fintech-security
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David Lehrer
David Lehrer is the founder and CEO of Conatix and its flagship product Cysana, an AI cybersecurity venture that turns executable files into pictures so neural networks can spot malware before it ever runs. A Harvard-trained policy researcher turned deep-tech operator, he built the company across Virginia, New York, Montreal, London and Berlin, in partnership with the University of Luxembourg's SnT research center. His unusual path runs from criminology at Oxford and economics at the Bank of Finland to a patented anti-ransomware engine trained on a European supercomputer.
Piyush Verma
Piyush Verma is the co-founder and CEO of Neural Defend, an AI cybersecurity startup that detects deepfakes across video, audio, images, and real-time streams. A two-time founder and former MIT, Harvard, and Tsinghua researcher, he previously built Manush Labs, an impact accelerator backed by billionaire Desh Deshpande, and founded the MIT India Initiative. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and MIT Tata Fellow trained in design at IIT Delhi, Verma now works to defend real human identities against synthetic deception, with Neural Defend raising $600K in pre-seed funding and partnering with Zee News on India's first media-led deepfake verification system.
James Rosenthal
James (Jim) Rosenthal co-founded BlueVoyant in 2017 and built it from a startup into a global cybersecurity company with more than 650 employees across five continents. A former Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley, where he answered to the CEO and board for cybersecurity, he turned a Wall Street obsession with protecting the financial system into a company that defends businesses and governments against internal and supply-chain threats. In May 2026 he handed the CEO role to John Hernandez and became Chairman of the Board.
Taimur Ijlal
Taimur Ijlal is a cloud and AI security leader with 20+ years of international experience, currently serving as a Senior Security Consultant at AWS. Known as 'Cloud Security Guy,' he runs a popular Substack newsletter, YouTube channel, and Udemy courses reaching 80,000+ professionals. A CISO of the Year 2019 winner in the UAE, LinkedIn Top Voice in Cybersecurity, and UK Global Talent Visa 'Exceptional Talent' recipient, Taimur has authored multiple books on cybersecurity careers, certifications, and AI governance. He is recognized for making complex cloud and AI security topics accessible through practical, real-world teaching.