# Stu Sjouwerman

> Stu Sjouwerman is the Amsterdam-born American entrepreneur who founded KnowBe4 in 2010 after co-founding Sunbelt Software. He led KnowBe4 through its 2021 Nasdaq IPO and became executive chairman in May 2025. He is also co-founder and CEO of ReadingMinds.ai and the author of Agent-Powered Growth, published by Wiley in 2026.

- **Role:** Founder and Executive Chairman at KnowBe4; Co-founder and CEO at ReadingMinds.ai
- **Organizations:** KnowBe4, ReadingMinds.ai, Sunbelt Software, CyberheistNews
- **From:** Amsterdam, Netherlands
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** University of Amsterdam
- **Known for:** Founded KnowBe4 and led its Nasdaq IPO in April 2021., 2024 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award recipient, recognizing contributions to U.S.-Dutch economic relations., Co-founded Sunbelt Software, acquired by GFI Software in 2010.

## Career timeline

- **1979** — Turned his professional attention to computing after studying educational sciences.
- **1994** — Moved to the United States to establish a software company’s U.S. subsidiary.
- **2010** — Sunbelt Software, which he co-founded, was acquired by GFI Software in June. Founded KnowBe4 in August.
- **2011** — KnowBe4 launched CyberheistNews in March and its first Internet Security Awareness Training product in April.
- **2019** — KnowBe4 raised $300 million in a KKR-led round at a $1 billion valuation.
- **2021** — Led KnowBe4 through its April Nasdaq IPO.
- **2023** — Vista Equity Partners completed its acquisition of KnowBe4 on February 1.
- **2024** — Received the Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award on April 10.
- **2025** — Became KnowBe4 executive chairman in May as Bryan Palma became CEO; also became co-founder and CEO of ReadingMinds.ai.
- **2026** — Wiley published Agent-Powered Growth: Deploy AI Agents That Build Your Marketing Pipeline 24/7.

## Achievements

- Founded KnowBe4 and led its Nasdaq IPO in April 2021.
- 2024 Holland on the Hill Freddy Heineken Award recipient, recognizing contributions to U.S.-Dutch economic relations.
- Co-founded Sunbelt Software, acquired by GFI Software in 2010.
- Author of Cyberheist and Agent-Powered Growth.
- Stu and Rebecca Sjouwerman donated $4 million in 2019 for a new Humane Society of Pinellas adoption center.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published Seven Rules For Evaluating Voice AI Research Platforms through Forbes Technology Council on September 8.
- **2026-08** — Published AI Agents Speak With Confidence, But They Need Provenance through Forbes Technology Council on August 26.
- **2026-01** — Agent-Powered Growth appeared in Wiley’s 2026 publishing catalog.
- **2025-05** — Transitioned from KnowBe4 CEO to executive chairman and began leading ReadingMinds.ai as co-founder and CEO.

## Links

- Website: https://www.knowbe4.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stusjouwerman/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/StuAllard

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