# Mike Armistead

> Mike Armistead is the co-founder and CEO of Pulse Security AI and previously co-founded Respond Software and Fortify Software. His career includes product and executive roles at Pure Software, Lycos, HP/HPE, Mandiant and Google Cloud. Respond was acquired by FireEye in November 2020 for approximately $186 million in cash and stock; Pulse announced $8 million in seed funding in July 2026.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Pulse Security AI
- **Organizations:** Pulse Security AI, Respond Software, Fortify Software, HP, HPE, Mandiant, Google Cloud, Pure Software, Pure Atria, WhoWhere, Lycos, Foundation Capital
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Fortify Software, acquired by HP in 2010., Co-founded and led Respond Software through its 2020 acquisition by FireEye., Led both Fortify and ArcSight business units at HP/HPE.

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Worked at Pure Software; Foundation Capital describes him as Reed Hastings’s first product manager.
- **Before 2003** — Held product and executive roles at Pure Atria and Lycos, including management of development and data center teams at Lycos.
- **2003** — Co-founded Fortify Software.
- **2010** — HP acquired Fortify Software.
- **2010-2016** — Held leadership roles at HP/HPE, including VP and general manager responsibilities for Fortify and ArcSight.
- **2016** — Co-founded Respond Software with Robert Hipps and Chris Calvert.
- **2017** — Respond emerged from stealth with its Respond Analyst and a $12 million Series A.
- **2020** — FireEye acquired Respond Software on November 18 for approximately $186 million in cash and stock, excluding assumed unvested stock options.
- **After 2020** — Continued at Mandiant and subsequently Google after Google acquired Mandiant.
- **2025** — Pulse began operating in January after planning conversations in 2024, according to investor Sid Trivedi.
- **2026** — Led Pulse Security AI’s public launch and announcement of $8 million in seed funding.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Fortify Software, acquired by HP in 2010.
- Co-founded and led Respond Software through its 2020 acquisition by FireEye.
- Led both Fortify and ArcSight business units at HP/HPE.
- Co-founded Pulse Security AI with Robert Hipps and Nick Gilligan; announced $8 million in seed funding in July 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Appeared with Pulse advisor Joanna Burkey on The Cybersecurity Bridge, published October 21, discussing security program management.
- **2026-09** — Hosted a board communication webinar with public-company director Caroline Tsay, published September 3.
- **2026-08** — Published an essay about the information and institutional-memory challenges facing a new CISO.
- **2026-07** — Pulse launched publicly and announced an $8 million seed round led by Foundation Capital with participation from Zetta Venture Partners.

## Links

- Website: https://pulsesecurity.ai/about/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-armistead-1164715/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/mike-armistead
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25