# Karthik Krishnan

> Karthik Krishnan is CEO and co-founder of Concentric AI, which uses language models and contextual analysis to discover and protect sensitive enterprise data. Previously a founding-team member and product leader at Niara and a security products vice president at Aruba/HPE, he combines a long security career with an emphasis on customer feedback, trust, and practical company-building.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Concentric AI
- **Organizations:** Concentric AI, Niara, Aruba / Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Juniper Networks, PGP Corporation, Symantec, Intel, Microsoft, Embrane, Forbes Technology Council
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, MBA with distinction; F.C. Austin Scholar, Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
- **Known for:** Helped build Niara as a founding-team product executive before its 2017 acquisition by Aruba/HPE., Led Concentric AI through its $14.5 million Series A and $45 million Series B., Expanded Concentric AI through the 2025 acquisitions of Swift Security and Acante.

## Career timeline

- **2013-2017** — VP of Product Management and founding-team member at Niara.
- **2017** — Niara acquired by Aruba/HPE; Krishnan subsequently led security products at Aruba/HPE.
- **2018** — Began Concentric AI, according to company LinkedIn and Crunchbase records; his later founder accounts date the language-model approach to 2019.
- **2022** — Concentric AI announced a $14.5 million Series A led by Ballistic Ventures.
- **2024** — Concentric AI announced a $45 million Series B led by Top Tier Capital Partners and HarbourVest Partners on October 24.
- **2025** — Announced acquisitions of Swift Security and Acante on July 1.
- **2026** — Continued leading Concentric AI as it added Claude compliance integration, visual document discovery, and new sales leadership.

## Achievements

- Helped build Niara as a founding-team product executive before its 2017 acquisition by Aruba/HPE.
- Led Concentric AI through its $14.5 million Series A and $45 million Series B.
- Expanded Concentric AI through the 2025 acquisitions of Swift Security and Acante.
- Earned an MBA with distinction at Kellogg as an F.C. Austin Scholar.
- Concentric AI received a 2026 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice designation for DSPM, based on end-user reviews.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Appeared on Inside the Silicon Mind to discuss the transition from founder to CEO, hiring, and staying relevant to changing markets.
- **2026-09** — Concentric AI appointed Gary Olson as CRO and Will Saso as VP of Sales, Americas, on September 9.
- **2026-08** — Concentric AI announced visual-signature discovery for sensitive documents, including passports and driver licenses, on August 18.
- **2026-07** — Concentric AI announced its Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice designation for DSPM; the company reported 4.8/5 and 94% willingness to recommend among 229 reviews as of March 31, 2026.
- **2026-05** — Concentric AI announced an Anthropic Compliance API integration for auditing Claude activity on May 15.

## Links

- Website: https://concentric.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kkrishnan/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/KK_Karthik

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/karthik-krishnan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24