# Russell Spitler

> Russell Spitler is co-founder and CEO of Nudge Security, an Austin-based cybersecurity company that helps organizations discover and govern the sprawl of SaaS and AI apps employees adopt on their own. He previously ran product strategy at AT&T Cybersecurity and AlienVault, where he co-founded the Open Threat Exchange, one of the largest open threat intelligence communities in the world. In November 2025, Nudge Security raised a $22.5 million Series A led by Cerberus Ventures, bringing total funding to roughly $39 million.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Nudge Security
- **Organizations:** Nudge Security, AT&T Cybersecurity (former), AlienVault (former), Open Threat Exchange (co-founder), Fortify Software (former), Forbes Technology Council
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA, Computer Science, Colby College
- **Known for:** Co-founder of the Open Threat Exchange, one of the largest open threat intelligence communities in the world, Led product strategy for AT&T Cybersecurity, one of the top five global MSSPs at the time, Member of the Forbes Technology Council

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Product leadership at Fortify Software, a foundational company in application security
- **2010s** — Joined AlienVault as VP of Product Management, later Senior VP of Product
- **2012** — Co-founded the Open Threat Exchange (OTX), now a threat intel community with 180,000+ participants
- **2018** — AlienVault acquired by AT&T; became VP of Products and Strategy at AT&T Cybersecurity
- **2021** — Co-founded Nudge Security with Jaime Blasco
- **2022-10** — Nudge Security emerged from stealth
- **2023** — Raised $7M seed round; grew ARR 3x
- **2024** — 3x ARR growth again; onboarded customers across finance, biotech, healthcare, entertainment
- **2025-11** — Closed $22.5M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures; total funding ~$39M

## Achievements

- Co-founder of the Open Threat Exchange, one of the largest open threat intelligence communities in the world
- Led product strategy for AT&T Cybersecurity, one of the top five global MSSPs at the time
- Member of the Forbes Technology Council
- Grew Nudge Security to nearly 200 customers within three years of launch
- Raised $39M total funding across seed and Series A

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Nudge Security raised a $22.5M Series A led by Cerberus Ventures, with Morgan Mahlock joining the board.
- **2025** — Company reported 3x ARR growth for a second consecutive year and shipped 60+ feature releases in the prior 12 months.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nudgesecurity.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russell-spitler/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nudge_security

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/russell-spitler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-08