# Wyatt Starnes

> William Wyatt Starnes (1954-2014) was a technology entrepreneur, Tripwire co-founder and its founding president and CEO. A former semiconductor testing specialist, he later founded SignaCert, worked in senior cyber technology roles at Harris and advised government and industry bodies on trusted computing. Based in Portland, Oregon, he also mentored entrepreneurs; an Oregon Entrepreneurs Network award was established in his memory.

- **Role:** Technology entrepreneur, software integrity executive and former semiconductor testing specialist
- **Organizations:** Tripwire, Inc., SignaCert, Inc., Harris Corporation, Data General Corporation, Monolithic Memories, Maruman Integrated Circuits, Megatest Corporation, Megatest Japan, Trisys, Eclipse Technologies, Infinite Pictures, Regional Alliances for Infrastructure and Network Security (RAINS), NIST Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology, TechAmerica Foundation CLOUD2 Commission
- **From:** Atlanta, United States
- **Education:** High school graduation, Ygnacio Valley High School, Associate degree in computer science, Control Data Institute
- **Known for:** Co-founded Tripwire and led the commercialization of Purdue-origin integrity monitoring software., Founded SignaCert, acquired by Harris in 2010., Chaired the information technology subcommittee of NIST’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology.

## Career timeline

- **1973** — Began professional career at Data General in Sunnyvale, California.
- **1978** — Joined semiconductor test-equipment company Megatest.
- **1981** — Moved to Tokyo to establish Megatest Japan; served as president for two years.
- **1997** — Co-founded Tripwire with Gene Kim; became founding president and CEO.
- **1998** — Tripwire released its first commercial software version.
- **2004** — Founded SignaCert.
- **2005-2008** — Served on NIST’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology.
- **2009** — Testified at the October 22 House hearing on cybersecurity activities at NIST.
- **2010** — SignaCert was acquired by Harris; joined Harris in a senior cyber technology role.
- **2011** — Appointed to the TechAmerica Foundation CLOUD2 commission.
- **2012** — Retired from Harris.
- **2014** — Died May 10; the Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award was established later that year.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Tripwire and led the commercialization of Purdue-origin integrity monitoring software.
- Founded SignaCert, acquired by Harris in 2010.
- Chaired the information technology subcommittee of NIST’s Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology.
- Named co-inventor on the patent Method and apparatus for lifecycle integrity verification of virtual machines.
- Co-founded RAINS, a public/private security technology alliance.

## Latest updates

- **2022-12** — Eugene Spafford’s ACSAC paper revisited the origins of Tripwire and Starnes’s part in its commercialization.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wyatt-starnes
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24