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Will Ackerly, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of Virtru, is set to share his insights at the upcoming DMV Rising event on September 12th. As a featured speaker on the panel "Open Innovation and Category Creation in Cybersecurity," Ackerly brings a wealth of experience in leveraging open standards to build successful cybersecurity solutions.
Before co-founding Virtru in 2012, Ackerly spent eight years at the National Security Agency (NSA), where he honed his expertise in cloud analytics and security architecture. His most notable contribution during this time was leading the development of the Trusted Data Format (TDF), an open standard published by the US Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The TDF became the cornerstone of Virtru's foundation and continues to be utilized by various agencies and companies for secure data transfer. This achievement - long with Virtru's perpetuation of OpenTDF - exemplifies Ackerly's commitment to open innovation in the cybersecurity space.
The company's impact hasn't gone unnoticed by investors beyond DC. In a testament to Virtru's potential and the critical nature of data protection, the company secured a $60 million growth financing round in early 2022. This funding boost, led by ICONIQ Growth and Foundry Capital, positions Virtru to further its mission of making TDF the open standard for Zero Trust data protection.
With 25 patents to his name, Ackerly is not just an innovator but also a thought leader in the field. He frequently shares his expertise on cryptography, data access control policy, and big data analytics at industry events and in media publications.
At DMV Rising, Ackerly will join Marty Roesch, founder of SourceFire and CEO of Netography, to explore the strategies, challenges, and opportunities of leveraging open source projects and open standards in building high-growth software businesses. This panel promises to offer valuable insights for entrepreneurs and cybersecurity professionals alike.
Don't miss the opportunity to hear from Will Ackerly and other industry leaders at DMV Rising on September 12th. His journey from the NSA to co-founding a successful cybersecurity company built on open standards is sure to inspire and inform attendees about the power of open innovation in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.
