 2017
- Rhodes Scholar with a PhD in Statistics from Oxford
- Built elite hacking tools for the NSA's Tailored Access Operations, Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber National Mission Force
- Author of C++ Crash Course (No Starch Press, 2019)
- Wrote and taught the C++ course U.S. Cyber Command uses to train junior developers
- Published 20+ peer-reviewed articles and holds multiple patents
- Testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on AI and weapons systems

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Stepped down as CEO of Shift5 to join the board, focusing on long-term vision and strategy; Toby Magsig (ex-L3Harris) named President and interim CEO.
- **2025-09** — Shift5 closed a $75M Series C, pushing total funding past $180M.

## Links

- Website: https://shift5.io
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jalospinoso
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/jalospinoso
- GitHub: https://github.com/JLospinoso

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-lospinoso
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-11