The Software Report is pleased to announce The Top 50 Software CEOs of 2024. The CEOs on this year’s list represent some of the most influential companies in the software industry, spanning from rapidly growing startups to established global leaders. These executives oversee a diverse range of software solutions, including AI-powered platforms, data infrastructure, enterprise SaaS, and cybersecurity technologies. What unites them is their exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to driving innovation, ensuring their companies stay at the forefront of the ever-evolving tech landscape.
These leaders do more than manage their companies—they are inspiring their teams, shaping industry trends, and building the next generation of software solutions. Their ability to navigate change, push technological boundaries, and foster a culture of collaboration and resilience has allowed their companies to not only thrive in today’s competitive market but also to lead in the industries they serve. Through their strategic vision and advanced thinking, these CEOs are setting the stage for the next wave of software excellence.
Among this year’s honorees is Reggie Aggarwal, who founded Cvent and has led it to become a market leader in event management software, with more than 22,000 customers worldwide and a reputation for connecting organizations and simplifying event planning. Mike Ettling, CEO of Unit4, has played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a leading cloud-based enterprise software company, driving innovation in the HR, finance, and ERP solutions. Finally, Craig “Tooey” Courtemanche has grown Procore from its founding into a global provider of construction management software, connecting more than 2 million users across over 150 countries and revolutionizing the way the construction industry collaborates, plans, and executes projects.
This year’s awardees were selected through a methodical nomination process and careful consideration of each candidate’s career record and industry contributions. Please join us in celebrating The Top 50 Software CEOs of 2024.
1. Reggie Aggarwal
Company: Cvent
Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Reggie Aggarwal is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Cvent, a market-leading meetings, events, and hospitality software company based in Mclean, Virginia with 5,000 employees and 22,000 customers worldwide. As a long-time leader in the meetings and events space, Cvent technology powers millions of events for thousands of organizations and serves as a global marketplace through which event planners sourced more than $18 billion of meetings business in 2024.
Reggie founded Cvent in 1999 as a 2-person startup, and eventually took it public in 2013. The company then went private with Vista Equity Partners in 2016 for $1.65 billion. Cvent continued to scale its business for the next five years and eventually went public again in December of 2021. In June of 2023, Blackstone took Cvent private for $4.6 billion.
2. Mike Ettling
Company: Unit4
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Mike Ettling is the Chief Executive Officer of Unit4, a global enterprise software company. He has played a pivotal role in transforming the company into a leading cloud-based business during his tenure, with a focus on vision, culture, and innovation.
Mike is widely regarded as a thought leader in the IT, HCM, and cloud software industries. In addition to his CEO role, he serves as Chairman of SYSPRO, a global ERP software provider for manufacturing and distribution. He is also an active investor and advisor to emerging companies, recognized for his ability to build and motivate high-performing teams, champion diversity, and harness technology to drive workplace transformation.
Before joining Unit4 in 2018, Mike was President of SAP SuccessFactors, a leader in cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software. He has also held senior leadership positions at NGA HR (now Strada) and Unisys.
3. Tooey Courtemanche
Company: Procore Technologies
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Craig 'Tooey' Courtemanche, Jr. is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chairman of the Board of Procore, a company he founded in 2002 with the goal of connecting the global construction industry on a single platform.
Courtemanche has a long history in building, starting as an apprentice in a carpentry shop, then moving into real estate development, and later founding software companies. Under his leadership, Procore has grown to provide construction management software used by over 2 million users across more than 150 countries.
Previously, Courtemanche was a CEO at Webcage. Earlier in his career he worked with Skip Steveley & Associates as a software engineer.
4. Ali Ghodsi
Company: Databricks
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Ali Ghodsi is the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder of Databricks, a data and AI company. Databricks provides a Data Intelligence Platform that helps organizations manage and leverage their data with AI.
The platform is used by over 10,000 organizations globally, including Block, Comcast, Condé Nast, Rivian, Shell, and more than 60% of the Fortune 500. Databricks, founded by the creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark, Delta Lake, and MLflow, is headquartered in San Francisco with global offices.
Ghodsi has over 20 years experience in AI and computer systems research. He co-created Apache Spark and is an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley. Ghodsi holds a PhD in Distributed Computing from KTH/Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
5. Merete Hverven
Company: Visma
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Merete Hverven became Chief Executive Officer of Visma in early 2020, during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the challenges of leading an international company remotely, Hverven has guided Visma through a period of growth and geographic expansion, strengthening its position as a provider of mission-critical software in Europe and Latin America.
Under her leadership, Visma’s revenue has more than doubled, reaching EUR 2.4 billion in 2023 with an EBITDA of EUR 705 million. The company is now the largest privately-owned software business in Europe, operating in 33 countries with 16,000 employees. In December 2023, Visma was valued at EUR 19 billion following a transaction that attracted EUR 1 billion in investments from 20 new investors, alongside reinvestment from majority owner Hg.
Previously serving as Deputy CEO and Chief HR Officer, Hverven has focused on strengthening Visma through strategic recruitment, acquisitions, and organizational development. She is also a strong advocate for diversity and equality, having initiated several programs to increase diversity across the company.
Before joining Visma in 2011, Merete held several leading positions at Ernst & Young. She holds a master’s degree in finance and international leadership from the University of St. Gallen and The Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).
6. George Fraser
Company: Fivetran
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
George Fraser is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Fivetran, a company that helps organizations centralize their data from various SaaS applications and databases into cloud destinations.
Fivetran's platform enables customers to leverage their data for a wide range of uses, including AI applications, machine learning models, predictive analytics, and operational workloads. The platform ensures reliable and secure data movement, whether deployed on-premises, in the cloud, or in hybrid environments.
Fraser brings 13 years of experience to his current role. Before joining Fivetran, he was a scientist at Emerald Therapeutics. Fraser graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a PhD in neurobiology and from Carnegie Mellon University with an undergraduate degree in cognitive science and biology.
7. Bipul Sinha
Company: Rubrik
Title: Chief Executive Officer, Chairman & Co-Founder
Bipul Sinha is the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Rubrik, as well as a Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Rubrik provides data security solutions through its Zero Trust Data Security approach, helping organizations protect against cyberattacks, malicious insiders, and operational disruptions. The Rubrik Security Cloud, powered by machine learning, safeguards data across enterprise, cloud, and SaaS applications.
Previously, Sinha was a Partner at Lightspeed where he focused on software, mobile, and Internet sectors. His investments included Nutanix, Pulse News, Bromium, and PernixData. Before Lightspeed, Sinha worked at Blumberg Capital, where he was the founding investor/board member of Nutanix and Hootsuite. Sinha also held engineering positions at Oracle Corporation, American Megatrends and IBM.
Sinha holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and an MBA in finance from The Wharton School.
8. Adam Elster
Company: Majesco
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Adam joined Majesco as Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Majesco provides technology solutions for P&C and L&AH insurers, helping them create customer-focused experiences. The company combines its insurance expertise and technology to meet current needs while preparing for future challenges.
Prior to joining the company, Adam served as President of Global Field Operations and member of the Executive Leadership team at CA Technologies, a Fortune 500 organization. Under his direction, CA evolved from legacy software vendor to digital transformation leader across devops, API management, security, and agile management. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in management and information systems from New York University.
9. David Felsenthal
Company: EAB
Title: Chief Executive Officer
David Felsenthal serves as Chief Executive Officer of EAB, an education research, software, and marketing and enrollment solutions firm. Under David’s leadership, EAB has expanded its services to over 2,500 schools, colleges, universities, and corporate partners, focusing on driving change through data-driven insights and advanced capabilities. David is dedicated to education and to creating strong career opportunities for EAB’s more than 1,800 employees, working alongside the company’s experts to improve education and strengthen communities.
David previously served as President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of The Advisory Board Company. After helping to take it public, the company grew from $70 million in revenue and 400 employees to more than $750 million in revenue with 3,700 employees across 10 offices and 3 continents. During his tenure, the company expanded from health care into education and transformed from a subscription research business into a leading provider of software and technology-enabled services.
Earlier in his career, David worked in product development and delivery while serving as Vice President of eHospital, a company focused on producing health care information and delivering it to patients and providers via the Internet, as well as Director of Business Development at Vivra Specialty Partners, a health care software and services firm.
David was named to the top 15 of The Software Report’s Top SaaS CEOs and EAB was recognized in The Software Report’s Power 500 Software Companies. He holds an MBA from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
10. Filip Kaliszan
Company: Verkada
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Filip Kaliszan the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Verkada. The company’s product lines, including video security cameras, access control, environmental sensors, alarms, workplace solutions, and intercoms, offer integrated building security through a secure, cloud-based software platform.
Kaliszan brings 17 years of experience to his current role and first got his start in 2007 as a Founder and CEO at CourseRank. From there, he went on to Chegg, before eventually rising to VP of Product Management at Guidebook, his most recent position prior to joining Verkada. Kaliszan graduated from Stanford University with a master’s degree and an undergraduate degree in computer science.
11. Alexander Atzberger
Company: Optimizely
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Alex Atzberger currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Optimizely, a role he's held since 2019. During his tenure, Alex has led the company through the significant transformation, including multiple successful acquisitions and a company rebrand.
Prior to Optimizely, Alex worked at SAP where he held a number of executive roles, including President of SAP Customer Experience, President of SAP Ariba, and Chief of Staff to the Office of the CEO. Alex is also the Co-Founder of The Wonderbon Chocolate Co. and serves on the Board of Oro Labs. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in finance and international business from New York University’s Leonard Stern School of Business. In 2013, Alex was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
12. Nick Mehta
Company: Gainsight
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Nick Mehta is the Chief Executive Officer at Gainsight, a leading customer success platform that helps businesses drive growth by unifying the post-sales customer journey. The company’s suite of customer success, education, product experience, and community management products is used by organizations across various industries, including nearly 200 publicly traded companies.
Mehta brings 26 years of experience to his current role. Before joining Gainsight, he was CEO at LiveOffice, which was acquired by Symantec. He also served as Director of Product Management at XDegrees, which was acquired by Microsoft, and co-founded Chipshot.com, where he was VP of Marketing. Mehta graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in computer science and an undergraduate degree in biochemistry.
13. Dan Rodrigues
Company: Tebra
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Dan Rodrigues is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Tebra, a cloud-based healthcare technology platform formed in 2021 through the merger of Kareo and PatientPop. Dan founded Kareo in 2004 with the vision of simplifying medical billing for doctors and their staff. Today, Tebra helps over 100,000 healthcare providers streamline their practices while enhancing patient care. Headquartered in Irvine and Los Angeles, California, Tebra employs over 1,000 people dedicated to improving healthcare.
Prior to launching Kareo, Dan started creating technology for the healthcare industry in 2001 as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Skematix, a software consulting firm. Prior to that, he was Co-Founder and CEO of Scour, a popular search engine for music and video files with over 10 million users. Dan began his career as a software developer at RealNetworks and Visio.
Dan has been recognized on The Healthcare Technology Report’s list of Top 50 CEOs in Healthcare IT and on The Software Report’s list of Top 50 SaaS CEOs. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from University of California, Los Angeles.
14. Assaf Rappaport
Company: Wiz
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Assaf Rappaport is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wiz. Assaf Rappaport is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wiz, a cybersecurity company founded in 2020. Under his leadership, Wiz has rapidly grown to become a leading player in the cybersecurity and software industries.
Wiz helps organizations identify security issues in public cloud infrastructure, offering the first cloud-native visibility solution for enterprise security teams. The platform analyzes the entire cloud environment to provide a comprehensive view of security risks across clouds, containers, and workloads, offering deep, actionable, graph-based analysis with no agents required.
Previously, Rappaport was Co-Founder and CEO of Adallom, a cloud access security broker acquired by Microsoft in 2015. He led Microsoft’s Cloud Security group and served as the General Manager of the company’s R&D Center in Israel. Earlier in his career, he managed strategy-focused projects in Israel and Australia while working at McKinsey & Company.
He holds a master’s degree in computer science from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree in computer science, physics, and mathematics from the Hebrew University.
15. Brandon Daniels
Company: Exiger
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Brandon Daniels is the Chief Executive Officer of Exiger, where he leads the development and scaling of AI applications to address complex supply chain challenges for Fortune 500 companies and over 50 customers, including government agencies and the Defense Industrial Base. Exiger provides software and tech-enabled solutions to help corporations, government agencies, and financial institutions manage risk and compliance across third parties, supply chains, and customers.
A seasoned tech executive, Daniels has been called upon by influential organizations to tackle high-profile crises, navigate complex risk environments, and apply cutting-edge technology to urgent business issues—ranging from the mid-2000s financial markets regulatory overhaul to supply chain management for the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force.
Prior to Exiger, Daniels served as President of Clutch Group and Vice President of CPA Global. He graduated from The George Washington University.
16. Andy Byrne
Company: Clari
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Andy Byrne is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clari. Clari’s Revenue Platform is designed to help companies optimize the end-to-end revenue process. Over 1,500 organizations, including Okta, Adobe, Workday, Zoom, and Finastra, use Clari to improve win rates, prevent missed deals, forecast accurately, and enhance the productivity of revenue-critical teams.
Previously, Byrne served as VP of Business Development and Channels for EMEA and APAC Sales at Clearwell Systems, which was acquired by Symantec. Prior to that, he was Co-Founder and CEO of Timestock. Earlier in his career he worked with MiLAN Technologies as a sales and territory manager. Byrne earned a MBA in technology and innovation from San José State University and an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Nevada, Reno.
17. Kevin Kemmerer
Company: WorkWave
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Kemmerer brings over 30 years of software expertise to the company. He has played a key role in leading and growing various high-quality software businesses throughout his career. Prior to joining WorkWave, Kemmerer served as CEO of Brightly Software, where he helped position the company as a leading SaaS enterprise asset management provider. He also orchestrated Brightly's successful sale to Siemens and served on the executive leadership team of Siemens’ $20 billion Smart Infrastructure division.
Kevin also sits on the board of Symplr, a leading software provider for healthcare operations. He began his career as a software developer in the financial services industry before moving on to roles as a Management Consultant at Deloitte Consulting and a Mergers & Acquisitions executive at Broadview (now Jefferies).
Kevin also helped launch Kennet Capital in the U.S., Broadview’s growth-stage venture capital fund. Later, he served as EVP and Managing Director at Safeguard Scientifics and as an Executive-In-Residence at Warburg Pincus, focusing on healthcare IT investments. Prior to joining Brightly, Kevin was EVP of Product at iPipeline, a SaaS company specializing in the insurance market.
Kevin holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Vanderbilt University.
18. Ulf Persson
Company: ABBYY
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Ulf Persson has been Chief Executive Officer of ABBYY since 2017 and is a member of the Board of Directors. ABBYY uses purpose-built AI to unlock the value of information, transforming data from business-critical documents into intelligent, actionable outcomes in real time, supporting over 200 languages.
Before joining ABBYY, Ulf was Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mint Capital, a technology-focused VC investor. He also served as the Managing Director of the AIG-Brunswick Millennium Fund, overseeing assets totaling $300 million.
Throughout his career, Ulf has been involved as an investor and board member in various European and U.S. growth companies, including Tablogix, jNetx, Parallel Graphics, UCMS, and MyMoney. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and is an alumnus of the Stockholm School of Economics and the Swedish Defense Language Institute.
19. Ashutosh Garg
Company: Eightfold
Title: Co-CEO
Ashutosh Garg is the Co-CEO of Eightfold. Eightfold AI’s Talent Intelligence Platform™ helps organizations retain top performers, upskill and reskill their workforce, recruit talent efficiently, and achieve diversity goals. The platform is available in over 155 countries and 24 languages.
With extensive experience in machine learning, Garg has contributed significantly to the field through numerous research citations and patents. After leading Search and Personalization efforts at both Google and IBM Research, Garg founded Bloomreach, recognized as a leader in Digital Experience Platforms by Gartner. He is now focused on addressing the challenge of helping individuals find their most meaningful and fulfilling work.
20. Katherine Kostereva
Company: Creatio
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Katherine Kostereva is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Creatio, a global provider of a no-code platform for automating workflows and CRM. The platform is used daily by thousands of clients across 100 countries to launch millions of workflows.
Kostereva brings 26 years of experience to her current role and first got her start in 1998 as a marketing manager at IBM. From there, she went on to Softline, before eventually rising to CEO and Managing Partner at Terrasoft, her most recent position prior to joining Creatio. Kostereva graduated from Harvard Business School.
21. Piotr Ciski
Company: Symfonia Group
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Piotr Ciski is the Chief Executive Officer of Symfonia, where he has overseen the company’s growth since 2015. Symfonia is a leading force in Poland’s IT landscape, focused on empowering SMEs through technology.
Under Piotr’s leadership, Symfonia has expanded rapidly, becoming an innovator in the Polish market. In 2021, Piotr successfully led the carve-out of Symfonia from Sage, securing private equity investment from MidEuropa to establish the company as an independent entity. In 2023, Piotr further strengthened the company’s position by bringing on Accel-KKR, a Silicon Valley-based investor, enabling Symfonia to expand beyond Poland. By 2024, Symfonia completed its first international acquisition, marking a significant milestone in its expansion.
With nearly 30 years of experience in IT, business strategy, and business transformation, Piotr has extensive expertise in innovation and digital transformation. Prior to Symfonia, he held executive roles at Cybercom and Computaris Group, where he drove growth and operational excellence across multiple markets.
Piotr holds a degree in computer science and econometrics at the University of Łódź and an MBA from the Warsaw University of Technology. He is an active advocate for digital education and a member of the Digital Poland Foundation Council.
22. Max Liu
Company: PingCAP
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Max Liu is the Chief Executive Officer of PingCAP, the creator of TiDB, an advanced open-source distributed SQL database. TiDB enables modern applications with a streamlined tech stack, elastic scaling, real-time analytics, and continuous access to data—all within a single database.
With over 10 years of experience in system infrastructure and software technologies, Liu has also co-authored several open-source projects, including TiDB, TiKV, and Codis, an open-source Redis cluster solution. Prior to PingCAP, he worked at Wandou Labs in the Distributed System Team and at JD.com, China’s largest B2C online retailer by transaction volume and revenue, where he was part of the infrastructure team.
23. Dhiraj Sharma
Company: Simpplr
Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dhiraj Sharma is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Simpplr, an AI-powered platform that enhances employee experience and productivity. Harnessing AI, Simpplr provides employees with personalized, single-point access to people, information and resources across multiple platforms.
Sharma brings 17 years of experience to his current role and first got his start in 2007 as a Founder and CEO at Simplion Technologies before eventually founding and serving as CEO at Lirik, his most recent position prior to joining Simpplr.
24. Mike Palmer
Company: Sigma
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Mike Palmer is the Chief Executive Officer of Sigma, the first enterprise-ready cloud analytics and business intelligence (A&BI) solution built to run natively on cloud data warehouses (CDWs). Sigma provides live, guided access to CDWs, maximizing their value, eliminating the need to adjust data models as new questions emerge, and transforming A&BI into an iterative process. Palmer has more than two decades of experience in the technology industry, developing and delivering solutions for the enterprise at startups and Fortune 500 companies.
As a former CMO, CPO, and GM across the enterprise technology landscape, Palmer specializes in helping companies transform, grow, and scale innovation from idea to broad market success. Prior to joining Sigma, Palmer served as the CPO at Druva, where he defined a lower cost revenue acquisition model, increased net retention, and reimagined processes and technology by replacing antiquated on-premise solutions with emerging cloud technologies and services. Palmer holds a bachelor’s degree in developmental biology from the University of Rochester.
25. Amit Sharma
Company: CData Software
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Amit Sharma is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CData Software, where he defines the company’s technical platform and business strategy. Under his leadership, CData Software has grown from a startup to a leading provider of data access and connectivity solutions. The company's self-service data products and connectivity tools offer universal access to live data from hundreds of popular on-premises and cloud applications.
Previously, Sharma was a technical architect at /n Software and before that a software engineer at Elixar. Earlier in his career he worked with Infosys Technologies as a software engineer. Sharma holds a master’s degree in computer networking from the North Carolina State University and an MBA from the Duke Fuqua School of Business.
26. Amir Ben-Efraim
Company: Menlo Security
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Amir Ben-Efraim is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Menlo Security. Menlo Security protects organizations from cyber threats targeting web browsers through its patented Cloud-Browser Security Platform, which provides scalable protection across enterprises of all sizes without requiring endpoint software or impacting the end-user experience.
Previously, Ben-Efraim was Vice President of Cloud Security at Juniper Networks, where he helped define company strategy for securing the virtualized data center and public and private clouds. He joined Juniper via its acquisition of Altor Networks, where he was Founder and CEO. Before that, he was an executive at Check Point Software.
Ben-Efraim holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from UC Berkeley.
27. Balaji Sreenivasan
Company: Aurigo
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Balaji Sreenivasan is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and board member at Aurigo Software Technologies. Aurigo provides modern, cloud-based solutions for capital infrastructure and private owners, helping them plan, build, and maintain assets efficiently.
Sreenivasan has played a key role in shaping Aurigo into a leading enterprise cloud software business that supports infrastructure owners worldwide. He focuses on defining product strategy, engaging with customers, and developing future leaders within the company.
A mechanical and aerospace engineer, Sreenivasan has a deep understanding of enterprise software, blockchain, and AI/ML technologies. He is an alumnus of the National Institute of Technology in Trichy, the University of Florida, and Harvard Business School.
28. Justin Borgman
Company: Starburst
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Justin Borgman is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Starburst, the Open Hybrid Lakehouse company that provides an end-to-end data platform to securely access, analyze, and share data for analytics and AI across hybrid, on-premises, and multi-cloud environments. Starburst is trusted by several leading brands, including seven of the top ten banks, six of the top ten pharmaceutical companies, and four of the top seven U.S. telecommunications firms.
Prior to founding Starburst, Justin served as Vice President & GM at Teradata, where he was responsible for the company’s portfolio of Hadoop products. He joined Teradata in 2014 through the acquisition of his company, Hadapt, where he was Co-Founder and CEO. Hadapt developed 'SQL on Hadoop,' transforming Hadoop from a file system to an analytic database accessible by any BI tool. In 2017, Justin founded Starburst with the goal of empowering analysts to analyze diverse data sets from any location without compromising performance.
29. David Keane
Company: Bigtincan
Title: Chief Executive Officer
David Keane is the Chief Executive Officer of Bigtincan. Bigtincan provides intelligent, flexible solutions that empower businesses to deliver personalized buying experiences. The company’s offerings are designed to easily adapt to unique business processes, enabling brands to engage effectively with their audiences. Since co-founding Bigtincan in 2010, Keane has been instrumental in guiding the company from startup to a global leader in sales enablement and employee communications.
Previously, Keane was a Founder and CTO at Veritel Wireless and before that a COO at KGRIND. Earlier in his career he worked with Novell as a reseller account manager. Keane earned an MBA from Macquarie Graduate School of Management and an undergraduate degree in economics from The Australian National University.
30. Matt Britton
Company: Suzy
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Matt Britton is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Suzy, a consumer intelligence platform that enables brands to gather real-time feedback from target audiences. Under his leadership, Suzy has grown 500% over the past five years and secured over $100 million in venture capital from investors including The Foundry Group, Bertelsmann Digital Media, H.I.G. Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, Kenneth Cole, and Kevin Durant. Today, Suzy is trusted by brands like L’Oreal, HP, Robinhood, Citi, Google, and Kraft Heinz.
With over two decades of experience, Matt is widely recognized for his expertise in understanding the behaviors of younger generations, particularly Millennials and Gen Z, and their impact on brands. He has worked with more than half of the Fortune 500, providing deep insights into how these generations influence consumer behavior and business decisions.
Before founding Suzy, Matt built MRY, a digital and social media marketing agency, from the ground up in 2002. Over the next 14 years, MRY grew to employ more than 500 people, delivering campaigns for brands like Microsoft, Ford, Procter & Gamble, Visa, and Google. The agency's success culminated in its acquisition by Publicis Groupe in 2011.
Matt is the author of Generation AI: How Artificial Intelligence is Reshaping the Future of Everything, which explores the transformative role of AI in business and society. His previous book, YouthNation, offers insights into how organizations can engage with younger generations.
31. Jason Boehmig
Company: Ironclad
Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Jason Boehmig is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Ironclad, a contract lifecycle management platform used by companies like L'Oréal, Salesforce, and OpenAI. Ironclad powers billions of contracts annually, helping businesses streamline collaboration and negotiation, accelerate the contracting process, and ensure compliance.
Boehmig founded Ironclad to address the barriers he experienced as a corporate attorney, aiming to bring contracts into the digital age. In addition to his leadership at Ironclad, he has served as an adjunct professor at Notre Dame Law School.
Boehmig graduated from Notre Dame Law School with JD in law and from Wake Forest University with an undergraduate degree in economics.
32. Diaz Nesamoney
Company: Jivox
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Diaz Nesamoney is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Jivox, a company that provides a technology platform for data-driven personalized advertising and marketing. An accomplished technology entrepreneur, Nesamoney has founded three successful technology companies, all focused on harnessing the power of data for enterprise and consumer applications.
Nesamoney was previously Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at Informatica, where he played a key role in growing the company from a startup to a publicly traded entity in 1999. Informatica became a leader in data integration software, with over $1 billion in revenue. Before founding Jivox, Nesamoney founded Celequest and served as its CEO until the company was acquired by Cognos/IBM in 2007.
Nesamoney holds a master’s degree in computer science from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in India and is the holder of seven technology patents.
33. Dan Wright
Company: Armada
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder
Dan Wright is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Armada, where he leads the mission to bridge the digital divide through innovative full-stack edge computing. Armada is focused on making advanced computing and AI solutions universally accessible, fostering global interconnectivity, and driving transformative change beyond technological advancements.
Prior to Armada, Wright served as CEO of DataRobot. Under Wright's leadership, DataRobot focused on delivering trusted AI technology and enabling ROI for some of the world's largest organizations. As COO of AppDynamics, Wright played a key role in the company's ascent as a leading application performance management vendor.
Wright graduated from Boston College Law School with a JD and from Pepperdine University with an undergraduate degree in international business.
34. Daniel de Sousa
Company: Rillion
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Daniel de Sousa is the Chief Executive Officer of Rillion, a leading provider of AP automation and payment solutions. He joined the company in March 2024, where he focuses on fostering sustained growth, emphasizing international expansion, and enhancing Rillion's product portfolio.
With over 15 years of experience, Daniel has a proven track record of driving ambitious growth and transformation projects across several SaaS companies. Previously, he served as Group CEO for Trivec, a leading supplier of POS systems in Europe. Before that, Daniel spent more than 10 years at Visma Group, one of Europe’s top software companies, holding several CEO positions.
35. Dave Gray
Company: Arcoro
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Dave Gray is the Chief Executive Officer of Arcoro, an HR platform purpose-built for construction and field-based industries, providing comprehensive solutions to help companies hire, manage and grow their workforce.
Gray brings extensive experience in building efficient teams and driving growth and market expansion, having worked with early-stage and growth companies to define effective strategies and successful exit plans. Prior to joining Arcoro, Gray served as CEO at Daxko, where he led the company to record growth, providing software to over 19,000 fitness and wellness centers serving 25 million users across 55 countries. He has also held senior management positions at CTS, Calico Commerce, and Grant Thornton.
In addition to his work at Arcoro, Gray is a board member and former chairman of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, as well as a board member of Endeavor Atlanta, an organization that helps high-growth entrepreneurs scale their businesses. Gray holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from Auburn University.
36. Andrei Danescu
Company: Dexory
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Andrei Danescu is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Dexory, a UK-based tech company focused on revolutionizing logistics through advanced data intelligence. Andrei is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished engineer with deep expertise in systems engineering and autonomous technology.
Driven by a lifelong passion for innovation, Andrei began building robots at an early age and has since focused on creating solutions that drive change. At Dexory, he leads a team of experts in developing an advanced platform that reimagines warehouse operations. The company’s solution provides real-time insights, enabling logistics businesses to optimize operations, eliminate errors, and achieve operational excellence
37. Mathias Biilmann
Company: Netlify
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Mathias (Matt) Biilmann is the Chief Executive Officer of Netlify, a company he co-founded in 2014, which has become one of the fastest-growing modern web development platforms. Recognized for coining the term 'Jamstack,' Matt has over 30 years of experience building developer tools, content management systems, and web infrastructure.
Active in open source and the developer community, Matt is a regular speaker at industry conferences, meet-ups, and on podcasts. He has contributed to well-known projects in more than a dozen languages across all layers of the stack. Matt grew up in Denmark, where he trained as a musician and music journalist.
38. Gaurav Saran
Company: ReverseLogix
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Gaurav Saran is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ReverseLogix, a platform designed to manage product returns for both B2B and B2C companies. He founded the company with a focus on leveraging emerging technologies to create a cloud-based solution that addresses product returns. Gaurav is particularly focused on using returns technology to reduce waste and emissions, with an emphasis on building solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
Under his leadership, ReverseLogix has become a platform that manages the entire returns process, offering global coverage across all stages of returns management. The company’s customers include DHL Supply Chain, FedEx, Samsonite, Amer Sports, Cole Haan, Electrolux, and Foxconn.
Before founding ReverseLogix, Gaurav worked at Microsoft, where he led enterprise sales for Fortune 500 companies and built strategic executive relationships. He has also held roles at several Silicon Valley startups, including Zoho, where he focused on strategy, business development, sales, and marketing, helping companies grow from early-stage to established businesses.
Outside of work, Gaurav mentors young professionals in the industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in e-commerce marketing and telecommunications and an MBA in global strategic management from California State University, Hayward.
39. Marili Hooft-Bolle
Company: Trengo
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Marili Hooft-Bolle has been the Chief Executive Officer at Trengo since 2023. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, she has a proven track record of leading companies through growth and transformation, particularly in high-growth environments. Under her leadership, Trengo has transitioned into the AI-powered customer engagement space, focusing on AI solutions that help global businesses enhance customer relationships.
Since 2022, Marili has been a board member at TomTom NV, where she leads the Remuneration and Selection Committee. She also holds the Treasurer seat on the board of the Prins Bernhard Nature Fund, a position she’s held since 2019.
Marili started her career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. After that, she worked in various managerial and board positions in the technology sector, most recently as COO of WeTransfer, interim COO at Signal AI, and COO/Managing Director of InSided (acquired by Gainsight). She also served as a member of the Supervisory Board of Vonq and chair for the advisory board of OnePlanetCrowd.
A Dutch national, Marili holds an MBA from INSEAD in France, a master of law degree from Leiden University, and a master’s degree in law and economics from the University of Rotterdam.
40. Brant Hwang
Company: QueryPie
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Brant Hwang is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of QueryPie, a modern data governance platform that helps businesses manage, secure, and access their data across multiple sources and environments. Brant has over 15 years of software development experience, with a focus on data analysis, automation, and optimization. He is also a Y Combinator alum, an Oracle certified professional, and a Sun certified Java programmer and network administrator.
Previously, Hwang was a software engineer at Kakao Corp. and before that a software engineer as military service at CNPTechnology. Earlier in his career he worked with EugeneData as a junior software engineer. Hwang earned an undergraduate degree in computer science from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.
41. Paige Schaffer
Company: Iris Powered by Generali
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Paige Schaffer is the Chief Executive Officer of Iris, a global identity and cyber protection company owned by the 190-year-old multinational insurance company Generali. Iris was founded in 1982 with the mission of providing customers with support anytime and anywhere.
As CEO, Ms. Schaffer leads the strategies for growth, product evolution, and global expansion. With over 17 years of experience in identity and cyber protection, particularly in B2B2C SaaS, she was instrumental in the development and evolution of Iris' identity and cyber protection services. Under her leadership, Iris has expanded into 112 countries, offering country-specific services, and developed a product suite that includes personal cyber and device protection services.
Schaffer holds multiple industry board seats, including the UT Austin Center for Identity and the Identity Theft Resource Center. She is one of two female CEOs in the broader Generali parent executive group. Schaffer also has FBI Citizen Academy certification with a focus on cybercrime and has served as a judge for the Malcolm Baldrige National Service Award. She is frequently cited in the press for her expertise in cyber and identity protection and fraud restoration.
42. Raj Bains
Company: Prophecy.io
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Raj Bains is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Prophecy.io, a low-code data transformation platform that offers an easy-to-use visual interface to build, deploy and manage data pipelines with software-engineering best practices. Prophecy is trusted by enterprises, including multiple companies in the Fortune 50 where hundreds of engineers run thousands of ETL workloads daily.
Bains brings 20 years of experience to his current role. Before joining Prophecy.io, he was a product manager at Hortonworks and before that a director of products at Clustrix. Earlier in his career he worked with 3Dlabs as a compiler developer. Bains graduated from Colorado State University with a master's degree in computer science.
43. Barr Moses
Company: Monte Carlo
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Barr Moses is the CEO and Co-Founder of Monte Carlo, a data reliability company. Monte Carlo created the first end-to-end data observability platform, helping organizations ensure the trustworthiness and reliability of their data.
With $236 million in funding from Accel, ICONIQ Growth, GGV, Redpoint, IVP, and Salesforce Ventures, Monte Carlo is focused on making reliable data accessible to companies globally.
Previously, Moses was a VP of Customer Success Operations at Gainsight. Moses earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and computational sciences from Stanford University.
44. Michel Tricot
Company: Airbyte
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Michel Tricot is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Airbyte, a leading open data movement platform that empowers data teams in the AI era by transforming raw data into actionable insights with the industry’s largest ecosystem of connectors. Airbyte offers low-code, no-code, and AI-powered connector development for structured and unstructured data.
Tricot brings 16 years of experience to his current role and first got his start in 2008 as an R&D engineer at FactSet Research Systems. From there, he went on to Murex, before eventually rising to founding member and director of engineering at rideOS, his most recent position prior to joining Airbyte. Tricot graduated from Ecole d'Ingénieurs en Informatique with a master’s degree in computer science.
45. Kyle Hanslovan
Company: Huntress
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Kyle Hanslovan is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Huntress, a cybersecurity company focused on protecting and empowering small businesses to mid-sized enterprises. The company combines the Huntress Managed Security Platform with a human-led 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC). Under his leadership, Huntress has protected over 150,000 businesses and raised nearly $200 million in venture capital.
Prior to this, Hanslovan served 10 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community and Air Force supporting Offensive Cyber Operations. During this time, he won the World Series of hacking (DEF CON's CTF) and presented at most major cybersecurity conferences. Hanslovan graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
46. Alexandre Wentzo
Company: iGrafx
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Alexandre Wentzo is the Chief Executive Officer of iGrafx, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in the process marketplace. He has held leadership roles in several Software-as-a-Service companies, including as CEO of Casewise, Senior Vice President of Americas for Signavio, and multiple Senior Vice President positions at Celonis, including roles overseeing ISV, Asia Pacific, Japan, and private equity.
As CEO of Casewise, a global process modeling company, Alexandre led a successful turnaround that resulted in the company’s sale to Erwin. At Signavio, he helped build the North American division into a leader in the process modeling and mining space, culminating in the company’s acquisition by SAP.
In addition to his work at iGrafx, Alexandre holds advisory roles at companies like Pointe and Axellience, where he provides guidance on growth, funding rounds, and acquisitions. Outside of his professional career, Alexandre volunteers with Hope and Aid Direct, an organization providing food, clothing, medical supplies, and support to families in need.
47. Stephen Baker
Company: ActiveState
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Stephen Baker is the Chief Executive Officer of ActiveState, bringing over 25 years of experience in the tech industry, with expertise in generative AI, machine learning, enterprise search, and speech recognition. He has held leadership roles at early-stage companies, including Fast Search & Transfer, RAMP, and Attivio, where he served in positions ranging from General Manager to CEO.
Most recently, Stephen led the worldwide Generative AI and Machine Learning go-to-market organization at AWS. He excels in fast-paced environments and is dedicated to building high-performing teams and fostering differentiated company cultures. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University and an MBA from The Wharton School.
48. Marty Sprinzen
Company: Vantiq
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Marty Sprinzen is the Chief Executive Officer of Vantiq, a company he founded to focus on real-time, event-driven applications. Marty is a successful software entrepreneur with a track record of introducing innovative software solutions across various areas, including systems management, relational databases, and internet application development.
Before founding Vantiq, Marty was the CEO and Co-Founder of Forte Software, which was acquired for over $1 billion. He also held key roles at Ingres, including VP of International Operations and VP of Engineering, and served as VP of Development at Candle Corporation. Marty holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art.
49. Steven Aberle
Company: Rohirrim
Title: Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Steven Aberle is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rohirrim, where he leads the development of innovative AI solutions. As an AI researcher and entrepreneur, Steve has expertise in LLMs, transformers, and Generative AI. He invented and patented the first organization-specific generative AI solution for enterprises through the Rohan platform developed at Rohirrim.
Steve has a deep background in working with unstructured data, having contributed to some of the largest collections of documents in the world at Los Alamos National Laboratories. Over the course of his career, he has worked on complex technical architectures for commercial, aerospace, defense, and intelligence organizations.
50. Rahul Ponnala
Company: Granica
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Rahul Ponnala is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Granica.AI, a platform focused on helping enterprises prepare their data to deploy and scale AI.
With a multidisciplinary background across applied research and engineering, Rahul’s work bridges the domains of machine learning, information theory, mathematical algorithms, and distributed systems, with a focus on scalable solutions for machine intelligence. He has contributed to the field through patents and peer-reviewed publications in computational statistics and machine learning.
Beyond his leadership at Granica, Rahul is an angel investor, supporting innovation in tech startups at the intersection of AI, robotics, and medicine.
