# Paul Stokes

> Paul Stokes is the London-based co-founder and CEO of Prevalent AI, an enterprise data fabric and cybersecurity company founded in 2017. Previously co-founder and COO of Wynyard Group and co-founder and CEO of Cognevo, he writes about security risk, data quality and the business value of connected enterprise information. In August 2026, Prevalent AI announced its first primary capital raise, a $22 million investment from Integrity Growth Partners.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Prevalent AI
- **Organizations:** Prevalent AI, Managed Security Forum, Cognevo, Wynyard Group, BAE Systems, Deloitte, Cognizant
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** Master’s degree; subject not specified in the verified biography, London School of Economics and Political Science
- **Known for:** Recipient of a 2012 New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship., Co-founder and COO of Wynyard Group through its 2013 IPO., Co-founder and CEO of Cognevo, acquired by Telstra in November 2016.

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Received a New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship.
- **2013** — Wynyard Group, where Stokes was co-founder and COO, completed its IPO.
- **2016** — Telstra acquired Cognevo, where Stokes was co-founder and CEO; Telstra records the acquisition on 25 November, after Wynyard entered administration in October.
- **2017** — Co-founded Prevalent AI with Arun Raj and a founding group including Sir Iain Lobban and Andrew France.
- **2018** — Published a critique of security product proliferation and introduced the Managed Security Forum buyers’ guide.
- **2019** — Published a World Economic Forum essay on measuring cybersecurity return on investment.
- **2022** — Discussed plans for a Security Data Science Academy at the company’s Kochi centre.
- **2026** — Prevalent AI announced $22 million in growth investment from Integrity Growth Partners on 19 August, its first primary capital raise.

## Achievements

- Recipient of a 2012 New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Scholarship.
- Co-founder and COO of Wynyard Group through its 2013 IPO.
- Co-founder and CEO of Cognevo, acquired by Telstra in November 2016.
- Co-founded Prevalent AI in 2017; the company reports customer-funded growth and profitability before its first primary capital raise in August 2026.
- Co-founded the Managed Security Forum and contributed to its work on buyer education.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Prevalent AI appointed Nitin Maini as CTO on 2 September; Stokes connected the appointment to expanding the knowledge graph into enterprise uses including financial crime analysis and operational intelligence.
- **2026-09** — Onmanorama reported plans to expand the Kochi development centre and the US presence; the expansion plans were described by co-founder and COO Arun Raj.
- **2026-08** — Announced $22 million in growth investment from Integrity Growth Partners, the company’s first primary capital raise in its nine-year history.

## Links

- Website: https://prevalent.ai/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-stokes-95b09b1/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/paul-stokes
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-21